Plans to produce an Isle of Skye beer made entirely of local ingredients will see barley being grown on the island for the first time in 50 years.
The Isle of Skye Brewing Company is joining forces with a crofter in the small township of Kilmuir, an area historically known as "the granary of Skye", to carry out a test growing of barley and possibly hops.
The brewery, set up with the support of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) in 1995, produces a range of cask and bottled ales and is widely recognised as the premier brewery in the region. Its managing director Angus MacRuary, a former Portree High School teacher, has first hand knowledge of the capabilities of the land where the test growing would take place - as his family crofted at Bornisketaig until the late 1960s.
"The land is amazingly fertile and finding a way to re-introduce barley is something I have been thinking about for some time - if we can produce a beer from locally grown ingredients that would be something that no other brewery in Scotland can do at the moment," he said.
"We wouldn't be able to grow enough Skye barley to use it exclusively but there would be a great satisfaction in creating a beer using Skye water, Skye grain and possibly even Skye hops. The benefit to the Brewery is the tremendous marketing opportunity a premium beer like this would create and the knock on effect to crofters would be the premium price they would get for their crop."
If the project takes off it would also hope to support the work of wood recycling social enterprise business Touch Wood based at Uig. It has recently expanded into compost.
Angus says his decision to explore the idea of the new beer is down to an inspirational Entrepreneurship Development Programme he attended at the start of the year in America. He was one of six Highland businesses who attended the week long course at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management in Boston funded by HIE.
"I was impressed by the can-do attitude which this course promoted and it encouraged me to re-think our own business development plan. Having teamed up with crofter Dominic Barratt we are now actively looking at how this project could get the best results, and we are seeking advice from HIE and the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC)," said Angus.
Dominic and his wife Ella have a seven and half acre holding at Bornisketaig, a free range egg business and grow fruit and vegetables. He says there is a buzz amongst local crofters about the opportunity the project could create. "Crofting has focused predominately on sheep and cattle for a long time but there is a resurgence in looking at other ways to develop business from the land. Crofters are nervous about turning over their crofts to one stream of income, it is too risky, but that means we are more open to trying different things, rare breeds, test growing etc. I generate income in a variety of ways, from IT support to stone mason and handyman," he said.
He is optimistic about the prospects for success in barley growing.
"The fields I am looking at have been sitting fallow for many years and this adds to the fertility. We are talking about some of the best land on Skye. We have been speaking to the College in Orkney and we are hoping to learn from their experiences of growing bere, an ancient variety of barley, on Shetland and Orkney.
“We were initially considering a late planting this year - but we have been advised it would be more productive to plant next spring. We are looking at breaking the ground to begin the process this summer."
A test brew needs a half ton of malted barley and the brewery is planning to grow three different varieties of grain - Pipkin, Maris Otter and Pearl. A recent development is the installation of a £20,000 malt mill, funded with support from HIE, which will allow the brewery to grind whole grain on site. This will see increased yield from the malted barley, and a reduction in price and a haulage costs.
Dawn Campbell is the HIE account manager who works with the brewery. She commented: "We are delighted to have supported the growth of the Isle of Skye Brewery and it is great that the entrepreneurs programme has inspired it to consider new ways of working. The international reputation the Isle of Skye enjoys is well deserved and I look forward to exploring the Brewery's plans to create a beer which is grown, milled and brewed on Skye."