Location Jura Phone +44 1496 820601 | Owner Alliance Global Group Founded 1810 | |
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Address Craighouse, Isle of Jura PA60 7XT, UK | ||
Whisky tour jura distillery
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 Whyte and Mackay, which in turn is owned by Philippines-based Emperador Inc.
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Whisky introduction jura distillery
History
Even though the distillery didn't open until 1810, the people of Jura were entitled to distill whisky for personal consumption, until a ban was introduced in 1781.
The distillery fell into disrepair, but in the 1960s two local estate owners Robin Fletcher and Tony Riley-Smith rebuilt the distillery, employing architect William Delme-Evans. By 1963 their work was complete; they had introduced taller stills allowing the distillery to create a mix of malts.
In 2006, the whisky received a Gold Quality Award from the international quality institute Monde Selection.
Products
Community
While the red deer population rests at around 5000, the number of people who make their living on this island sits at less than 200. The inhabitants of Jura are known as Diurachs, which is their Gaelic name.
The key dates in the Diurach calendar include the whisky festival – Feis Ile. This runs throughout the last week in May each year across both Islay and Jura. The Jura Music Festival takes place every year in September. Begun in 1994, the traditional music festival runs for three days. The annual Sports Day takes place on the Ardlussa Estate each July and the Jura Regatta is held annually in the summer.
The Diurach Programme
Visitors to the distillery are offered a free dram for life, every month at the Jura pub, as part of the Diurach promotional programme.
The Island
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.
Getting to Jura
"Extremely unget-at-able" were George Orwell's words on describing how to reach Jura. The island is as awkward to reach today as it was in 1946. The journey from London involves two flights and a boat. From March to October there is a passenger ferry from Tayvallich on the west coast of Scotland.
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.
Brand ambassadors
In 1975 Willie Tait began a lifelong association with the island. He has worked as a tunroom man, mash, stillman under manager, distillery manager and master distiller, and is now Global Brand Ambassador. In 2011 he was awarded a lifetime Achievement Award from the Malt Advocate magazine (USA) for his 37 years' service to the Scotch Whisky industry. Willie Cochrane started his career at the Jura distillery as a Mash/Still Operator in 1976. Soon after, he was promoted to the dual role of Brewer and Engineer. After thirty years, he became Jura Distillery Manager.