Only a few visitors have followed the Vikings to Jura, but those who do find fiery sunsets, deserted white sand beaches and heather-covered moors dotted with deer. Visitors who find Jura, and by necessity stay at the island's only hotel, come for the bird watching, the fishing, the sailing or the walking paths which wend through peat bogs, forests and mountain scenery. Once there, they can't resist the soft aroma of very good Scotch being made at Craighouse, the island's only village.

Craighouse can be found along the only road on the island, a 23-mile stretch of twisting switchbacks which ends in a trail heading north, taking the curious visitor even further into the windswept moorland. It was along this narrow road that author George Orwell came in 1948, looking for a quiet place to complete his masterpiece 1984.

Leaving the distractions of London behind, he found the tranquillity he desperately sought on Jura and at Barnhill, the farmhouse where he finished his generation-shaping novel. Since at least 1810, most of the island dwellers, when not fishing or raising cattle, have produced the outstanding Isle of Jura Single Malt Scotch at the island's only distillery. (There is strong evidence to support the notion that whisky was produced covertly in a nearby cave long before 1810.) According to Duncan Buie, the distillery's warehouse supervisor, the present distillery at Craighouse occupies the same site as the original distillery. Although the operation has expanded over the years, the process and the recipe are intact including drawing pure mountain water from the Bhaille Mharghaidh spring.

Like many people on the island, Duncan should know. The rugged Duncan, who resembles Captain Ahab more than a maker of good Scotch, was born on Jura. His Celtic ancestors have lived on the island for hundreds of years. For the last several generations, many of them made the Jura whisky. Duncan says that some people attribute Jura's distinct flavor, which has been called light and delicate, to the natural mountain spring water which trickles from the peaks of the island's dramatic Paps of Jura Mountains.

Others say Jura's taste stems from the use of majestic copper pot stills, the shape of which prevents the passage of the heaviest fractions of distillation into the malt. In any case, most people, including Duncan, agree that Jura is a unique single malt that defies any standard classification and that no Single Malt Scotch collection is complete without it.

After the spring waters are drawn and the copper pot stills make their magic, the Scotch is then aged in oak casks for full years, giving it a clear golden-amber color and a superior, light-bodied character and softness. The islanders of Jura like their life and their Scotch just as it is, thank you. And it's a slice of life that is what it is. Residents have resisted efforts to link the island by direct ferry to the mainland, and they opposed streetlights until two years ago, fearing that the light would ruin the views of the night skies. It takes strong-willed and determined people to live on Jura. It takes the same determination to make a great Single Malt Scotch. The residents of the Isle of Jura do both. They are committed to both the life and the whisky that define their home, one of the most interesting spots on earth. If you're up to visiting this challenging island, call 049682 240, and ask for Willie Tait, Jura Distillery manager.