Sowing seeds according to the positions of the moon and burying cow horns filled with manure may sound unorthodox, but these are some of the principles behind the creation of the first Irish biodynamic whiskey.

The famed French principle of ‘terroir’ — that a distinctive flavour is imparted to wine by the natural environment in which it is produced — is being adapted to the production of whiskey by an Irish distillery.

Alan Jackson recently hosted an Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association farm walk on his tillage and beef farm.

Lisa Ryan grew up on a tillage farm in Carlow. Now, she’s head brewer in the Waterford Distillery, having moved on from Diageo, where she spent 12 years.

A new and specific route to market has emerged for 46 tillage growers in Ireland — including six lucky organic growers.