BEHIND BIODYNAMIC

Following the Scotch whisky industry’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2040, whisky’s environmental footprint is now scrutinised more than ever before. This has meant thinking hard about how grain is produced. Cultivating cereals such as barley, used to make malt whisky, usually requires a cocktail of pesticides and fertilisers that damage the soil and nearby water sources.

Because of this, some distilleries have produced organic-certified whisky made from barley grown without chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Though they represent a tiny fraction of the overall market, distilleries such as Benromach, Deanston and Bruichladdich have released organic whiskies since the mid-2000s, while, more recently, Nc’Nean became the only Scotch whisky distillery managing fully organic production. However, organic certification and, by extension, organic whisky is largely defined by the absence of chemical inputs in production and the benefits that can deliver to the local environment. However, beyond organic farming lies a field that embraces more esoteric practices.

Enter biodynamics, a very specific and active approach to regenerative agriculture that in the whisky world is currently being pioneered by Bruichladdich on Islay and Waterford in Ireland. That these two distilleries are both making biodynamic whisky is no accident – Waterford founder and oenophile Mark Reynier also previously helped rebuild and establish Bruichladdich. Inspired