Jura distillery

Coordinates: 55°49′58.4″N 5°57′3.8″W / 55.832889°N 5.951056°W / 55.832889; -5.951056

Jura Single Malt Whisky
Jura 10 years old
Location Jura
Owner Whyte & Mackay
Founded 1810

Jura distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery on the island of Jura in the Inner Hebrides 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-based Emperador Inc.[1]

History

The distillery was founded in 1810. The distillery fell into disrepair, and was rebuilt in the early 1960s by two local estate owners Robin Fletcher and Tony Riley-Smith. Their architect was William Delme-Evans.[2] The work was completed in 1963, and it included the installation of taller stills, allowing the distillery to create a mix of malts.

Products

A single malt from the Jura distillery packaged and aged by an independent bottler.
  • "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.[3][4]

The location

The Isle 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's described the location of Jura in 1946, and the island remains difficult to reach today. Most travellers to Jura go by CalMac 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. From March to October there is also a passenger ferry from Tayvallich on the west coast of Scotland.[5]

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.[6]

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.[7]
  • Jura Prophecy: Gold (Best in Class), International Wine & Spirits Competition, 2010
  • Jura Diurachs' Own 16YO: Gold (Best in Class), International Wine & Spirits Competition, 2010
  • Jura Superstition: Double Gold Medal, San Francisco World Spirits Competition, 2009[8]
  • Jura Origin 10YO: Silver, International Wine & Spirits Competition, 2010

See also

References

  1. ↑ "BBC News - Philippines firm Emperador buys Whyte & Mackay for £430m". BBC News.
  2. ↑ "Jura Whisky". isleofjura.com. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
  3. ↑ "Jura Whisky". jurawhisky.com. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
  4. ↑ "Jura Whisky". isleofjura.com. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
  5. ↑ "home - Jura Passenger Ferry". jurapassengerferry.com. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
  6. ↑ MaltAdvocate.com. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
  7. ↑ usl. "USL-Search Result". unitedspirits.in.
  8. ↑ Results, San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2009
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