VisitingJura has a visitor centre and tours of the distillery are available. In Winter (October to March) the Visitor Centre/Shop is open - Monday - Friday 11am - 2pm - one daily tour of 40 mins - whoever books first determines the start time. Summer opening Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm, with tours at 11am and 2pm - also open Saturday 10am - 2pm, but no tours. Book first.
 Vital Stats
According to the distillery website it was founded because the Laird Archibald Campbell saw an apparition of an old woman who berated him over the lack of whisky on the island! Whatever the inspiration, Campbell built the distillery and rectified the error. It was named Small Isles (the bay in which Craighouse is situated is guarded by a reef of small islands), changed hands a few times, but was closed and dismantled in 1901.
In the 1950s with the population of Jura declining rapidly, two local landowners decided that rebuilding the distillery would be a good way of increasing employment on the island, and commissioned William Delmé Evans to design and build a new distillery. It was decided to use tall stills to produce a lighter style of whisky more akin to the Highland style than that of neighbouring Islay, which the original distillery would doubtless have produced. The new distillery opened in April 1963, by which time it was owned by Scottish and Newcastle Breweries. It was sold to Invergordon Distillers in 1985, which evolved into Whyte and Mackay, which itself went through a number of name and ownership changes before renaming themselves ... Whyte and Mackay, now owned by Vijay Mallya's United Breweries - India's largest brewers. Malt Madness, Undiscovered Scotland, Wikipedia, WhiskyMerchants.co.uk
|
Getting ThereClick the map's Google logo to go to Google Maps - for Directions, Street View etc.
Open Cycle Map Bing Map Nearby: Bunnahabhain Caol Ila Oban Isle of Jura Distillery is in Craighouse, Jura's only substantial settlement. Jura basically has only one road which starts as the A846 at Feolin Ferry passes through Craighouse, between the Distillery and the Hotel and heads on North towards Barnhill where George Orwell wrote 1984, though it has petered out into a rough track long before then. The main access to Jura is by the Ferry from Islay. Head for Port Askaig served by CalMac from Kennacraig Winter Summer). Getting to Kennacraig? - see main Islay page. Jura Passenger Ferry - fast ferry from Tayvallich to Craighouse - carries bikes. This normally operates April to September, twice daily, once on Sundays, no service on Wednesdays. £20 each way, bikes free. Check website for exact dates and sailing times. RangeJura's core range consists of the 10yo (Origin 40%); 16yo (Diurach's Own 40%); Superstition (43%) & Prophecy (46%) - the latter two include peated whisky. A 21yo and 30yo are also available, both bottled at 44%. Jura also produces many limited edition bottlings. They now also have a 12yo (Elixir 40%) sherried expression - not sure if this is the same that used to be exclusive to Sainsbury's. A NAS, Brooklyn (42%), has also now appeared.
Not too many independent bottlings - but I've seen Gordon & MacPhail, BBR and Douglas Laing expressions. LFW, RMW, TWE CyclingCycle Hire
Jura Bike Hire Keils 07092 180747 (website no longer operational) For other services - you'll need to go to Islay or the mainland Islay Cycles 07760 196592 Run from the Port Ellen Boatyard in the Business Park (behind the White Hart Hotel). Not a shop as such, but hire, sales, accessories and repairs available - see website/ring for further details. Brian Palmer describes himself as "the only cycle repairer and spare parts person in Bowmore", and can be contacted via Catherine MacTaggart who hires bikes from Bowmore Post Office (01496 810366). Bike Hire in Persabus (near Port Askaig on the road to Bunnahabhain) 01496 840753. Nearest Cycle Shops Lochgilphead (Kennacraig 18 miles,Tayvallich 12 from), Oban Nevis Cycles 87 George Street, Oban 01631 566033 David Graham 13-15 Combie Street, Oban 01631 562069 Crinan Cycles 34 Argyll Street, Lochgilphead 01546 603511 
|
Photos on this page were taken by me. Click on photo to enlarge. Full size versions of all my photos of Isle of Jura Distillery are available on Flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/martynjenkins/sets/72157627541090990
http://www.flickr.com/photos/martynjenkins/sets/72157627541090990
