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Speyburn Whisky Distillery - Drum Maltings

When the distillery was designed, the decision was taken to install a Henning’s Pneumatic Drum Maltings. There would have been a number of benefits: less space required; less manual work (no malt to turn) and the maltings could operate all year round.

The maltings were set out on three levels. The barley was stored on the top level before being passed down into one of the three steeps on the middle floor. One steep then filled two germination drums which slowly revolved to stop the rootlets matting together. After several days the green malt was transferred to kiln for drying. Again the Speyburn maltings were slightly different – there were two drying floors, one above another. Green Malt would have been “pre-dried” on the top floor before being dropped down onto the bottom floor. Speyburn was the first malt distillery to have this type of maltings, although Glen Grant and Linlithgow Distilleries subsequently had drum maltings installed.