For Great Malt you need Great Barley

One of Barley Malt farmers in the UK, stands beside hos combine harvester in the field after harvest. Ian Green at Corskie Farm in Morayshire, Scotland harvests his Laureate for Distilling Malt Production

Our malting sites in Scotland, England, Germany, and Poland are a hive of activity all year round, but even more so at harvest. From July to September farmers harvest their two-row malting barley and send it in to the maltings for drying and storage. It cannot be stated more plainly; without high-quality barley, we cannot make high-quality malt, so our farmers are very important to us.

It should come as no great surprise that our malting sites are located close to where the agricultural action is at. The East of the UK is prime malting barley growing land with light sandy soil favoring the production of low nitrogen spring barley like Laureate and low nitrogen winter barley like the prized Maris Otter and Flagon. Norfolk is especially suited to these types of English two-row barley not only due to the soil but also the weather; the North of the county near our Great Ryburgh maltings sticks out into the North Sea and therefore enjoys even temperatures and moisture levels throughout the growing season, perfect for growing this type of barley. The same goes for the East of Scotland. It’s in Scottish counties like Aberdeenshire, Moray, Fife and East Lothian where we work with farmers to grow barley destined for our Portgordon and Alloa Maltings and our Premium Pot Still and Peated Malts.

The UK Barley Map

Map of our barley malt facilities across England and Soctland for brewers and distillers.

For Great Barley Malt you need Great Farmers

Soil and weather only go so far when it comes to producing quality and consistency. The human touch is an absolute must, so we have developed long-term commitments to farmers over the years. We work directly with hundreds of farmers across the United Kingdom. Please take a minute to get to know some of them.

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