Bere Barley: An Ancient Crop of the Northern Isles
Contents
Bere is a barley unlike the uniform modern varieties that fill most of Scotland's fields. It is a landrace, a traditional, genetically diverse crop selected by generations of farmers, and it is adapted to the short summers, long daylight and salty winds of Orkney, Shetland, Caithness and the Hebrides. Once the main grain of the far north, used for bread, porridge and ale, it almost disappeared in the twentieth century. Today scientists and growers are reviving it. This card looks at bere as a plant; its use in baking is covered in the Food & Drink series.
TL;DR
- established Bere (Hordeum vulgare) is a six-row barley landrace grown in northern Scotland for centuries.
- established It ripens quickly, making it well suited to the short, cool growing season and long summer days of the far north.
- established Bere was the main cereal of Orkney and Shetland until the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when higher-yielding modern barleys replaced it.
- established Research at the Agronomy Institute, Orkney College UHI, since 2002 has found bere adapted to low-nutrient soils, including tolerance of manganese deficiency, a trait of interest to barley breeders.
- shared Bere is often described as Britain's oldest cereal in commercial cultivation, possibly introduced by Norse settlers, though barley has been grown in Orkney since the Neolithic.
Key Facts
- Species
- Hordeum vulgare (six-row landrace)
- Areas
- Orkney, Shetland, Caithness, Hebrides
- Adaptations
- Fast-ripening; adapted to low-nutrient soils
- Area grown in early 2000s
- About 10 hectares in Scotland
- Bere whisky
- Edradour (1986), Arran (2004), Bruichladdich (from 2006)
- Decline
- Replaced by modern varieties in the 19th–20th centuries
- Research
- Agronomy Institute, Orkney College UHI
- Uses
- Beremeal, whisky, beer
- Mill
- Barony Mill, Birsay
A Note on Claims and Evidence
Each major claim carries one of three labels. established means supported by primary records, official bodies or several independent reliable sources. shared means the core fact is sound but sources disagree on details, dates or interpretation. traditional means widely repeated but not traceable to a primary or independent source.
The idea that Vikings introduced bere is popular but not proven. Genetic studies suggest bere belongs to a distinct northern European group of barleys.
Timeline
Barley grown in Orkney.
Bere grown in the Northern Isles (introduction date uncertain).
Bere widely grown; replaced in many areas by oats and improved barleys.
Bere cultivation declines sharply.
Research and revival by Orkney College and distillers.
Highland Park distillery buys bere.
Edradour distils a bere whisky from Westray barley.
The Agronomy Institute begins research on bere.
Orkney growers begin supplying bere to Bruichladdich; Valhalla Brewery launches Island Bere.
Details
A landrace
established Bere is a landrace: a traditional crop that is genetically diverse, adapted to local conditions through generations of farmers saving their own seed. It is a six-row barley, with six rows of grains on each ear, and it ripens quickly, a vital trait in the short northern summer.
Adapted to the north
established Research by the Agronomy Institute at Orkney College UHI, which began in 2002, has found bere adapted to low-nutrient soils; trials in 2016–2017 of 39 bere accessions studied its tolerance of manganese deficiency with the University of Copenhagen. It is far less productive than modern varieties: Bruichladdich estimates its yield per acre at about half that of conventional two-row barley, which is one reason farmers abandoned it.
Decline and survival
established In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, improved barleys and oats replaced bere in most areas. Only a few farmers in Orkney and elsewhere kept growing it, mainly to supply beremeal for traditional baking.
Revival
established In recent decades, bere has attracted renewed interest for its heritage and flavour. The Barony Mill, a 19th-century watermill at Birsay in Orkney, led the revival by grinding beremeal for bannocks, biscuits and bread. Distilleries followed: Edradour made a bere whisky in 1986, Isle of Arran in 2004, and from 2006 Orkney growers supplied about 50 tonnes a year to Bruichladdich on Islay. Valhalla Brewery in Shetland launched Island Bere beer in 2006. Highland Park's records show it bought bere from the 1880s to the early 1920s. Researchers see bere as a source of useful genes for breeding barleys suited to northern climates.
Did You Know?
- Bere is a six-row barley landrace.
- It ripens quickly in the short northern summer.
- It is adapted to low-nutrient soils.
- Bere has been used to make whisky.
- Barley has been grown in Orkney since the Neolithic.
- By the early 2000s only about 10 hectares of bere were grown in Scotland.
- Bere malt gave about 15 per cent less spirit than ordinary malt at Arran.
- Beremeal from the Barony Mill is used for bannocks and biscuits.
FAQ
1What is bere?
An ancient barley landrace grown in northern Scotland.
2Why does it suit the north?
It ripens quickly and is adapted to low-nutrient soils.
3Why did it decline?
Modern barleys gave higher yields.
4Is it still grown?
Yes, on a small scale.
5Did the Vikings bring it?
Possibly, but this is not proven.
6Which distilleries have used bere?
Edradour, Isle of Arran, Springbank and, above all, Bruichladdich.
7How much lower is its yield?
Bruichladdich estimates about half the yield per acre of conventional two-row barley.
8Where can you buy beremeal?
The Barony Mill at Birsay in Orkney grinds it.
Sources and Further Reading
Primary/Institutional
- University of the Highlands and Islands, Agronomy and Agriculture Institute, "Research on cereals" (uhi.ac.uk)
General
- Scotchwhisky.com, "Whisky makers rediscover bere barley" (scotchwhisky.com)
Caveats: Myths and Disputed Claims
- Do not state that the Vikings introduced bere as fact.
A Flora story