On Grist, we’ve written about organic beer, organic wine, and organic vodka. But what about those of us whose heritage has left them with a deep and abiding love of the amber spirits? Are there eco versions of Irish, scotch, and bourbon whiskey available to us green-minded drunkards?
I decided to investigate a bit, and by that I mean type words into Google. Strangely, I was able to find several brands of organic scotch, but no organic Irish or bourbon. What’s up with that?
First, I give you Benromach Organic, which purports to be the world’s "first bottled Single Malt Whisky released to be fully certified by the Soil Association." That means organic barley and yeast, aged in casks made from wood from sustainably managed forests. Apparently it’s got a nose of sweet, charred oak, and a palate of sweet vanilla and toffee flavors, and is it really only 11am? That’s not too early for a drink, right?
Benromach says business is booming. You can try it out for $75, but I can’t advise as to how good it would be, because nobody has sent me a test bottle. Ahem.
There’s also Da Mihle, which also claims to be "the world’s first organic single malt Scotch whisky." The site also claims, annoyingly to a grammarphile like myself, that Da Mihle is the world’s "most unique single malt Scotch." You either are or aren’t unique, people. Looks like that was $150/bottle, and it’s not clear whether it’s still available. Da Mihle also has a limited-edition organic blend.
Another scotch alternative is Highland Harvest, a blend of three malts and one grain whiskey, yielding a slightly sweeter and less harsh scotch blend than your average. It doesn’t appear to be available in the states yet, but you can get it here for £14.99/ bottle.
Hm … now I’m thirsty. If any of you fine fermenters out there want to send me a sample of any of the above, I’m happy to shamelessly hype write a thoughtful review of it.
And if any of you readers know of other organic bourbon/Irish/Scotch, let me know in comments. Cheers.
