How Malt Type Influences The Flavour of Whisky

Malted barley is at the heart of every great single malt scotch whisky. As a brewery who has expanded into distilling, we’re fascinated by how our understanding of malt from the brewing world translates into the whisky-making process. Particularly in the creation of wash, which is the liquid that forms the base for distillation and is essentially a beer without hops.

In this article, we’re looking at malt types, how they're processed and how they impact the flavour development in whisky.

What Is Malt?

Malt is barley that has undergone controlled germination and kilning. During germination, enzymes begin to convert the grain’s starches into sugars which is a critical step for fermentation. The malt is then dried (or kilned) to stop germination and allow the flavour to develop.

In both brewing and distilling, malt is the primary source of fermentable sugars, but in whisky production, it also contributes significantly to the final flavour, even after distillation and cask ageing.

The Role of Malt in Wash Production

In whisky making, wash is essentially an unhopped beer which is typically fermented to 6–8% ABV. The type of malt used to make the wash directly shapes it’s flavour profile, which in turn heavily influences the characteristics of the new make spirit.

Even though distillation introduces new flavours, the original chemical compounds formed during mashing and fermentation carry through, particularly heavier, non-volatile molecules that contribute to body, mouthfeel, and richness such as esters.

Malt: The Foundation of Flavour

The majority of whisky washes start with pale malt (often referred to as distillers malt). This lightly kilned malt provides high enzymatic activity so is great for yield. The kilning level of the malt dramatically alters the flavour profile:

• Pale malts: sweet and fruity flavours.

• Crystal and caramel malts: toffee, raisin, and burnt sugar characteristics. Low in enzymes, but high in flavour.

• Chocolate and roasted barley: smoky, roasted, or coffee-like notes.

  
  

Using our Brewing Background to Create High Impact Wash

We are very excited to explore how specialty malts and the kilning level can bring flavour to whisky. While it is very common in the brewing world to produce different types of beer and impart different flavours by using differently kilned malts, distillers don’t usually experiment with malt and rely heavily on casks to bring different flavours to their spirit.

For our single malts, we will be using three different wash types:

Laureate – This is made from pale ale malt sourced locally by Crisp Maltings and fermented using an ale yeast which creates big fruity flavours.

Brewmaster - This is our blend of pale ale, crystal and brown malts to create a more robust coffee and chocolate flavoured wash.

Peated - A combination of pale ale and peated malt to deliver a peated wash with big smoky and toasted flavour and aroma

Summary

• Malt type defines more than just sugar content, it contributes to flavour, enzyme potential, and wash character.

• Even after distillation, certain malt-derived compounds carry through into the new make spirit and influence the matured whisky’s flavour.

• As brewers-turned-distillers, understanding malt’s role helps us create whiskies with intentional, layered flavour profiles, whether we’re working with clean pale malt or experimenting with roasted and peated varieties.