Malted barley is the most expensive grain in making whiskey. The results are that more distilleries are using less malt in their mash bills. This is a modern phenomenon. Ed Foote’s first task when he was hired as Master Distiller at the Old Fitzgerald Distillery (now called once again Stitzel-Weller Distillery) was the reduction of the malt used in making their Bourbon. It brought about a change in their Old Fitzgerald flavor profile. He was able to reduce the malt by using manufactured enzymes in making the whiskey.
Many distillers are using this manufactured malt (enzymes) in making their whiskey. I have always been told by Master Distillers that you need 10% malt in your mash bill to get full conversion of starch to sugar to feed your fermentation. Many distillers are using as little as 0% malt in making their whiskey, depending upon manufactured enzymes for their conversion. A popular rye recipe is a 95% rye and 5% malt mash bill. The result of this reduction is that the whiskey loses the sweet, nuttiness that barley malt brings to the whiskey. E.H. Taylor, Jr. liked the flavor that malted barley brought to the table so much, that he bragged that his mash bill had 150% more barley malt than any other distiller at that time.
There are distillers that still use 10% malted barley in their mash bill. They believe the flavor it brings to their whiskey outweighs the additional cost it requires. Other distillers are experimenting with the use of beer malts in addition to their normal malted barley. Chocolate or caramel beer malts are popular in whiskeys. These are malted grains that are toasted or roasted to bring out the flavors of chocolate or caramel. Hard Truth Distillery in Brown County, Indiana makes a rye whiskey using chocolate malt that is very good rye whiskey.
Many people ask me, “Why do whiskeys made in the 1950s taste better than today’s whiskeys?” There are several reasons for this, including a lower barrel entry proof maximum of 110, but the use of manufactured enzymes is another reason for this modern flavor drift. Manufactured enzymes do not provide any flavor to the whiskey and the loss of this barley malt flavor component contributes to the change in flavor. There are also distillers who are making whiskey with other malted grains such as malted rye. The Old Pogue Distillery in Maysville, Kentucky makes a rye that uses 100% malted rye. Others are using malted rye along with malted barley.
Malted grain is expensive but it brings flavor to whiskey. I am happy to see that it is still being used by many distilleries.
Photos Courtesy of Maggie Kimberl
April 21, 2025 at 10:54 am
At Dad’s Hat we use 15% malted barley – and we use a very flavorful 2 two malt, not 6 row malt that has lots of enzymes, but not much flavor. We also use 5% malted rye with the remaining 80% locally grown rye grain. We were told by industry veterans that to get good rye conversion in the mash 15% malt was a good place to be. We also like the flavor that tasty 2 row malt brings to the whiskey.
April 21, 2025 at 2:50 pm
Woodstone Creek uses all malted grains and people complain about the price.