Rating: 86 - Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2006size> Distinctive to the point of being almost unique. A malt that wins through because of a superb balance between peat and sweeter barley. Other reviews… A rare case of where the whole is better than the parts. The whisky was awarded a Bronze medal at the 2005 International Wine and Spirit Competition. Jura's manager, Michael Heads, explains, '.the whole character of the place, mainly through the water we use and the conditions we mature it in, the fact that we're sitting beside the sea with salty air help to give Jura whisky its unique taste.' Drawing on the distilleries older malts and spring-peated younger whiskies, Jura Superstition is a tribute to the people, the traditions and the mystical heritage that make Jura island life unique. The Isle of Jura distillery uses American white oak in the main with some sherry casks. I therefore designed the stills to give spirit of a Highland character, and we ordered malt which was only lightly peated.” The new distillery was opened on April 26th 1963 and employed a quarter of the male workforce. “It was our intention to produce a Highland-type malt differing from the typically peaty stuff last produced in 1900. “ Everything had to be designed in such a way that the new Jura malt could be produced. You could not afford to complicate things in so remote a location. Everything had to be simple and fall to hand. He said of his plans “My primary aim was to construct an economic distillery within the space available. They raised financial backing eventually, mostly from Scottish and Newcastle Breweries, to build the distillery.ĭelme’-Evans designed and built the new distillery on the site of the old ruined one. They were joined by farmer, distiller and architect Delme’ Evans. They thought about reopening the distillery to see if new people could be attracted to the island. In the 1950’s Robin Fletcher owner of Ardlussa Estate and Riley-Smith owner of Jura House and Ardfin Estate got together to see how they could solve a foreseeable jobs crisis on the island. The roofs were later removed to avoid paying rates and the distillery became a ruin. In the early 1900’s the Fergusons seem to have been in dispute with the then Laird Colin Campbell and decided to quit the Jura distillery, dismantling and selling the machinery which they had installed. It was leased to James Ferguson in 1875 and rebuilt in 1884 when it was producing 65,000 gallons per year. The distillery was let out to many people over the years. The whisky produced then was a characteristic peaty malt whisky – not at all like the present day product. Laird Archibald Campbell built the Jura distillery in the early 1800’s near a cave where illegal distilling had been carried on possibly from the 1600’s. Now remains the question whether the metaphysical belief or the premium quality of this island whisky is responsible for the success in various international spirit competitions.Ī few of the won medals are listed below.Lying just to the East of Islay, off Scotland's west coast, Jura is one of Scotland's most spectacular but least known islands. That might be the reason for giving this single malt Scotch its name and printing the ancient Ankh cross, which is a symbol for good luck, on the bottle. Well, even if not all Diurachs are superstitious, at least the employees of the distillery seem to be. The residents of this island are called by their Gaelic name Diurachs and tend to be a bit superstitious sometimes. The Jura Distillery is located on the small Isle of Jura. On the other hand, some new makes were ageing up to about 12 years, while others reached even 21 years.Īll of them matured in ex-bourbon casks but their difference in age leads to a complex character, which makes this dram so interesting. Thus, the Jura Distillery was able find a perfect balance of smokier and less smoky whiskies.

On one hand, those different spirits were produced with peated and unpeated malt and develop therefore different intensities of smokiness. The secret of the Jura Superstition is the blending of different whiskies. The smoke evaporates to the end and leaves space to sweet honey-like as well as spicy nuances. Overall the body is voluminous and turns into a medium long finish. On the palate the smoky peat is becoming a tad stronger but stays in an excellent balance with the flavours of coffee, dark chocolate, honey and cinnamon.įurthermore, hints of pine and a spicy, peppery note can be detected. Thus, a light sweetness, marzipan and a creamy impression find their way through. On the nose it shows an almost mystical smoke aroma.Įven though it appears quite present, it is still very gentle and not smothering the other aromas. Irrespective of whether one is superstitious or not, the Jura Superstition is a single malt Scotch that has the power to enchant.

Isle of jura scotch superstition