Organic whiskies
Whisky legend the late Dr Jim Swan once described organic barley as an expensive waste of time. That was almost a decade ago and he was talking mainly about distillery economics. But did he have a point?
We know organic farming increases biodiversity and improves soil health. ‘If you’ve ever visited an organic farm and a non-organic farm, you can see the difference in those fields,’ says Liam Hirt, co-founder of the Circumstance Distillery in Bristol. ‘One is very much more alive.’
So it’s good for farmers. What about us drinkers?
CREDIT: Pascal Malamas / Alamy Stock Photo
What makes a whisky organic?
To make an organic whisky, distillers must follow organic principles all the way from raw material to finished product. At Circumstance the whiskies are organic but the rums and gins are not. Hirt says strong systems are vital to prevent cross-contamination. This means storing organic products separately, purging equipment between organic and non-organic batches and documenting absolutely everything.
Hirt uses yeasts more often found in Bavarian weissbiers, saisons and mead. Yeast falls under the organic rules too, meaning genetically modified organisms are strictly forbidden. ‘We needed to go to our suppliers and be certain that none of them were GMO and have them certified as such,’ he explains.
Certification and traceability?
A handful of certification bodies police organic distillers and their suppliers, including the Soil Association and Biodynamic Association. The main concern is traceability. Distillers must be able to show there’s no contamination of the organic chain.
Inspectors will spot-check records and balance amounts of organic malt purchased against alcohol sold. Any discrepancy could mean someone has snuck illicit sacks of non-organic malt through the distillery gates.
Whisky is an unusual product in the organic world, so finding a certifier who understands it is key. ‘It’s not like vegetables; get them in, package them, send them out,’ says Annabel Thomas, founder and CEO of Nc’nean Distillery in the western Highlands of Scotland. ‘We get barley and put it into a cask, then sell it three years, maybe five years later.’
Annabel Thomas of Nc’nean Distillery
What about organic casks?
Talking of casks, must they also be organic? Until recently, no-one could agree. ‘It’s not defined in the regulations because it’s quite niche,’ Thomas explains. Lately, a consensus has emerged that barrels are exempt.
Given their strong influence on the flavour of a whisky, this came as a relief. ‘If we had to source only new oak barrels, that would have had such an enormous impact on our spirit that it might have swayed me away from the whole endeavour,’ Thomas says.
What are the challenges?
Graham Manson, commercial sales manager of malting company Bairds Malt, says organic harvests are more at risk from bad weather, as farmers can’t rely on chemicals to ensure their crop ripens before a rainy autumn kicks in. ‘They either wait for it or they sacrifice a bit of quality and harvest it when the conditions are right,’ he notes.
The headaches don’t stop there. Organic barley yields up to 25% less grain per hectare, Manson estimates. It also costs more to grow. Farmers may save on chemicals but typically spend more on weed control. As a result organic malt can cost up to twice as much.
On top of that, organic malt makes less alcohol. This is because it typically has a higher nitrogen content, which means less carbohydrates and thus less alcohol. According to Manson, distillers should expect at most 400 litres from every tonne, compared to 410 litres for non-organic malt. At Nc’nean, which uses only organic Scottish barley, that figure has settled out at around 390 litres.
Organic barley yields up to 25% less grain per hectare than conventional barley CREDIT: Steve Cavalier / Alamy Stock Photo
Why go organic?
Thomas estimates the overheads of going organic…
Source : https://www.decanter.com.master.public.keystone-prod-eks-euw1.futureplc.engineering/spirits/understanding-organic-whisky-543991/
