Jura distillery is a
Scotch
Scotch most commonly refers to:
* Scotch (adjective), a largely obsolescent adjective meaning "of or from Scotland"
**Scotch, old-fashioned name for the indigenous languages of the Scottish people:
***Scots language ("Broad Scotch")
*** Scottish G ...
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 heat ...
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, whic ...
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, Inver, Jura Forest, Ruantallain, Tarbert, Ardlussa, 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 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 totalita ...
described the location of the Isle of Jura in 1946, and it was here in 1948 he completed his novel '' Nineteen-Eighty-four: ''the island remains difficult to reach today. Most travelers to Jura go by Caledonian MacBrayne car ferry from Kennacraig on the Kintyre Peninsula to Islay, and then cross to Jura from Port Askaig on Islay by the MV Eilean Dhiura, 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 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 pop ...
. From March to October there is also a passenger ferry from Tayvallich 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](_blank)
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, 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
See also
*
Scotch whisky
Scotch whisky (; sco, Scots whisky/whiskie, whusk(e)y; often simply called whisky or Scotch) is malt whisky or grain whisky (or a blend of the two), made in Scotland.
All Scotch whisky was originally made from malted barley. Commercial dist ...
*
List of distilleries in Scotland
*
List of whisky brands
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