Study Finds Terroir In Whisky Does Exist

A new academic study led by Oregon State University and Irish Whiskey producer Waterford Distillery has concluded terroir does have an impact on the flavor of Whisky. Terroir is the French notion that environmental conditions such as soil, microclimate, and topography can affect flavor, and has long been at the center of debate in the Whisky, Wine, and Cognac worlds.

Now, a peer-reviewed paper published in leading scientific journal Foods, spearheaded by Waterford Distillery, shows that terroir can also be found in barley, and significantly, the single malt Whisky spirit distilled from it.

The first paper from The Whisky Terroir Project examined two barley varieties grown on two farms with separate environments in 2017 and 2018: Athy, County Kildare and Bunclody, County Wexford in South Eastern Ireland.

Each sample of barley was micro-malted and micro-distilled in laboratory conditions to produce 32 different Whisky distillate samples. These were then tested by world-leading Whisky lab analysts and using the very latest analytical methods of Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry–olfactometry (GC/MS-O), as well as highly trained sensory experts.

Key findings include:

• More than 42 different flavor compounds, half of which were directly influenced by the barley’s terroir.
• The sheltered inland Athy site had predominantly higher pH levels with increased amounts of Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg) and Molybdenum (Mo) in its limestone based soil. It had consistent, higher temperatures and lower rainfall. Whisky new make spirit made from this barley was characterised by toasted almond notes, and a malty, biscuity, oily finish.
• The more exposed Bunclody site had lower pH levels with increased amounts of Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu) and Manganese (Mn) in its soil, which is based on a shale or slate bedrock. The farmland is closer to the coast and was typically subject to more volatile weather. Whisky new make spirit made from this barley was lighter and floral, with a flavor of fresh fruitiness.

The findings of the study are significant for the Whisky industry as the presence of terroir within the spirit distilled from barley creates the possibility of producing regionally specific whiskies in the same vein as wines, potentially an Appellation Controlée system of provenance.

“This interdisciplinary study investigated the basis of terroir by examining the genetic, physiological, and metabolic mechanisms of barley contributing to Whisky flavour,” explained Dr Dustin Herb, Lead Researcher and Post-doctoral research at Oregon State University. “Using standardised malting and distillation protocols, we preserved distinct flavours associated with the testing environments and observed year-to-year variations, indicating that terroir is a significant contributor to whisky flavour.”

Mark Reynier, Founder and CEO of Waterford, said: “Barley is what makes single malt whisky the most flavoursome spirit in the world. This study proves that barley’s flavours are influenced by where it is grown, meaning – like wine and cognac – whisky’s taste is terroir-driven. Critics claimed any terroir effect would be destroyed by the whisky-making process, saying there is no scientific evidence to prove that terroir even exists. Well, there is now.”

Waterford’s Whisky Terroir Project was undertaken by an international team of academics from the USA, Scotland, Greece, Belgium and Ireland, including: Prof. Kieran Kilcawley and Maria Kyraleou of Teagasc Food Research Centre, part of the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; Enterprise Ireland; Minch Malt; and featured cooperation from Scotland’s leading whisky laboratory.

“We utilised gas chromatography olfactometry which enabled us to discern the most important volatile aroma compounds that impacted sensory perception of the new make spirit,” explained Professor Kieran Kilcawley, Principal Research Officer at Teagasc. “This research not only highlights the importance of terrior, but also enhances our knowledge of key aroma compounds in whisky.”

This first step of the project explores the terroir impact via a laboratory malted and distilled spirit for complete production uniformity. The next stage – which will be published in 2022 – further explores the same role of terroir in Whisky, this time using analysis based on Waterford Distillery’s own commercial spirit and matured whisky.

*The impact factor of an academic journal is a scientometric index calculated by Clarivate that reflects the yearly average number of citations that articles published in the last two years in a given journal received. Food has an impact factor of 4.092 – anything above 4 is considered elite in the food and beverage sector.

By law, barley distilled spirit must be aged for three years to be bottled as whisky.

To read the paper, head of to Waterford’s official website.