Scotch Whisky Distilleries with On-Site Floor Maltings
Floor malting is an old-school method of turning barley into malted barley, a key ingredient in the whisky production process.
Vic Cameron, one of our whisky lecturers says: “Floor maltings is a traditional type of maltings that every distillery used to have back in the old days. It was simply meaning that you, germinate on a concrete floor instead of in a pneumatic vessel.”
The Malting Floor at Laphroaig Distillery, Islay. Credit: VisitScotland / Paul Tomkins
The process of malting by hand is not only obviously labour intensive, it requires a lot of both space and time. As production facilities became increasingly commercial and industrial, floor maltings were simply not efficient.
Today, most distilleries rely on commercial maltings to supply their malted barley, with only a handful of Scotch whisky distilleries still operating traditional floor maltings on-site.
These include:
- Balvenie – Malts a portion of its barley in Dufftown. Read more in our interview with Malt Man Matthew Paterson here.
- Benriach – Revived its floor maltings in 2012.
- Bowmore – Malts about 30% of its barley requirements on Islay.
- Dunphail – Malts its barley on-site.
- Highland Park – Malts around 20% of its barley in Orkney.
- Laphroaig – Malts a portion of its barley on-site.
- Springbank – Malts 100% of its barley on-site in Campbeltown.
- Kilchoman – Malts a percentage of its barley from Islay farms.
- Glen Garioch – Historically had floor maltings, though operations are limited today.
Why do these distilleries still have floor malting facilities? On the one hand, it keeps an old traditional alive, showcases heritage and craftsmanship within the whisky-making process. And, for marketing purposes, floor maltings look great and offer powerful opportunities for storytelling!
So, how does the process of floor malting work?
Step-by-Step Process of Floor Malting
1. Steeping
Barley is soaked in water for 2–3 days in large steeping tanks to increase its moisture content (typically to about 45%). This process awakens the barley’s natural enzymes, preparing it for germination (the barley thinks it’s spring and begins to grow). Water is drained and refreshed multiple times to keep the barley oxygenated.
2. Germination
The wet barley is spread out on a malt floor in a thin layer (usually 6–12 inches deep). The grains begin to sprout, producing enzymes that convert starches into fermentable sugars. Workers, traditionally known as ‘maltmen’, regularly turn the barley with wooden shovels (or "malt shiels") to prevent root tangling and ensure even germination. This stage typically lasts 5–7 days, depending on temperature and humidity.
Did you hear the one about… monkey shoulder? The arduous process of turning barley by hand every few hours inevitably took its toll on the maltmen. After long shifts of constant manual work, they were susceptible to a condition which caused one arm to hang down on one side. This was called “monkey shoulder”.
3. Kilning
Once the barley reaches the desired level of modification, it is transferred to a kiln, where hot air is used to stop germination. At this point, burning peat can be used as the heat source, which imparts smoky flavours. The drying process can last up to 48 hours and the temperature is carefully controlled to preserve enzyme activity for mashing.
After drying, the malted barley is ready either to be stored, or milled into grist to be mixed with hot water in the mashtun in the next stage of the whisky-making production process.
