Grain exploration and sustainability: a conversation with those leading the charge

When Bruichladdich Distillery reopened in 2001, the prevailing industry-wide opinion was that the processes of malting, distilling, and ageing would nullify any trace of flavour difference in the barley itself. To the new founders, it was a belief that begged to be tested, leading to pioneering experiments in the impact of terroir on flavour. But they weren’t alone for long. A seed was soon planted in the mind of French agricultural engineer and wine lover, Frédéric Revol.

Revol was convinced that terroir influenced the quality and taste of whisky and that by exploring its impact conjointly with grain variety and soil fertility, a spirit could be produced that offered phenomenal flavour variety with a greatly reduced carbon footprint. In 2009, to prove his point, he opened Domaine des Hautes Glaces Distillery in the Trièves region of the French Alps.

Today, both distilleries continue to explore these shared principles. I caught up with Revol and Bruichladdich Production Director Allan Logan recently to hear what they had to say about grain exploration and sustainable whisky production.

The journey for both distilleries began, in fact, with terroir. Bruichladdich was reborn under wine merchants who brought their passion for terroir with them to the world of whisky. Co-founders Mark Reynier and Simon Coughlin looked to convince farmers on Islay and mainland Scotland to make the switch from growing barley for cattle feed to growing it for whisky. Building a network of partnerships to explore the influence of place upon the spirit, via their regional trials.

When Revol – an agronomist by training – began exploring whisky, he found that there were wonderful products but that they were disconnected from the raw material and the place. When he set out to create a terroir-focused distillery, he began by collaborating with Eric and Thierry Ailloud-Perraud of Ferme Gabert, along with two other climats in the area, to grow the barley used for the first distillation. The distillery was built near the site of the three farms to work with the local grains.

Domaine des Hautes Glaces' journey started with barley – commonly grown in Trièves for livestock. To best explore this sense of place and heritage, Revol also distils a local variety of rye that has a long history in the region, though it’s historically used for bread-making. For organic farmers who can’t use pesticides or chemical fertilizers, crop rotation is essential. In an effort to maximise the benefit for all involved – farmer, distillery, and soil – Hautes Glaces experiments with other grain varieties: spelt, oats, and einkorn, as well as wheat. Although some of these grains have centuries of tradition in the region, many farmers haven’t tried to cultivate them in decades.

The beauty of this for both distiller and drinker is the richness it brings to the overall drinking experience.

“It’s about understanding our ingredients – just as a chef would” says Logan. “Like a Michelin star restaurant, we'll never dominate the market, but we cater to those that understand the care that goes into it.”

Revol sees it through a musical lens:

“With one grain you play with one note; with many grains you can play with an orchestra.”

Modern farming and the whisky industry as a whole tend to focus on the short-term – on yield. But Logan and Revol both stress the importance of thinking long-term. Although the yield is often reduced – and certainly during the years of transition from conventional to regenerative farming – this is often more than made up for by the dramatic reduction of inputs such as fertilisers and pesticides. And there's a significant investment in long-term strategy.

These transition years are where stakeholders – maltsters, grain buyers and distillers, for example – are important. As Revol says: “On my own farm, for the first years the yield decreased before the soil health improved. And now for years, my yield is improving again.” Helping the farmers and businesses through these periods of transition, whether through grants or the creation of markets, is key to making the shift to sustainability.

"It’s about working with the circumstances as they are, rather than forcing them to be something else and eventually draining resources."

In other words, both Bruichladdich and Domaine des Hautes Glaces are working in harmony with the land in order to move forward. Rather than forcing a square grain into a round hole, so to speak, they are taking what is naturally produced in a regenerative cycle and making beautiful, original products from it. We start by doing what works – what is best; the rewards we reap are phenomenal spirits.

The benefit of these distilleries experimenting with grain variety and terroir doesn’t just extend to the health of the soil but also to whisky drinkers. In this process of experimentation, a plethora of flavours are created for our exploration and enjoyment. Bruichladdich’s research in sustainability and terroir has led to exceptional drams such as the Bere, rye, and Islay barley expressions, along with Organic and Biodynamic whiskies. Hautes Glaces’s own exploration has led to distillates made from not only barley and rye, but also from spelt, oat and einkorn.  

These are differences you can taste. The rye whisky distilled by Hautes Glaces from grain grown in the French Alps is strikingly different from the rye of Bruichladdich’s Regeneration Project – something I can personally attest to after trialing the two side-by-side with Adam Hannett.

Hautes Glaces’s Vulson is 100% rye, triple distilled after a 140-hour fermentation and rested in steel and amphora containers. This ageing in neutral containers results in what is essentially a new spirit. Adam opted to trial it side-by-side with our new-make rye to get the closest comparison of two spirits free of the influence of oak. What was remarkable to us both was the explicit difference between the two. Vulson was fruity, floral and perfumed whereas the Bruichladdich rye was earthy, with heavy maritime and seaweed notes.

Whisky was birthed by people for people. Over the centuries, it has acted both as a social lubricant and ceremonial ribbon, tying together members of the community. In more recent decades, it’s also become something of a golden goose in a boom that’s provided financial support and stability – often in regions with limited employment opportunities. But like most products in our industrial age, that frenzied growth has meant a simultaneous move away from people and place. In the new industrial era, the pendulum is beginning to swing back as more and more companies realise the vital importance of grounding themselves in the communities and ecosystems that make their businesses possible.

For Bruichladdich and Domaine des Hautes Glaces distilleries, there’s a commitment to what whisky can be: a medium of exploration, a vehicle of curiosity, a force for positive change. All of this without losing sight of what whisky is, of course: a remarkable experience of flavour.

You can read more about Domaines des Hautes Glaces approach, and their whisky, here.