Jura distillery

Jura distillery stands on the island of Jura in the Inner Hebrides off Scotland’s west coast. The island is thirty miles long and seven miles wide with only one road, one pub and one distillery. Fewer than two hundred people live there among five thousand red deer. The islanders are called Diurachs, their Gaelic name. George Orwell once described it as ‘extremely unget-at-able’, and reaching Jura still means taking a small ferry from Islay or a passenger boat from Tayvallich. The distillery was founded in 1810 by the Laird of Jura, Archibald Campbell. After falling into disrepair it was rebuilt in 1884, then dismantled around 1900. In the 1950s two estate owners, Robin Fletcher and Tony Riley-Smith, revived the project with architects Lothian, Barclay, Jarvis & Boys and whisky expert William Delmé-Evans. Whyte & Mackay now operate the site after buying Invergordon Distillers in 1993. Twenty-six single malts are produced across three series: Signature, Travel Exclusive and Rare & Limited. Visitors find a working distillery with stills installed in the 1960s. Two brand ambassays, Willie Tait and Willie Cochrane, share their long experience there. The range includes lightly peated Superstition and heavily peated Prophecy, named after a local prophecy about the last Campbell leaving the island. Awards such as Monde Selection’s Gold Quality Award and multiple golds at the International Wine & Spirits Competition recognise the whiskies made here.