THE WORLD’S FIRST BIODYNAMIC WHISKY TO BE BOTTLED THIS SUMMER
Waterford Distillery will start bottling Biodynamic: Luna – the first whisky on sale anywhere in the world made solely from biodynamic barley – this summer
The product, the second instalment in Waterford Whisky’s Arcadian series, which explores the old ways of farming and flavour origins, will go on sale globally from late summer
CEO Mark Reynier’s quest to find the ultimate whisky flavour led Waterford Whisky to adopt the biodynamic farming method, which is used by many of the world’s greatest winemakers
Three growers in Ireland have incorporated the rigorous biodynamic principles, which are based on lectures by enigmatic Austrian philosopher-scientist Rudolf Steiner in the 1920s, and applied them to barley
Ireland’s Waterford Distillery has confirmed that its Biodynamic: Luna – the first whisky anywhere in the world to go on sale made from solely biodynamic barley – will be bottled this summer.
The whisky, which is the vision of CEO Mark Reynier, has been in development for several years. It will be the second instalment in Waterford Whisky’s Arcadian series, which investigates how historic farming and growing techniques impact the flavour of whisky. The first instalment, Organic: Gaia 1.1, was released last year to critical acclaim.
Waterford Whisky has distilled around 500 barrels of spirit made from local biodynamic barley, and annually incorporates biodynamics as part of its ongoing ambition to create the most flavoursome spirit possible.
Biodynamic: Luna’s arrival will be the culmination of Mark Reynier’s project to bring biodynamics out of the wine world and into whisky, which has required three Irish growers – Trevor Harris, John McDonnell and Alan Mooney – to apply biodynamic agricultural practices to barley.
An advanced and esoteric form of farming, often described as “uber-organic” or “organic plus”, the principles of biodynamic farming were first discussed in a series of agricultural lectures by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner in 1924. They assume that each farm is its own self-sustaining organism and that elements including soil, crops, animals, people and the ‘spirit of place’ are all interconnected.
The approach includes some noteworthy methods that Waterford Distillery’s local growers have adopted for the production of biodynamic barley. They include: burying cow horns filled with manure or mineral silica under the soil during the winter or summer months respectively, ploughing fields with horses rather than mechanical machinery, and sowing barley seeds according to the position of the moon.
The purpose of all the elements combined is to produce the healthiest possible soil and thus crops – the ultimate regenerative agriculture. When applied to barley, the very source of malt whisky’s complex flavour, the Waterford Whisky team believes it will contribute to a more flavoursome whisky.
Mark Reynier, CEO and Founder of Waterford Distillery – who spent more than 20 years in the winemaking industry before another 20 in whisky – explains: “Many of the world’s very greatest winemakers follow biodynamic farming to produce the most exquisite flavours. The Burgundian legends Romanée Conti, Leroy, Leflaive, Trapet and Sauzet. Alsacians Zind Humbrecht, Ostertag and Zusselin; And the mighty chateaux of Latour, Lafite, Yquem, Climens, Pontet Canet, Angelus, Palmer from Bordeaux.
“But nobody has released a whisky made from purely locally-grown biodynamic barley – until now.
“Malt whisky already is the most complex spirit in the world thanks to the barley from which it is distilled, and with a biodynamic cultivation regime there is the ultimate opportunity to enhance its flavour. At Waterford, we are on a mission to create the most complex, unique and profound whisky, and biodynamics is the next step on that journey. It makes little financial sense, but for taste – for taste alone – it is the holy grail. Simply put: the healthiest possible soil equals the best possible flavour.”
The influence of biodynamics on the life and structure of the soil is undeniable: a recent study by Professor Magali Delmas at UCLA analysed tasting scores given to more than 128,000 French wines from 1995 to 2015 finding that biodynamic wines scored 11.8 points more compared to conventional or sustainable wines.
Unlike other whisky producers, Waterford Distillery’s credentials are built on the demonstrated concept of terroir, in which factors such as weather, soil and microclimate influence the flavours found in crops and the products made from them. A distillery-led academic study, published in peer-review journal Foods earlier this year, revealed conclusive evidence that terroir is found in barley and whisky.
About Waterford Distillery
Influenced by the world’s greatest winemakers, Waterford Distillery obsessively brings the same intellectual drive, methodology and rigour to single malt whisky.
Using 100% Irish barley, widely considered to be the world’s finest, its Single Farm Origin series is an uber-provenance range of limited edition natural whiskies that explore Irish terroir one farm, once place, at a time. They are expressions of precision and rarity, showcasing barley flavours derived from individual Irish farms and harvests. The distillery’s ultimate aim is that these component single malts come together to create the world’s most unique, complex and profound whisky.
For more information, visit https://waterfordwhisky.com/
Note: Though Waterford Whisky is the first producer to bring biodynamic spirit to the market, Mark Reynier first trialled distilling biodynamic barley several years ago when he ran Bruichladdich Distillery, Scotland – though using imported English barley at the time.
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