Inverness, United Kingdom — Malt 2.0 has been launched by Bairds Malt to showcase the development of malt produced using new barley varieties introduced to the UK through the Early Evaluation Programme.
The Early Evaluation Programme is a trial program run by Bairds and our merchanting partners (Scotgrain Agriculture) to help identify and evaluate new barley varieties for introduction into the UK market. New varieties are grown each year in different trial plots, with micro malting then undertaken by Bairds to test the suitability of each crop for introduction on a commercial scale.
Malt 2.0 is the first new malt to be produced from the Sassy barley variety, a new variety that has shown great promise as a preferred barley variety for future harvests.
“It’s a great farmer’s variety and a great maltster’s variety, well suited to the variable Scottish climate,” explains Don Peters, seed manager for Scotgrain Agriculture.
At the heart of our Malt 2.0 is KWS Sassy which is a big, bold barley variety, particularly well suited to the variable conditions of growing in the Scottish climate and providing a consistently higher yield to the grower. KWS Sassy represents an almost 10-year journey from the seeds initial cross to its commercial use. We go to extraordinary lengths working in partnership with seed specialists and our in-house agronomists to identify barley varieties of the future. Since Golden Promise was discovered over 50 years ago and enabled us to build our Inverness Maltings deep in the Scottish Highlands, we recognize the importance that yet undiscovered varieties could play in supporting the growth of the malting, brewing, and distilling industry going forwards.
Eddie Douglas, Commercial Director of Bairds Malt said; “This malt is a testament to the extensive research we do to ensure a sustainable future for both the brewing and distilling industries. Heritage varieties are important as they tell us as much about the past as where we should be looking in the future. That said, to create a sustainable future we need barley varieties that work best within our maritime climate and to deliver for our customers.”
As one of the oldest maltsters in the UK, our predecessors have witnessed huge changes in the world while continuing to strive towards the provision of quality malt.
With almost 200 years’ worth of experience, we’re proud to have passed along generations of knowledge and experience in producing and supplying quality malt to many of the world’s leading distillers and brewers.
While much of what we do on a daily basis is based on that shared knowledge, we’ve always adapted to being focused on the future, looking to further develop our craft wherever we can.
Bairds is currently expanding malt production in Scotland, with a refurbishment of our existing Arbroath maltings, and the addition of a new malting plant at our Inverness Maltings in the heart of the Highlands. In addition to meeting increasing demand from our malting customers, an increased capacity also provides opportunities for Scotland’s growers of malting barley.
For more information: https://www.bairds-malt.co.uk/malt2-0/