Jura distillery information
The remote isle of Jura lies off the west coast of Scotland, separated from Islay by the narrow Sound of Islay. The Jura distillery was established in 1810 in the island’s only settlement, Craighouse, licensed to the island’s owner, Archibald Campbell. Over the following decades the site traded under several names, including Small Isles and Caol nan Eilean, before settling on Jura, and passed through a series of owners. James Ferguson & Sons took over the licence in 1876, but the distillery closed in 1901 amid a wider slump across the whisky industry.
Jura then sat silent for close to six decades. In 1960, island landowners Robin Fletcher and Tony Riley-Smith set out to revive distilling there, largely as a way to help stem the island’s declining population, backed financially by the Leith blender Charles Mackinlay & Co. Architect William Delme-Evans, who also designed Tullibardine and Glenallachie, drew up a large, modern distillery equipped with tall lantern-necked stills, which reopened in 1963 and was further expanded in 1978 to its current size.
Whyte & Mackay took over Jura in the mid-1990s. The distillery is now owned by Emperador Inc., the Philippine drinks group that bought Whyte & Mackay for GBP 430 million in 2014.
A nice bit of trivia about the Isle of Jura itself is that it is the location where George Orwell wrote his masterpiece ‘1984’ from 1947 to 1948.
Jura Whiskies
Jura’s core range now consists of:
- 12 Year Old – matured in American white oak ex-bourbon casks
- 14 Year Old – finished in American rye casks
- 18 Year Old – finished in French oak casks
- Jura Seven Wood – no age statement, matured across seven oak cask types (one ex-bourbon fill plus six French oak variants)
The US market also carries a 10 Year Old as part of its core range. Beyond the core range, the Cask Editions line adds American Bourbon Cask and Caribbean Rum Cask (plus, UK only, French Cognac Cask); a Travel Retail range (13, 16 and 19 Year Old, plus White Oak Cask) is sold in airports; and the Rare & Aged collection runs from the 21 Year Old (Tide) and 28 Year Old up through a rotating set of single-vintage releases.
Distillery info:
Detail |
Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Jura |
| Region | Island |
| Country | Scotland |
| Logo |  |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1810 |
| Water source | Market Loch |
| Malting floor | No |
| Owned by | Whyte & Mackay |
| Address |
Jura Distillery, |
| Visitor centre | Yes |
| Website | https://www.jurawhisky.com/ |
| https://www.facebook.com/jurawhisky/ | |
| https://www.instagram.com/jurawhisky/ | |
| Map |
Distillery Setup:
Component |
Capacity |
Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Mash tun | 4.75 tonnes | 1 (semi-lauter, stainless steel) |
| Washback | 48,000 litres | 6 (stainless steel) |
| Wash still | 24,500 litres | 2 |
| Spirit Still | 22,000 litres | 2 |
| Expected yearly output in LPA (Litres of pure alcohol) | 2,300,000 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Jura is pronounced JOOR-uh. The island’s name isn’t actually Gaelic. It’s generally traced to Old Norse and is usually translated as “deer island,” reflecting the island’s Viking-era history.
The remote Isle of Jura lies off the west coast of Scotland, separated from Islay by the narrow Sound of Islay.
Jura Distillery was established in 1810 in Craighouse, the island’s only settlement, licensed to the island’s owner, Archibald Campbell. Over the following decades the site traded under several names, including Small Isles and Caol nan Eilean, before settling on Jura.
James Ferguson & Sons took over the licence in 1876, but the distillery closed in 1901 amid a wider slump across the whisky industry, and Jura then sat silent for close to six decades.
Island landowners Robin Fletcher and Tony Riley-Smith set out to revive distilling on Jura in 1960, largely as a way to help stem the island’s declining population, backed financially by the Leith blender Charles Mackinlay & Co.
Architect William Delme-Evans, who also designed Tullibardine and Glenallachie, drew up a large, modern distillery equipped with tall lantern-necked stills, which reopened in 1963 and was further expanded in 1978 to its current size.
Jura is owned by Whyte & Mackay, which took over the distillery in the mid-1990s. Whyte & Mackay itself is now owned by Emperador Inc., the Philippine drinks group that bought it for £430 million in 2014.
George Orwell wrote his masterpiece “1984” on the Isle of Jura, from 1947 to 1948.
The core range includes the 12 Year Old (matured in American white oak ex-bourbon casks), 14 Year Old (finished in American rye casks), 18 Year Old (finished in French oak casks), and Jura Seven Wood, a no-age-statement expression matured across seven oak cask types. The US market also carries a 10 Year Old as part of its core range.