Distillery

Jura whiskies

Jura is the only distillery on the island of the same name, in the village of Craighouse, facing Islay. It belongs to Whyte & Mackay. The mountainous, almost uninhabited island has many more deer than inhabitants, and it was there that George Orwell finished one of his most famous novels. Its whisky is light and fruity, with gentle smoke in some versions, and its range is very accessible for getting started with island malts.

Founded
1810
Owner
Whyte & Mackay
Origin
Islands, Scotland
In the catalogue
4 whiskies

History, style and where to startSee it on the world mapJura official website

  • Jura distillery, photo 1 of 3
    Photo: Bjarne Henning Kvaal… · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons (cropped and converted)
  • Jura distillery, photo 2 of 3
    Photo: Bjarne Henning Kvaal… · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons (cropped and converted)
  • Jura distillery, photo 3 of 3
    Photo: Andrew Abbott · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons (cropped and converted)

4 whiskies

Guide to Jura

History

Whisky had been distilled on Jura for centuries, and the legal distillery was established at the beginning of the 19th century. At the end of that century, problems with the lease led to it being dismantled, and the island was left without a distillery for half a century. In the 1960s two island landowners drove its reconstruction to create jobs and halt depopulation. The new distillery was designed with very tall stills to produce a light, Highland-style whisky rather than the smoky style of Islay. In time it passed to Whyte & Mackay, which renewed the range in the 2010s.

House style

Jura’s tall stills give a light, clean spirit: vanilla, citrus, orchard fruit, honey and a briny island touch. Some versions add gentle smoke, and the house plays with bourbon and sherry casks. The 10-year-old is light and fruity, and the 12-year-old, with more sherry, gains chocolate, orange and dried fruit.

Average flavour profile of its 4 whiskies in the catalogue

Sweet
3.1
Fresh fruit
2.0
Ripe and dried fruit
1.5
Floral and herbal
0.8
Cereal and malt
1.6
Vanilla and creamy
2.3
Oak
1.6
Spicy
1.9
Toasted
1.5
Smoky
1.0
Maritime
0.8
Body and intensity
2.3

Where to start

Jura 10 Year Old is the way in: light, sweet and with a very faint touch of smoke, ideal for discovering island malts without intensity. Jura 12 Year Old adds sherry, with more sweetness and body. Both are good options if Islay whiskies seem too intense to you. Drink them neat or on the rocks. They are simple, friendly whiskies, very easy to recommend.

This text was generated and translated by AI and may contain errors. Founding year, owner and official website come partly from Wikidata.

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