About Isle of Jura Distillery
Jura Distillery stands on the shore at Craighouse, the principal settlement on the Isle of Jura. The present production plant dates from the 1960s, but it occupies the place of an earlier legal distillery founded as Small Isles in 1810. Its revival was conceived partly as an economic and social investment in a sparsely populated island community.
Four exceptionally tall stills create a relatively light, fruity spirit despite Jura's rugged landscape and proximity to heavily peated Islay. Peated malt is also distilled for part of the year, allowing selected releases to combine smoke with the gentler house character.
History
The official chronology credits island laird Archibald Campbell with establishing Small Isles Distillery in 1810; the business received its formal licence in 1831. It later traded under names including Craighouse, Caol nan Eilean and Jura. James Ferguson & Sons took over in 1876 and invested substantially, but the distillery closed in 1901 during an industry downturn. Its machinery was removed and the buildings deteriorated.
More than half a century later, estate owners Robin Fletcher and Tony Riley-Smith pursued a revival intended to provide employment and slow population decline. They worked with Leith blender Charles Mackinlay & Company and architect-engineer William Delme-Evans. Rebuilding began around 1960, and spirit flowed again in 1963. This was a new modern distillery within and beside the old site, not uninterrupted production from 1810.
The plant expanded to four stills in 1978. Invergordon Distillers acquired the Mackinlay interests in 1985, and Whyte & Mackay took over Invergordon in 1993. Jura had appeared as a named single malt from the 1970s, while later releases broadened awareness of both unpeated and smoky spirit. Ownership changes within Whyte & Mackay's parent groups did not alter the distillery's importance to Craighouse.
What makes it distinctive
Water travels from Loch a' Bhaile Mhargaidh through burns and waterfalls to the distillery. Stainless-steel washbacks and comparatively short fermentation establish a firm base before distillation. The four stills are around 7.7 metres tall and have large capacities; their height and copper contact encourage lighter vapours, producing a fruity and aromatic new make.
Most production historically used unpeated malt, while defined peated campaigns began contributing to releases from the late twentieth century. Bourbon barrels are central, with sherry and other casks adding fruit and spice. Some current whiskies marry unpeated and peated components, so Jura's range can carry a subtle smoky thread without making the entire distillery output heavily peated.
Whisky character and significance
Jura's lighter spirit can show peach, citrus, honey, nuts and gentle cereal notes. Oak may add vanilla, dried fruit and spice, while peated parcels introduce earthy or maritime smoke. The tall-still fruitiness is the more reliable house marker than the assumption that every island whisky must taste strongly of peat.
Visiting Isle of Jura Distillery
The working distillery and visitor facilities occupy a central place in Craighouse. Tours and tastings can explain the original ruins, twentieth-century reconstruction and modern stillhouse, but current formats should be confirmed directly. Advance planning is particularly important because reaching Jura normally involves more than one transport connection.
Location and surrounding area
Jura has one principal road, a small resident population and a landscape dominated by the Paps of Jura. Craighouse gathers the island's hotel, shop and distillery near the shore. The crossing generally connects through neighbouring Islay, making the two islands close geographically but very different in settlement pattern and visitor pace.
- Whisky region
- Highlands (Island)
- Location
- Craighouse, Isle of Jura, Argyll, PA60 7XT
- Visitor information
- Check the official website for current tours, tastings, access and booking arrangements.
Further information
Visit the official Isle of Jura Distillery website
Jura Whisky: official distillery history
Jura: historical and production reference