Just 15,000 bottles of the world’s first organic Islay single malt is now available.

The Bruichladdich 2003 “Culblair Farm” edition is the first of the ultimate “single”, single malt: single farm, harvest, variety and vintage – distilled from Chalice barley organically grown by William Rose (32”) at Culblair in summer of 2003.

In a time when Scotch whisky is increasingly being bottled over seas, from barley from who knows where, its historic connections being lost, its reputation compromised, this first organic bottling (certified by the Bio Dynamic Agricultural Association) represents the direction Bruichladdich has been going since we reopened it in 2001: unparalleled Scottish provenance, quality, variety, authenticity and traceability. We know everything there is about it from start to finish, down to the farmer's inside leg measurement.

Over 1000 tons of Scottish-grown organic barley is now grown for us annually on 8 different Scottish farms, that's 50% of our current total annual requirement. All Bruichladdich is naturally bottled here at the distillery in Islay's only bottling hall at 46% alc/vol with Islay spring water – chill-filtration and colouring-free - to complete the natural authenticity.

Cynics may think that it is easy to produce such a whisky, stick on a little logo and away you go, but I can assure you it is not at all simple. We have been immensely impressed by the extraordinary thoroughness of the certification procedures: the regular inspections, the pedantic examinations, the paperwork trails, co-ordination, certifications, all of which has been - and will continue to be - a bureaucratic, expensive and logistical nightmare enough to dampen all but the most enthusiastic.

We're not saying organic it is any better for you, or that we are going to save the planet or anything, it started as an exercise in ultimate traceability. Organic barley does not make poor distilling good, bad whisky better; nor, if the winemaker is crap, are organic grapes going to make a decent wine. It is more a philosophy, a determination, thoroughness, on-going attention to detail all year, and throughout the distillery. When all production procedures are the best that can be achieved - remember we have the refreshingly unmodernised, original 1881 distillery layout - then organically grown barley, that little extra something, can genuinely make a difference.

We’re very proud, it is the culmination of a great team effort. People thought/think we were mad, perhaps we are. But as Duncan put it: “it’s the way is used to be. Real people, real places, real character”. We've called it “Anns an t-seann doigh”. That's the Gaelic for ‘the way it used to be’.