Arran Orkney Bere 8 Years Old 2004

Bere is an ancient six row landrace barley variety descended from the cereals introduced to Scotland by Norse settlers more than a thousand years ago. The variety is no longer commercially viable for modern brewing or distilling given its low yields and difficult handling characteristics, but small scale cultivation continues on a handful of Orkney farms under heritage conservation programmes coordinated by the Agronomy Institute at the University of the Highlands and Islands. Arran sourced Bere from Orkney for this special release, distilling at Lochranza in 2004 and bottling at eight years old in 2012 for the European market.

Bere barley was malted and shipped from Orkney to Lochranza for distillation in 2004 using the standard Arran production template. The spirit was matured eight years in ex Bourbon American oak casks at Lochranza and bottled in 2012 at 46% without chill filtration and without added colour. The 5,800 bottle outturn reflects the substantial volume of new make produced from the available Bere parcel rather than a single cask presentation.

Bere as a six row barley produces meaningfully different new make character compared to modern two row varieties. The higher husk to grain ratio and the different protein composition produce a fuller bodied, oilier and more distinctively cereal forward new make. The Arran ex Bourbon cask underlay supplies vanillin and whisky lactones over this Bere driven spirit character, producing a release that documents the flavour signature of one of the oldest barley varieties still cultivated in Scotland.