Whisky
There is only one whisky distillery on the Isle of Jura – but what a special one! It is located in Craighouse, the main settlement and the biggest employer on the island. But the Jura distillery produces not only excellent whisky, it “produces” also literature, but more to that further down, lets have first a look at the history of Whisky on Jura and at how the current distillery has developed:
The Distillery
It is widely believed that whisky has been distilled on the island since at least the 16th century. The first written record about the building of a distillery is from the early 18th century when the resident Laird (Scottish for Lord) Archibald Campbell build a distillery near a place where it is believed that “moonshine” whisky was produced since centuries. The distillery (but not the building) changed hands frequently until ending up in those of James Ferguson in the late 19th century. The distillery flourished, but in the early 20th century a conflict arose between the Ferguson family (the distillery owner) and Laird Colin Campbell (the owner of the building). As the conflict couldn’t be resolved, the Fergusons abandoned the project and, as no new lease holder could be found, the distillery fell in disrepair. Shortly after the last Campbell laird left the island in destitution.
50 years later, middle of the 20th century, some Jura landowners embarked on the adventure of re-instating a whisky distillery on Jura, to provide work places for the people on the island that were in keeping with the traditions. Financial funding was found and a new distillery build on site of the old one. It opened 1963 and is now owned by Whyte & Mackay and every year are more then 2 000 000 liter of Whisky produced. The distillery is open year round for visitors free of charge.
The Whisky
The single malt whisky produced nowadays on Jura is far less peaty and more of the type of an Highland whisky then of an Island whisky. And they are very different from the whiskies produced on the neighboring Isle of Islay. These are also nice, but different, more peaty. The Jura distillery produces a wide range of different single malts that have won countless rewards worldwide. Every single malt is different, but to give you a general impression, Jura whiskies can be described as light, smooth, slightly sweet, warm, complex and subtle. The mild island climate, the slaty breezes from the sea and the fresh, sweet spring water help in creating an outstanding spirit. A lot of them are so delicate, that adding water or, God forbid, ice would be degrading the taste. Please try first before even add a drop of water to your wee dram. Some of the single malts produced in more detail:
Superstition
Named to honor the stories and traditions of the isle, this whisky has deep mahogany color, a pronounced, rich nose with sweet honey and mellow marzipan notes and a spicy, honey taste with light pine and peat accents. The after taste is long lasting and rich in nuances.
Isle of Jura 16 Years
The “bread and butter” whisky of the islanders. Being exposed to the sea breezes for so many years has created a golden whisky that has a full and rich nose of silky honey with just a bit of spiciness, a very smooth taste of fruit and honey.
Isle of Jura 21 Years
Distilled to commemorate “1984”, George Orwell’s famous novel written on Jura itself. This difficult to find, deep golden, whisky has an even saltier note then the above and a taste combined of freshly baked fruit cake, chocolate and citrus notes. The after taste includes berries and spices like cinnamon and vanilla.
Origin 10
A delicate, but still robust whisky with a certain kick. Nuances of oak, caramel, licorice and just a hint of freshly roasted coffee.
Prophecy
Peatier then other whiskies from Jura, but still less so then the Islay whiskies, with smokey overtones, salty breezes and spices can be savored with each wee dram. Spicy notes include cinnamon, nutmeg and licorice. The whisky might be sometimes a bit hazy in appearance due to the fact that it has not been chill filtered.
The Writers Distillery Lodge
Like mentioned above, the Isle of Jura distillery produces not only whisky, it has also “The Lodge”. This special hide-away is available for rent at an rather steep price per night for everybody, but it is also home to the “Jura Malt Whisky Writer Retreat”. One or two times per year a selected writer is invited to stay here a month for free (expenses and whisky included) to find solace to work on his or her opus. So far Will Self, Janice Galloway, John Burnside, Romesh Gunesekera, Swetha Prakash, Philip Gourevitch and others have stayed at “The Lodge” and some of them have published their experiences together in this book “Spirit of Jura: Fiction, Essays and Poems from the Jura Lodge”