Jura distillery is a Scotch

whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden ca ...

distillery Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the hea ...

on the island of Jura in the

Inner Hebrides The Inner Hebrides (; Scottish Gaelic: ''Na h-Eileanan a-staigh'', "the inner isles") is an archipelago off the west coast of mainland Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, whi ...

off the West Coast of Scotland. The distillery is owned by Glasgow founded and based Whyte and Mackay, which in turn is owned by

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

-based Emperador Inc.

History

The distillery was founded by the Laird of Jura, Archibald Campbell in 1810. The distillery fell into disrepair but was restored in 1884. Around 1900, it was again in disuse and dismantled. In the 1950s two local estate owners, Robin Fletcher and Tony Riley-Smith, keen to revive the local economy, had the distillery rebuilt and expanded by the architects Lothian, Barclay, Jarvis & Boys with input from whisky and distillery expert William Delmé-Evans. The work was completed in 1963, and included the installation of taller stills, allowing the distillery to create a mix of malts.

Timeline of ownership

*Emperador Distillers Inc (parent company) 2014–present *Whyte and Mackay Group 1995–present *Invergordon Distillers 1985 - 1995 * Scottish & Newcastle Breweries 1960 - 1985 Charles Mackinlay & Co 1960 *James Ferguson & Sons 1876 - 1901 *J & K Orr 1867 - 1876 *Norman Buchanan 1853 - 1861 *The Campbell of Jura Family 1810–1853

Products

Jura's current offering comprises 26 single malt whiskies that are divided over three product series: Signature, Travel Exclusive and Rare & Limited.

Discontinued products

* "Origin" – a ten-year-old whisky, a non-peated malt having a "heather honey" finish * "Diurachs' Own" – sixteen years old, rich and full-bodied in nature * "Superstition" – a single malt "lightly peated with hints of smoke and spice" * "Prophecy" – a heavily peated malt, bottled without chill filtration. In the early 1700s, the Campbells of Jura evicted a man who prophesied that the last Campbell to leave the island would be one-eyed with his belongings carried in a cart drawn by a lone white horse. In 1938 Charles Campbell, blind in one eye from a war injury, fell on hard times and led his white horse to the old pier for the last time.

The location

The island of Jura is seven miles (11 km) wide and thirty miles (48 km) long and it has only one road, one pub, and one distillery. There are seven estates on Jura:

Ardfin Ardfin is a country estate on the island of Jura, Inner Hebrides, Scotland. It is situated at the southern tip of the island, between Feolin and Craighouse. It includes Jura House which is a Category C listed building. The old house was extended ...

, Inver, Jura Forest, Ruantallain, Tarbert,

Ardlussa Ardlussa is a hamlet and estate on The Long Road, just north of the Lussa River, overlooking Ardlussa Bay on the east coast of the island of Jura, in the council area of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Estate buildings line the road, and the area fea ...

, and Barnhill. Less than 200 people live on the island (while it has a red deer population of around 5000). The inhabitants of Jura are known as Diurachs, which is their

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, an ...

name. "Extremely unget-at-able" was how

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalit ...

described the location of the Isle of Jura in 1946, and it was here in 1948 he completed his novel ''

Nineteen-Eighty-four ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' (also stylised as ''1984'') is a dystopian social science fiction novel and cautionary tale written by the English writer George Orwell. It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker & Warburg as Orwell's ninth and final ...

: ''the island remains difficult to reach today. Most travelers to Jura go by

Caledonian MacBrayne Caledonian MacBrayne ( gd, Caledonian Mac a' Bhriuthainn), usually shortened to CalMac, is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, and ferry services, between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west ...

car ferry from

Kennacraig Kennacraig () is a hamlet situated on West Loch Tarbert, a south west of Tarbert on the Kintyre peninsula, Argyll and Bute, in the west of Scotland. Ferry terminal Caledonian MacBrayne ferries sail from the terminal, on the rocky islet Ei ...

on the

Kintyre Peninsula Kintyre ( gd, Cinn Tìre, ) is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The peninsula stretches about , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south to East and West Loch Tarbert in the north. The region immediately north ...

Islay Islay ( ; gd, Ìle, sco, Ila) is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides", it lies in Argyll just south west of Jura and around north of the Northern Irish coast. The island's capital ...

, and then cross to Jura from

Port Askaig Port Askaig ( gd, Port Asgaig) is a port village on the east coast of the island of Islay, in Scotland. The village lies on the Sound of Islay (Caol Ìle) across from Jura. Economy Port Askaig has a hotel, a petrol station and shop next to the ...

on Islay by the

MV Eilean Dhiura MV ''Eilean Dhiura'' is a vehicle ferry operating across the Sound of Islay. History ''Eilean Dhiura'' was commissioned by Argyll and Bute Council in 1998, to replace Western Ferries as the Jura Ferry. She was operated initially by Serco De ...

, a small vehicle ferry which is run by ASP Ships on behalf of Argyll and Bute Council. Islay can also be reached by air:

Islay Airport Islay Airport (also known as Glenegedale Airport) is located north-northwest of Port Ellen on the island of Islay in Argyll and Bute, off the west coast of Scotland. It is a small rural airport owned and maintained by Highlands and Islands A ...

is served by daily flights from

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

. From March to October there is also a passenger ferry from

Tayvallich Tayvallich (pronounced ; gd, Taigh a' Bhealaich ) is a small village in the Knapdale area of Argyll and Bute, in Scotland. The village name has its origins in Gaelic, and means the "house of the pass". The village is built around a sheltered harbo ...

on the west coast of Scotland.

Brand ambassadors

Willie Tait is one of two brand ambassadors. He began working at the distillery in 1975, and worked as a tunroom man, mash, stillman under manager, distillery manager and master distiller, before taking the role of brand ambassador. In 2011 he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from ''Malt Advocate'' magazine.MaltAdvocate.com
Retrieved 2011-03-07. Willie Cochrane, the other brand ambassador, started at the Jura distillery as a mash & still operator in 1976. Soon after, he was promoted to the dual roles of brewer and engineer. After thirty years, he became the distillery manager.

Awards

* Gold Quality Award from the international quality institute

Monde Selection Monde Selection is an annual non-competitive award open to food, drinks, and cosmetics products, created in 1961. It is run by the commercial company, International Institute for Quality Selections, Brussels, Belgium. Consumer products are tasted a ...

, 2006. * Jura Prophecy: Gold (Best in Class), International Wine & Spirits Competition, 2010 * Jura Diurachs' 16YO: Gold (Best in Class), International Wine & Spirits Competition, 2010 * Jura Superstition: Double Gold Medal, San Francisco World Spirits Competition, 2009Results
, San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2009 * Jura Origin 10YO: Silver, International Wine & Spirits Competition, 2010

References

External links

Jura Official WebsiteFacebook Page
{{Scottish Distilleries Scottish malt whisky Jura, Scotland 1810 establishments in Scotland 1810 introductions British companies established in 1810 Companies based in Argyll and Bute Food and drink companies established in 1810