Bere barley, growing in Kirkwall, Orkney. You can’t buy this variety of barley from a seed merchant. It’s a landrace. Which means seeds from each local harvest for potentially thousands of years were saved for sowing the next year. The green revolution that started in the 1960s brought to market specially-bred, genetically-uniform dwarf barley varieties with high yields, along with all the sprays that were required to make these varieties grow anywhere. These varieties and their agrochemicals have dominated barley production ever since. The flavour wasn’t the motivation. Thankfully, in the Orkney islands, north of the Scottish mainland on the 59th parallel, a small patch of bere barley survived. Hard work since 2005 has enabled us to present fabulous whiskies made with this piece of our shared heritage. We’re on our way to meet some of the team and see some of the places that brought it back from the brink of extinction, at the European Union’s Radiant Project @radiant.eu workshop with @thinkuhi, @jameshuttoninst, and visits to @swannaybrewery and @baronymillorkney. Watch our stories this coming week for more news. Have you tried any of our Bere Barley vintages? The 2011 is currently available from our online shop and your specialist retailer. Thanks to John at UHI for the photo. #BereBarley #WhiskyIsAgriculture #HeritageGrains #IslaySingleMalt #Bruichladdich