All Scotch Whisky starts out life as barley. This is largely due to availability in the past, and also because of Scotch regulations.
It is typical of a country to use
whatever is available to create spirits, be it wine made from grapes in France and Spain or Rum made from sugar cane in the Caribbean.
In
Scotland,
barley was available and is still being used to create some of
the best Whisky around.
Where does barley come from?
The barley used in the Whisky making process is very important, as it
dictates the quality of the end product. While some distillers use only Scottish barley, a fact they are
very proud of, others import the grain from England or sometimes further afield, like
Europe and
Canada. In Scotland and England barley is grown along the east coast, where sandy soils and low rainfall make for the perfect growing conditions.
The quest for the perfect barley
Distillers are looking out for the
perfect barley, which is
low in nitrogen, meaning it will be
high in starch,
good enzyme potential, have a good
ability to germinate and
create large grains.
Those who malt barley, known as
maltsters, look for grains arranged
in two rows rather than six, as this allows for more consistency. Two row grains are also more likely to
have more starch than protein, which is necessary for fermentation to take place. Most modern barley has a starch content of around
60-65%.
Nitrogen is
an indicator as to the protein levels in grains, so
low nitrogen means low protein, which in turn means
high starch.
Barley used in making Whisky should also have a high diastatic power (DP), as this indicates the amount of enzymes it can produce during germination. This is important as enzymes are needed to create sugars from starch during germination.
How much barley is needed for a litre of Whisky? A lot!
These days, barley is able to give a yield of around
three tonnes per acre, which in turn gives distillers a yield of
400 litres per tonne.
Today there are around
5,500 different strains of barley, but only a small portion of these, around
10 varieties, is approved for distilling by the
Institute of Brewing and Distilling. All barley is categorised on a scale of 1-9, with only barley
in the top three being used for malting.
Key barley varieties
The varieties used today, in order of popularity, are
Belgravia, Concerto, Propino, Quench and
Shuffle, with newer varieties including
Moonshine, Odyssey, Chronicle and
Overture.
Varieties such as
Oxbridge, Prisma, Chariot, Triumph and
Golden Promise are no longer used in distilling as they do not give a high enough yield.
As well as different varieties,
seasonal barley also plays a big factor who what kind makes the cut.
Spring barley yields higher grains per ear than
winter barley and is therefore more commonly used. As such, no winter varieties are currently approved for use in distilling.