Jura Distillery
Jura Distillery is the sole distillery on the remote Isle of Jura, one of the Hebridean islands off Scotland's west coast. The island's human population of roughly 200 is famously outnumbered by red deer at a ratio of approximately 30 to 1, making Jura one of the most isolated settings for any whisky distillery in Scotland. George Orwell wrote Nineteen Eighty-Four in a farmhouse on the island in 1948, lending Jura an unlikely literary celebrity.
The distillery was first established in 1810 by Archibald Campbell, the Laird of Jura, though it fell into disuse and was eventually dismantled around 1900. Its resurrection in 1963 — conceived specifically to reverse the island's declining population — gives Jura a social purpose shared by distilleries like Isle of Harris. Today the distillery is owned by Emperador Inc. and produces over 2.5 million litres annually, exporting across 26 different single malt expressions.
Tours
Available
On-site Shop
Open
Online Shop
Available
History
Archibald Campbell, the Laird of Jura, founded the "Small Isles Distillery" in 1810. The operation passed through the Campbell family until 1853, when Norman Buchanan took over, followed by J & K Orr (1867–1876) and James Ferguson & Sons (1876–1901). Production ceased around 1900 and the building was dismantled.
The revival came in the late 1950s when local estate owners Robin Fletcher and Tony Riley-Smith persuaded the island's inhabitants that a new distillery could anchor the island's economy. Working with whisky architect William Delmé-Evans, the rebuilt distillery was completed in 1963 and licensed to Charles Mackinlay & Co. Scottish & Newcastle Breweries acquired the operation in 1960 (before the rebuild was complete), followed by Invergordon Distillers (1985–1995) and the Whyte and Mackay Group (1995–2014). In 2014 Emperador Inc. — the Filipino spirits conglomerate of Alliance Global Group — acquired Whyte & Mackay and with it the Jura distillery.
Production
Jura operates two wash stills of 24,500 litres each and two spirit stills of 15,500 litres each, giving an annual production capacity of approximately 2,500,000 litres. Water comes from Loch a'Bhaile Mhargaidh on the island. The still shape is unusually tall — a design by William Delmé-Evans that deliberately produces a lighter, less peated spirit than Islay neighbours, making Jura more accessible and versatile. The house style is deliberately non-peated or lightly peated, contrasting with the heavily peated whiskies of nearby Islay.
Tasting Character
Jura is positioned as an approachable, sharing whisky — a deliberate contrast to the intensely peated style of its Islay neighbours, Lagavulin and Caol Ila. The standard expressions are fruity, lightly maritime, and sweetly malty: ripe stone fruits, aromatic malt, faint coastal notes, and a gentle warmth without demanding smoke. The Seven Wood expression uses seven different cask types — American white oak, Limousin oak, Chinkapin oak, Cortes oak, Pedunculate oak, Moncin oak, and Portuguese oak — to build unusual complexity. The 18 Year Old adds dry spice and dried fruit richness with extended maturation.
What They Produce
Notable Bottlings
- Jura 10 Year Old£31.95 — 40% ABV; light, fruity entry point; gentle citrus and malt
- Jura 12 Year Old£33.30 — 40% ABV; soft stone fruit, warm spice, vanilla from American oak
- Jura 18 Year Old£76.50 — 44% ABV; richer and more complex; dried fruit, spice, long finish
- Jura Seven Wood£58.00 — NAS, 42% ABV; matured in seven different cask types; layered and complex
- Jura American Bourbon Cask£28.75 — NAS; vanilla-led, approachable
- Jura Caribbean Rum Cask£37.95 — NAS; tropical fruit and sweetness
- Jura Prophecy (discontinued) — Heavily peated limited edition; showed range of the distillery's capability
- Jura Diurachs' Own (discontinued)£99.99 — 16 Year Old; celebrated local heritage expression
Buy their whiskey
Browse our affiliate whisky retailers for Jura Distillery and more.
The Whisky Barrel
The Whisky Shop
Loch Fyne Whiskies
Master of Malt
The Whisky Exchange
Digital Distiller
We earn a commission from purchases through these links at no cost to you. Affiliate disclosure
Visiting
The distillery welcomes visitors in the village of Craighouse on Jura — though the island's remoteness should be factored into travel planning. Access from the mainland requires a ferry to Islay, then the small Feolin Ferry across the Sound of Islay. The Classic Tour covers production and includes tastings of two expressions; the Distillery Exclusives Tour adds older cask samples and distillery-exclusive bottlings. A physical shop and online shop are both available at jurawhisky.com.
Official Website
