A key ingredient for the production of whisky is the mash bill of grains or cereals. Although different whisky types use a variety of grains, single malt Scotch whisky is made exclusively with malted barley. The Macallan uses malted barley in the production of all our whisky. The sugars in the malted barley are digested by the yeast, during fermentation and converted to alcohol and carbon dioxide.

It is important to use the highest quality malted barley as this ingredient plays a valuable role in the flavours and aromas of our whisky. We use  a combination of Estate grown and supplier provided barley in our whisky production. Momentum is a strain of barley grown on our Estate, and is cultivated exclusively for The Macallan. 

We work with two maltsters who have partnered with The Macallan for over 20 years. The barley is soaked and dried precisely to our requirements. Although technology has advanced this process today, distilleries used to have open kilns to dry their barley. These kilns were primarily fired up with peat, a widely available fuel source, whose smoke would mingle with the barley. As a result, peat became the basis for the 'smoky' flavours that has come to distinguish many Scotch whiskies. Today these peaty flavours tend to be introduced through injecting peat smoke into a more modern closed kiln. The Macallan however, is primarily not known for using peated malt. 

The malting of our barley is an essential part of the production process, and a key stage in the creation of our exceptional single malt scotch whiskies.