It’s what farmers all over the island are doing right now: checking on how their crops are progressing in what has so far been a dismal spring, weatherwise.

The barley crop in this picture is rather special and there’s a lot riding on it.

It’s being grown on land at Scarlett Farm for local distillers, Fynoderee, who plan to use it to produce their first batch of Manx single-malt whiskey.

Fynoderee co-founder, Tiffany Kerruish, said: ’It hardly feels like five minutes since we were down at Scarlett Farm at the end of March watching the sowing of our crop of Laureate barley.

’Initially, an unseasonably dry spell of weather meant not a lot happened.

’But the more recent rains have germinated the seed and the field is now a stunning verdant green with a good stand of well-established young barley shoots waiting for some warmth and sunshine now to bring them on.

’We hope it won’t be long before we hopefully see a beautiful swathe of Manx barley swaying in the salty island breeze.’

The whiskey will be distilled in Fynoderee’s newly-arrived Figgins Reciprocator, the only one of its kind in Europe. This innovative pot-and-column hybrid still was designed by Fynoderee’s master distiller, Rusty Figgins, who joined the company after relocating from the USA in October last year.

He will be using the still to develop Fynoderee’s aged spirits programme and plans to offer distillery tours at the company’s Ramsey HQ.