Slàinte Mhath
A dash of water? Hebrides Wild Water is the very dab for a dram
COLERIDGE’S Rime of the Ancient Mariner immersed the reader in a watery hell – without a drop to drink.
And it was a similarly drouthy scenario that’s inspired the release of a new naturally-sourced water – claiming to be “as close to perfect” for whisky.
“Sitting in a bar, enjoying a single malt with some fellow whisky enthusiasts, the conversation turned to water,” explained Larkfire co-founder James McIntosh.
“Should we add it, or not? We mostly agreed that we added water, but what were our choices?
“That night it was between tap water, with chlorine and fluoride, or a hard mineral water – and high mineral content interferes with the aroma and taste.”
And that posed a question, “What is the best water to add to whisky to bring out its depth of flavour?”
The answer, James attests, is contained within the can of Larkfire wild water, available from September.
Now, as a man who was brought up on summer holidays in Ardnamurchan – where tap water once ran light brown thanks to the peat content – an alarm bell rang when I first heard about wild water ... in a can.
“Whatever next?” – screamed the liquid-peat-guzzling cynic within – “Canned Scotch mist!?”
The venture, however, isn’t solely inspired by a desire to ride on a golden wave of global whisky growth. And canning local produce, it would appear, isn’t a new idea.
The chosen H2O hails from the Herbridean island of Lewis. A percentage of the sales from Larkfire will flow back via an agreement with The Stornoway Trust which looks after 69,000 acres of land.
“We view the community as one of our most important partners,” James says.
“How much goes back in will be dependent on the amount we sell, but we have agreed that a percentage of all sales will go to the Trust, with an annual minimum payment.
“There was a lovely comment from one of the trustees who told us that the vision of Lord Leverhulme, who gifted the land to the Trust in 1923, was to export fish under the label Lewis Canned Fish.
“As we approach the first centenary of the Trust, the prospect of exporting Lewis canned water is appealing to them after all these years!”
The water Larkfire has identified is held on the surface by three-billion-year-old Lewisian gneiss rock. This non-soluble metamorphic rock is part of the reason for the water’s purity and lack of mineral content – it is naturally very soft and retains a slightly golden hue.
“Mixing this water with whisky creates a natural chemistry. The water complements the whisky,” James says, “Unlocking its hidden complexities and creating a
drink that is more enjoyable and has greater depth.”
They found the ultimate whisky water after consulting master blenders, professors, chemists and geologists as they focused on several potential sites throughout Scotland.
“The most challenging part of the exercise was collecting water samples,” James says. “Often we were having to fill more than 15 different bottles for various analyses – easy in the laboratory, not so easy on the side of a hill, with horizontal rain and heavy gales and trying to read the instructions.”
James also bumped into one group of visitors – evidently not brought up on aforementioned boyhood holidays in Ardnamurchan.
“We were talking to a master blender who was with a group of guests at Glen Grant having a dram beside the waterfall.
“They were horrified that he was adding the brown water from the burn to his whisky and would only drink it when they had actually seen him drink the water neat, without whisky!”
Most of the people James met on his search for the perfect water were curious. Some were sceptical, but most were encouraging.
“We were treated so well by all the people we met,” James says. “It is fair to say that we met a healthy degree of scepticism in a number of places – ‘you are trying to do
what?!’ – but it was remarkable how the idea seemed to grow on people.”
The undiluted essence of Larkfire, by my reckoning, is a marketing pitch that has the potential to convince the sceptical and sits well with a market demanding quality.
As James puts it, consumers have bought into the idea of making sure the tonic in their G&T is the best they can have. Larkfire wild water works on exactly the same premise – but with whisky.
My take? If our remote communities can benefit from keen business acumen, then I’ll drink to that.
Slàinte mhath.
“It is naturally soft with a golden hue ”