The new spring malting barley variety Laureate has won official approval for malt distilling and brewing.
The variety’s inclusion on the Institute of Brewing and Distilling’s approved list of varieties for harvest 2018 has been welcomed as a major breakthrough for growers, by its breeder, Syngenta.
Many farmers took a gamble and sowed the variety this year on the back of promising statistics, reduced skinning levels and provisional approval from the brewers and maltsters. Laureate is now the highest-yielding spring barley on the current AHDB recommended list to have full approval in both markets.
Syngenta seeds manager Mark Bullen said the industry had moved back to wanting single varieties suited to both brewing and distilling markets.
“Laureate puts growing for distilling back on a more equal yield footing with growing for brewing. It is a real breakthrough for growers,” he said.
In testing, Mr Bullen says Laureate had produced excellent quality in both markets – with a high hot water extract for brewing and a high spirit yield for distilling.
He added: “Encouragingly, Laureate also made progress in the brewing sectors in France and Germany earlier this year. It is also generating interest in the US, Canada and Japan. In future, we would like to see it giving UK growers an export opportunity as well. As well as high treated yields, Laureate also has the top untreated yield figure of spring barleys on the AHDB Recommended List.”