It All Begins in the Paddock

There's something about standing in a paddock of grain that never gets old.

Perhaps it's the anticipation of harvest, watching months of work finally come together. Or perhaps it's knowing just how much can happen between putting a seed in the ground and getting a crop safely into the silo.

Here at Auld Farm, growing grain is something we've been doing for generations.

Long before we ever thought about making whisky, we were farmers.

And we still are.

A farmer's view of whisky

Most whisky stories begin at the distillery.

Ours begins in a paddock.

With the soil beneath our feet, the Southland weather and the grain we've spent months growing.

There's no shortcut to a good harvest. You can make all the plans in the world, but ultimately, Mother Nature has a fair bit to say about how things turn out.

Too much rain, not enough sunshine, a cold spring or a wet harvest can all change the outcome.

It's something every farmer understands.

But when you're growing grain to make your own whisky, there's another layer to it.

The crop isn't simply leaving the farm gate.

It's becoming part of something we're making ourselves.

From harvest to whisky

When the grain comes off the paddock, we know exactly where it was grown, which variety it is and what sort of season it's had.

That knowledge follows it through the distillery.

We grow barley, oats, wheat, maize and triticale, exploring what each grain can bring to whisky making.

And while the distilling process is fascinating, it's the connection back to the land that makes it special to us.

Every cask has a beginning.

A particular crop. A particular harvest. A particular paddock.

Years from now, when we finally open those casks, we'll know where their stories started.

The waiting game

Farming teaches you patience.

You plant a crop, nurture it through the growing season and hope the weather plays its part.

Whisky requires a whole different level of patience.

Once the grain has been harvested and distilled, the spirit goes into oak, where it will spend years developing.

There's no rushing it.

And perhaps that's one of the things we love most about bringing farming and whisky together.

Both require an enormous amount of work, a little faith and the ability to wait.

For now, there are crops to grow, grain to harvest and whisky quietly maturing in our bond stores.

And it all begins right here.

In a paddock at Scotts Gap, Southland.