Though the finalised plans are yet to be confirmed, it is said that the acquisition of the land, will help Bruichladdich to continue with its barley variety experiments and develop its sustainable farming practices.
Bruichladdich's Production Director Allan Logan and Head Distiller Adam Hannett |
Since developing the idea of an ‘Islay terroir’ over the past two decades, Bruichladdich have taken elements of the French philosophy of terroir and applied them to their island practices.
Having built relationships with 17 Islay farmers and many more throughout Scotland, the 100 strong team have now made some progress in exploring the impact of the grower, climate, barley varietal, location and even lack of pesticides on the flavour of their spirit.
Bruichladdich, believe that there is more work to do and that there is always more to learn, and the thirty acres of Shore House Croft, which has not been farmed on in recent years, will provide great opportunities for the distillery.
Commenting on the news, however, Allan Logan, Bruichladdich’s Production Director, said: “This is a great opportunity for Bruichladdich to progress our Islay barley agenda and our exploration of an ‘Islay terroir’. In the very first instance, we’ll conduct soil surveys with local consultant Hunter Jackson, and a biodiversity survey with our professional forager James Donaldson. Depending on the results, we hope to establish our own trial plots on the croft, where we’ll test the viability of different barley varieties on Islay soil.”
He went onto say: “Ultimately, we’re very excited to use this land for agricultural use. The scale is tiny compared to the land currently being farmed by our partners on the island, but if we can do the experimentation in-house, it may benefit the rest of the growing community here.”
The final plans of the Shore House Croft site, will be published later this year, on the Bruichladdich Distillery website: bruichladdich.com
Posted by Steve Rush