'Homeopathy for the Soil': Why Biodynamic Whisky is Nonsense and Organic Whisky Isn't

Making an 'organic whisky' isn't as simple as buying organic grain, though most distilleries don't even get that far. Nc'nean is notable for using  only organic malt - most Scotch whisky makers don't make such commitments! Those producing batches of organic whiskey in the past (such as Benromach) had to prevent contamination from previous, non-organic batches. In Belgium, Lambertus 3 Year Old is made using organic grain and aged only in new Spanish oak to keep its organic certification: pre-used casks such as ex-bourbon/sherry would introduce something non-organic into the production process! 

Leaving aside any particular issues of organic farming in a given jurisdiction, the result is certainly valuable. Grain with a vastly improved ecological footprint, and measurably higher levels of many flavour compounds. In that case, what is 'biodynamic' grain/whiskey - is it basically the same thing?

Biodynamic growing is very common among winemakers, but it remains even more niche in the whisky world than organic farming. Bruichladdich released the first biodynamic Scotch whiskey in 2021, and Waterford's first such bottling (Biodynamic - Luna 1.1) is a similar age. Waterford were the first distillery in Ireland to make organic whiskey and, they claim, the first in the world to make biodynamic whisky. They are the only distillery in Ireland certified by the biodynamic authority, Demeter. 

I drafted much of this article before Waterford filed for bankruptcy, back when they claimed to be the largest producer of organic whiskey in the world. Reynier claims that organic farming leads to more creamy flavors in a whisky. However, Waterford also practices biodynamic farming, essentially organic farming with additional elements which Reynier claims lend whiskey an 'electric vivacity'. 

Some Waterfords from my own photo collection - tasting a peated expression at a festival in Germany, and an Organic dram alongside Tyrconnell Madeira cask back at The Pot Still in Glasgow

In a video called 'Biodynamic Barley – Ultimate Natural Flavour', three Irish growers (Trevor Harris, Alan Mooney and John McDonnell) outline the biodynamic foundations of Waterford's barley crops. Backed by creepy pipe music resembling a true crime documentary, they put on an incredible demonstration of true nonsense. 17 minutes plus of anti-logical thinking and incredible New Age woo-woo which completely obscures the genuine good work Waterford have done with regards to terroir and organic farming.

They start out strong by talking about quantum physics - remember, these three men are farmers, not physicists. ‘What seems airy-fairy now will be accepted in 10 years time’ says one of them, with no specificity. The three frequently call back to ‘2000 years of agricultural history’, when at least 10,000 years is well known to us already. In fact, some new evidence suggests the true age of farming may be more than double that. [3] So you know you're watching three people whose every statement could/should be preceded by 'I don't know, but I reckon...'.

They go on to spout a load of crap about how the moon's tidal pull on the Earth affects sap within plants. The effect of lunar gravity on a plant is likened to sunlight, as if those are in any way comparable! This is not an artistic metaphor: these men think they are describing material reality here. They add the idea that a farmer's mood and thoughts somehow influence the growing grain. ‘That intent will transfer to your crop’ is a phrase that truly makes me angry.

Mark Reynier does turn up in the video, but we never see him talking to the three farmers in this video... I wonder why. Perhaps when your farmers think that distant planets are magically connected to individual barley plants, you try not to align yourself directly with them. Indeed, Reynier takes the chance in this video to describe his first impression of biodynamics: 'a ridiculous load of nonsense... all this stuff about Rudolf Steiner... this guy is taking the piss'. Maybe he should have left it at that.

In all seriousness, Reynier comes from a family of wine merchants, and is well known for very good reasons. His successes at Bruichladdich, Murray McDavid, and Waterford have reshaped the whisky world: he has some serious whiskymaking credentials! His account in this video suggests that the quality of some Alsatian wines really changed his mind about biodynamics, and I really believe that's as far as Reynier really cares about this stuff: he just wants the right flavours.

The video goes on to cover cow horns filled with compost. Mark describes them in quite material terms in the video. All these do in reality is add some organic material to the soil, so you might think (as I did) 'This is pretty weird, but essentially harmless'.

However, they're not just using cow horns as convenient biodegradable receptacles for compost. These biodynamic enthusiasts laud the values of the ‘horn as a sheath… a sense organ’. In other words, there's weird symbolism going on here. I'll let you adults put it together. McDonnell makes it clear that they do this to connect with 'non-materialistic forces [and] subtle energies'. Burying horns of cow manure might not harm harvests, but it does not mean the horn has special magic powers: the fact that these people think so is extremely worrying!

Lest you think this is something these three farmers are doing off their own bat, Demeter describes these 'preparations' as 'a key requirement for every Demeter certified farm'. The farmers in this video also grind quartz into powder and spray it on the fields. Again, seemingly harmless; maybe it adds valuable mineral content to the soil? Nope. They claim this spraying must be done early in the morning, 'when the Earth is breathing'. And no, I don't know what that's supposed to mean either. Demeter adds (at the same link as above) that such 'spraying preparations'

"...are stirred rhythmically in water and sprayed on the fields. Stirring is done with small amounts of preparations and at certain rhythms, which is why working with the preparations is also called homeopathy for the soil."

There you have it - homeopathy for the soil. The expert body for biodynamics actively likens their practices to homeopathy: a fake anti-medicine in which water has memory and gets stronger the more you dilute it, all invented by a German doctor born in 1755 who tried treating cholera with arsenic. Surely including these ideas in the same breath as the genuinely informed agriculture and hard distilling work going on at Waterford is insulting to everyone else in the company, Mark Reynier included!

The childish ideas these three farmers in the video hold about science are also laid bare by vague references to 'chemicals in your food'. In case I have to spell it out for anyone, this never makes sense as a complaint about issues with farming. Everything you eat is 'chemicals' - which ones are you complaining about exactly? Again, these aren't comments from Reynier. Indeed, his comments about barley varieties in this video show a clear, material understanding of intensifying agriculture in the twentieth century. 

Sadly, that doesn't mean Waterford as a whole remained free from such lazy thinking. Their 'Natural Whisky Manifesto' included the statement ‘Terroir-driven production means that we must play the hand that nature deals us’. This is entirely uncritical of what 'nature' is. If we take this to mean what happens without human intervention - what 'nature' deals to you - then we don't get anywhere. Whisky doesn't occur 'in nature' this way - it is a human agricultural and social/cultural product. Of course, if humans are part of nature (as I would argue), you avoid that problem. It then forces you to ask, how much/little are humans allowed to do as part of 'nature'? There is no evidence of anyone at Waterford reflecting on this.

I think people who write things like this (and the farmers in this video) would do well to throw out Rudolf Steiner and instead read about Indigenous farming systems - the Three Sisters, permaculture, Hawaiian aquaculture, the Aztec chinampas - instead of indulging in aimless speculation. 

Ineffective Sustainability / Greenwashing

Many companies in the whiskey industry aren't very clear about specific measures being taken to improve their green credentials. Even those that are specific often announce meaningless measures. Look at Diageo's announcement that they would spend GBP 5 million on restoring Scottish peatlands.  The same year in which Diageo posted $20.2bn of revenue, and were 1.4x the size of their next largest competitor, 5 million pounds is an insultingly tiny drop in the ocean .

In comparison, Waterford should be lauded for committing to organic farming, for sticking to it, and for taking serious measures to reduce production-related carbon emissions. Waterford specifically makes mention of reducing transport-related emissions related to their agriculture , and similarly, that's something everyone should aspire to.

However, their glass 'Vinolok' cork alternative (above) shows some more chinks in the armor. It actually uses a ring of EVA polymer to create a watertight seal, meaning you would have to  separate that from the glass to recycle it as advertised  (which no-one is going to do). Lest you think I only level this accusation at one brand, I will note that some of my favorite distilleries in Europe, Farthofer and R. Jelinek , also use these.

While a cork alternative is one relatively minor sin, Waterford's leaning on  biodynamic pseudoscience casts doubt about all their other work. Does a company really care about climate change and soil science when they also claim that spraying crystals, watching lunar cycles, and positive thoughts can make your plants grow stronger? Just like homeopathy, treating pseudoscience as real creates real harm .  A 2020 study in the journal  Agronomy  showing that “popular agricultural practices that are tied to lunar phases have no scientific backing" followed this conclusion with an exhortation to those in the field (no pun intended):

"We strongly encourage teachers involved in plant sciences education to objectively address pseudo-scientific ideas and promote critical thinking.” [1]

I have nothing against a little spirituality around farming, but the only way that is going to materially affect your whisky is if you use those beliefs to guide your actions and shape material processes. biodynamics is not a religion, or a coherent belief system. This is a handful of people with no idea what they're talking about; who reckon their thoughts can be picked up by plants. ‘Non materialist forces, subtle energies, it's not a faith thing', one of them says.

But that's just it - it's entirely faith, without even the dignity of some religious or folkloric legacy to tie into! None of these ideas are much more than a hundred years old - this is agricultural snake oil, poured over a few genuine practices which you can get from organic or no-till farming. Do you want this to be where your whisky comes from?!

There are plenty of good practices accidentally wrapped up in the bundle of biodynamics. Improving the quality of soil helps it hold on to more carbon and cope with ever-increasing fluctuations in the global climate. Not to mention it helps a greater variety of insects and birds to thrive. Biodynamic devotees often restore and sow old crop varieties - that is a sustainable and good practice!

The thing is, we didn't have scientifically informed organic farming in the 1920s - we do now, in the 2020s!

We don't have to look back to a mystical racial supremacist for advice on how to grow better grain. All the good done by biodynamic farming is done essentially by accident. It includes enough organic practices to create a benefit, and then sprinkles a lot of materially harmless, crystal-loving woo-woo on top. Thing is, that actually becomes a harmful practice if you take it seriously. Anyone who understands what biodynamic practices are, and still thinks 'This is better than organic farming' is the agricultural equivalent of an anti-vaxxer or a faith healer. The harm this does is indirect, but it's still very real.

Despite its historical ties to eugenics and Nazism, biodynamic farming persists - and it still includes “esoteric preparations” such as spraying crystals into the air, filling animal horns with manure, and the belief that a farmer’s mind and the movements of planets can affect harvests. It is a pseudoscience which should not be viewed in the same light as genuine, serious research funded by Waterford.

Ultimately, biodynamics with the weird bits removed is just organic farming - so just do that! Keep composting and rotating crops, prioritising soil health over yield. Thanks to Reynier's efforts, we have proper scientific evidence that this improves the density/quality of flavour compounds within a grape or a barley grain. But you don't need magic manure horns to get there - regular organic farming will do the trick!