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Jura Distillery

Heritage attraction
Jura Distillery
Photo: M J Richardson, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Original Geograph photograph · Report the wrong picture

What is recorded here

Jura Distillery began in 1810, fell silent and was rebuilt in the 1960s as a deliberate attempt to restore work and population to the island community.

Read the whole record

Jura Distillery began in 1810, fell silent and was rebuilt in the 1960s as a deliberate attempt to restore work and population to the island community.

Why it was built

Archibald Campbell founded the first licensed distillery at Craighouse in 1810, using island water and access to barley and sea transport. Later owners rebuilt parts as the whisky trade changed.

People and work

Island landowners Robin Fletcher and Tony Riley-Smith backed revival after decades of closure. Architect and distillery designer William Delmé-Evans planned the new works, which opened in 1963 and created local jobs.

How it changed

The original business closed around the start of the twentieth century and its buildings were stripped. The rebuilt distillery used tall stills and modern equipment while retaining the same village site and name.

What survives

Production buildings, warehouses, still house and water supply remain in active use beside Craighouse. The tall copper stills produce a lighter spirit than the heavily smoky whisky often associated with nearby Islay.

Why it mattered

Jura Distillery matters because its return was an island development project as well as a commercial venture. The works helped keep employment and a permanent population in an exposed community.

Sources for this account

Sources checked 16 August 2026.

From OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) w395220854

This does not grant access. Check current paths, opening conditions and ownership before entering.

Operator
Whyte & Mackay
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Photo credits
  • SMJ, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • thejackrustles, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • Rob Farrow, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • William Starkey, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • Alpin Stewart, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • Gordon Brown, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • Chris Wimbush, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • Rude Health, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • Steve Partridge, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • Adam Ward, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • sparkione, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
Jura, Craighouse, Jura HotelHotel (19th Century) · 92 ydJura, Craighouse, BridgeRoad Bridge (early 19th Century) · 104 ydSmall Isles BayViewpoint · 108 ydJura Nsa, Craighouse PierGeneral View (21st Century) · 460 ydJura, CraighouseMound · 481 ydCraighouseNo Class (event) (21st Century) · 664 ydEilean DìomhainIsland · 1.6 miBrat BheinnMountain / peak · 2.0 miDubh BheinnMountain / peak · 2.4 miEilean BhrìdeIsland · 2.5 miLoch na MileBay · 2.8 miPoll a' CheòBay · 2.9 mi

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