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Next Auction starts Friday 29 March. Bottle Deadline: 18 March.

Jura

  • Pronunciation: JOO-ruh
  • Founded: 1810
  • Region: Islands
  • Status: Operational
  • Owner: Whyte & Mackay
  • Production Capacity: 2,200,000 litres a year

The distillery was first built on the Isle of Jura in 1810 by the island’s owner, Archibald Campbell. The whisky produced then was very different from modern Jura whisky and had more of a peaty character.

In 1901 the original distillery closed down and was completely dismantled, becoming a ruin. 

Charles Mackinlay & Co. rebuilt the distillery in 1960. It was expanded into a larger distillery and sold to Scotland & Newcastle Breweries.

In 1963, the first distilling of Jura whisky commenced for use mostly in blends. At the time, Jura Distillery were the employers of around a quarter of the male workforce on the island.

The first single malt from the Jury Distillery was released in 1974. Most products from Jura are now single malts.

To keep up with demand, two new stills were added to the distillery - doubling the capacity.

In 1993, current owners Whyte & Mackay purchased Jura Distillery. 

The heavily peated Superstition range was launched in 2005. This added a smoky whisky to Jura’s range. Their smokiest whisky, Prophecy, was later released in 2009.

In 2014, Whyte & Mackay were bought by Philippines company Emperador.

Jura’s core product is their 10 Year Old Origin whisky. It is a sweet whisky with a medium body. It has notes of honey, liquorice and apple. The sweetness and ease of drinking make it a great first whisky for people new to the whisky world.

The 12 Year Old Elixir scotch is finished in American white oak and European sherry casks, giving it a much more nuanced flavour and delicate finish.

Their 10 Year Old Origin is aged a little longer to produce the 16 Year Old Diurach’s Own whisky. Duirach is the Gaelic term for inhabitants of Jura. The longer ageing time enhances the sweetness and smoothness of the scotch and adds notes of spice and toffee.

The 22 Year Old One For The Road was released to commemorate the retirement of distillery manager Willie Cochrane. It has a very smooth texture with a lingering, sweet finish.

george Orwell wrote 1984 on the Isle of Jura in the 1940s - later describing the island as “extremely unget-at-able” due to its remote location. His time on the island was commemorated with the 1984 19 Year Old whisky. Only 1,984 bottles were ever released.

Camas an Stacha - meaning “standing stone” in gaelic - is the name given to their 30 Year Old single malt whisky. It has been matured for 27 years in ex-bourbon barrels before spending a further 3 years in Gonzalez Byass Olorso casks. This gives it a sherry like quality.

Jura’s rarest and most aged whisky is their 1965 36 Year Old. It has a fuller body than their other whiskies, and whilst it retains the sweet flavours of other Jura releases, it has an additional smokiness through extra ageing. Only 449 bottles were produced.