The region has two  of the best barley growing terroirs in the world,  our remarkable water comes from the Cascade Mountains, and we are surrounded  by a cultural heritage that has long challenged conventional thought

Terroir and whisky? The notion had been neglected since whisky brands started importing barley from all over the world for production.

Yet, there are many natural factors at play in forging a single malt’s personality: the soil where the grain is grown, the air it breathes, the peat used to malt it, the water used for mashing and the climactic conditions of maturing casks. In 2004, Bruichladdich was the first Islay distillery to revive a partnership with the local farming community to grow barley on-site, on the island of Islay.  In addition to benefiting the local community and its economy, the locally grown barley and 100% Islay maturation naturally demonstrate the unique terroir of Islay.

For the founders of Westland and Domaine des Hautes Glaces, the concept of terroir was the very foundation of their project. Their whiskies are inseparable from the land where the grains are grown: in the State of Washington for Matt Hofmann, and the Trièves plateau for Frédéric Revol. Revol speaks of the "genius of place" to define the geological, climatic and historic heritage of his Alpine enclave, which imbues his eaux-de-vie with a unique character. As for Matt, he decided to base his distillery in Seattle as "the region has two of the best barley growing terroirs in the world, our remarkable water comes from the Cascade Mountains, and we are surrounded by a cultural heritage that has long challenged conventional thought".