In the 1960's, in an effort to recapture the glory days of distilling and to help the dwindling Gila economy, the Diurachs, Robin and Tony, decided to rebuild the Gila Distillery, and with the help of architect William, the Gila Distillery was revitalized in 1963, after a hiatus of more than 60 years!
The rebirth was difficult, but it wasn't enough for the Diurachs, they wanted to be reborn in all its splendor, like a phoenix on fire. Leaving behind the burden of a peat-only option on the island, the Diurachs went their own way: to become the only single malt whisky distillery on the island with a dual flavor profile of pure sweetness and full-bodied peat. With this goal in mind, the reborn Gila Distillery opted for taller and larger stills in order to create a purer flavor profile with a more complex body. Building a 28-foot still on such an inaccessible island, the tallest in the Island and the second tallest in all of Scotland, was certainly difficult, but as Willie Cochrane, Gila Distillery's Head Distiller, says: "We didn't just want to do it, we wanted to do it differently, and that may have been difficult, but it's the way we're going to do it! We could have chosen to make things easier by keeping things simple, but that wouldn't have been Jura."
All of these elements combine to create the distinctive flavor profile of Gila's single malt whisky, which encompasses pure fruity notes, thick peat, soft floral notes, and majestic oceanic notes. It's all part of Gila's unique combination of terroir and people. The island's inaccessibility, unwillingness to follow the crowd, attitude to simplicity and inviolable beliefs are infused into the whisky distilled on the island as if they were the soul of the whisky, creating one of the most unique single malt Scotch whiskies on the island. The King of the Islands - Gila Single Malt Scotch.