Jura Seven Wood Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar 22 December 2018

Les Waller

Jura

Jura distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery on the island of Jura in the Inner Hebrides off the West Coast of Scotland. The distillery is owned by Glasgow founded and based Whyte and Mackay, which in turn is owned by Philippines-based Emperador Inc.

The Isle of Jura is seven miles (11 km) wide and thirty miles (48 km) long and it has only one road, one pub and one distillery. There are seven estates on Jura: Ardfin, Inver, Jura Forest, Ruantallain, Tarbert, Ardlussa, and Barnhill. Less than 200 people live on the island (while it has a red deer population of around 5000). The inhabitants of Jura are known as Diurachs, which is their Gaelic name.

The island is difficult to reach. Most travelers to Jura go by CalMac car ferry from Kennacraig on the Kintyre Peninsula to Islay, and then cross to Jura from Port Askaig on Islay by the MV Eilean Dhiura, a small vehicle ferry which is run by ASP Ships on behalf of Argyll and Bute Council. Islay can also be reached by air: Islay Airport is served by daily flights from Glasgow. From March to October there is also a passenger ferry from Tayvallich on the west coast of Scotland.

The distillery was founded in 1810. The distillery fell into disrepair, and was rebuilt in the early 1960s by two local estate owners Robin Fletcher and Tony Riley-Smith. Their architect was William Delme-Evans. The work was completed in 1963, and it included the installation of taller stills, allowing the distillery to create a mix of malts.

Their range of spirits include:

  • Origin (40%) – a ten-year-old whisky, a non-peated malt aged in ex-Bourbon casks.
  • Superstition (43%) – a lightly peated single malt aged in ex-Bourbon casks.
  • Prophecy (46%) – a heavily peated malt, bottled without chill filtration. In the early 1700s, the Campbells of Jura evicted a man who prophesied that the last Campbell to leave the island would be one-eyed with his belongings carried in a cart drawn by a lone white horse. In 1938 Charles Campbell, blind in one eye from a war injury, fell on hard times and led his white horse to the old pier for the last time.

Jura Seven Wood (42%)

Jura Seven Wood has been shaped by seven separate Oak woods: first-fill ex-bourbon American White Oak, Limousin, Troncais, Allier, Vosges, Jupilles & Les Bertranges barrels.

Jura Seven Wood Scotch Whisky

Jura Seven Wood Scotch Whisky

We tasted this one during the Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar and have a video here:

Tags: