Isle of Jura 18 Year Battlehill

Review by: TOModera

Hey all, quick review before the first day of Fanexpo. Depending on the bar we end up at tonight, I may have one tomorrow as well.

Is it obvious that I’m in vacation mode now? Trust me, it’s like alcoholic mode, yet it doesn’t last a long time, I sleep in my own bed, my life doesn’t fall apart, and you end up with way more reviews.

Special thanks to GWCad for this sample. He went through a lot of heck with our trades and I really appreciated this sample. Seriously good guy.

Anyway, the dram I’ll be reviewing today is the Jura 18 year Battlehill. It’s a Jura, so I know everyone is excited, as it’s a very polarizing distillery. And then it’s from Battlehill, who don’t colour, or chill filtered their Scotch. Also everything is bottled at 43%…. so nobody’s perfect.

Jura is an Island Scotch and the only distillery on Jura. I don’t know where this one was aged, so that may change some things up a little. I enjoy Superstition, so we’ll have to see how this one fares.

Distillery: Isle of Jura Distillery.

Bottler: Battlehill.

Region: Isle of Jura, Islands, Scotland.

ABV: 43%.

Age: 18 years.

Cask type: Bourbon and Red Wine Casks.

Price: N/A

Color: Straw

Nose: Sour grapes, oranges, lime, smoked nectarines, peach cobbler, sweet grass, pot pourri, honey roasted nuts, sea air

This… doesn’t smell like a Jura at all. Or an Island. It has a little sea air, though there’s very little smokiness and tons of sweetness. Like a smoked peach cobbler, which I’ll have to make at some point. Imagine a Lowland that was lightly smoked.

Taste: Grass, sweet mango, lemongrass, oranges, key lime, curry, chili powder, lemon, earthy

Lots of grass and sweetness. Tons of heat, especially for 43%. Kinda like a BBQ or a Tex-Mex dish. Nothing too special, and it takes a long time to get past the mango and orange flavours.

FInish: Sweet potato, lettuce, cucumber, apple, nutmeg, dry, mustard

Very faint finish, and very short. Took me quite awhile to figure it out. Lots of earth.

Conclusion: It’s like someone tried to take Jura and make something else with it. So you have some of the typical flavours (earth, sourness) mixed with a new flavour profile. It’s like forcing two people to kiss. It’s awkward and not too great. I’m glad I tried this one, and I’ll keep looking for other Jura’s that match the elements I like in Superstition.

Final Score: 73.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

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