Situated a few miles off the west coast of Scotland, Jura is home to a community of around 212 people. Their mission is the same now as it was when the beachside distillery was founded by Archibald Campbell in 1810, to make great tasting whisky that is fruity, balanced, approachable and perfect for bringing people together.
The distillery was initially and named the Small Isles Distillery, it was some eight years later that William Abercombie obtained a license for the distillery, renaming it Jura in 1818. Despite the close proximity to Islay, Jura whisky is deliberately different to its island neighbour. Think ripe stone fruits, aromatic notes and subtle coastal elements, but none of the intense peat smoke of its Ìleach cousins. In this ancient landscape of wild mountains, peaceful lochs and stormy seas, Jura boasts a distinct micro-climate to mature its whisky in. The water source comes from the tallest mountain range on the island, The Paps of Jura, which filters down the mountain range and into the Market Loch.
When the distillery was founded the island was home to more than a thousand people. However, from 1901 fortunes changed. Two World Wars further complicated matters and the jobs dried up. The roof came off the distillery and it fell into disrepair, leading to a quiet period of over six decades which was ended in 1963. Local landowners, Robin Fletcher and Tony Riley-Smith decided to revive Jura. Assembling a crack squad including blender Charles MacKinlay & Co and the famous distillery designer, William Delme-Evans, they created a modern distillery, one with a clear flow from the semi-lauter tun, stainless steel washbacks, and stillhouse with tall (7.7m) stills.
Originally running to a capacity of more than 20,000 litres, in 1978 further expansion brought the distillery to its current size. Occasional peated malt runs take place but the character is more subtly smoky. In 1985, Jura became part of the Whyte & Mackay group. Distillery manager Graham Logan started working at Jura as a trainee mashman in 1991 and has worked in every area of production.
The name Jura derives from the Old Norse for ‘deer island’, a reference to the large local herds of deer, which greatly outnumber the island’s human population. The most notable resident was George Orwell who famously stated that the island was ‘the most un-get-at- able of places, while staying on the island to complete his novel, 1984.