'Dream job' with whisky company on remote Scottish island of Jura up for grabs

A dream job as head of brand for a whisky company on the remote island of Jura - which can include community responsibilities such as part time fire fighting - is up for grabs.
Views looking across the sound of Jura.Views looking across the sound of Jura.
Views looking across the sound of Jura.

Applications are open to become the brand home manager at the Jura Single Malt Whisky Distillery. The facility at Jura is seeking applicants to join the distillery team which sits at the heart of the tiny island community, with a current population of around 212 people.

The successful applicant will be the local face of the brand, dealing with tourists who make the journey to the island, which George Orwell once described as as ‘the most un-get-at-able’ place. It has just one road, one pub and one distillery .

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The job advert said that applicants should bear in mind that, "whilst not mandatory, it is not uncommon for residents of the island to take on additional duties across the island". The current brand home manager is a part-time fire fighter.

The job is at the Single Malt Whisky Distillery on Jura.The job is at the Single Malt Whisky Distillery on Jura.
The job is at the Single Malt Whisky Distillery on Jura.

Locals said the job would be a chance for anyone wanting to escape the rat run of daily life on the Scottish mainland.

Andrew McCallum, originally from Glasgow, runs the Jura Hotel with his wife and is the convenor of Jura Community Council. The couple moved to the island ten years ago.

He said: "It is a wild, idyllic island with a real sense of community. You get the chance to escape and get away from it all. People who come to work for us at the hotel for the season do it because it gives them the chance to work hard and the freedom to explore ad get away from the stress of everyday life."

Daryl Haldane, global head of experience at the Single Malt Whisky Distillery, said: “We all acknowledge that we are incredibly fortunate on Jura to live, work, enjoy a dram here. It is a place that produces cracking whiskies – and a place where life passes differently.

“The distillery, where the brand home manager role is based, is located in Craighouse - the heart of the community, alongside the one shop and the one pub. The island also boasts an annual Whisky Festival, a Music Festival and one of the UK’s most challenging hill races, the Jura Fells Race.

“We are looking for a special person to welcome our visitors as they make the journey to Jura. In return you will have a unique opportunity to experience Jura as the community do – a place that is really quite special indeed.

He added: “Applications are open. Good luck!”

The Jura job is the latest in a line of "dream island job" posts which often attract applicants from across the globe. In 2017, the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) has launched a recruitment drive to find a custodian for the clutch of remote islands under its care.

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Last year, a job was advertised for a "barefoot bookseller" to work on the Maldives. The job would see the seller punt books to visiting celebrities and write “an entertaining and lively blog that captures the exhausting life of a desert island bookseller”.