Edition 65: friends of Warminster maltings

by The Maltstar | Jul 1, 2026 | Malt-stars News

VAT’s The Problem!

You may well already be aware of this initiative, we’ve actually written about it previously, but we feel it’s worth talking about again.

The celebrity chef Tom Kerridge has been spearheading a campaign to cut VAT for hospitality. It’s currently 20%, one the highest rates in Europe and the aim of the campaign is to get it down to 10%.

Lowering the rate of VAT is the single most important thing the Government could do to support our local pubs, restaurants, cafes, hotels, and many more in the hospitality industry.

Of course it would be hugely beneficial to consumers too, and so we urge everyone to sign the petition and share it as widely as possible.

Current Total of Signatures

TK0115-VAT's-the-problem-SOCIAL-1200x800px-1

Sign the petition

https://www.vatstheproblem.co.uk/

Teas in the Garden

We had a fantastic turnout for our first Teas in the Garden event in June, and next week we go again!

Returning to our regular slot on the second Wednesday of the month, we’re pleased to see that the weather forecast looks excellent. And we can assure you that the scones and cakes will be just as impressive.

Teas are served between 2pm and 4pm in our beautiful Maltings garden at a cost of £9 per person, with all proceeds being donated to WAG (Warminster Action Group).

We look forward to welcoming you.

https://warminsteractiongroup.co.uk/

Opening Our Doors to the CIBD

On Thursday 28th May, we were delighted to welcome members of the Chartered Institute of Brewers and Distillers to Warminster Maltings as part of an educational tour they were undertaking (which also included a visit to Witchmark Distillery). They were given an in-depth look at our traditional floor malting process and heard all about the barley quality required to make our excellent malts. It was a pleasure to share our knowledge and demonstrate how traditional skills continue to play a role in modern brewing and distilling. Thank you to everyone who joined us.

Heritage Open Days

This September, we will once again be opening our doors to take part in the annual Heritage Open Days festival.
If you’ve ever wondered what goes on inside this beautiful old building, now is your chance to find out!

We will have tours on Friday 11th September at 11am and 2pm, and again on Friday 18th September at 11am and 2pm.

Booking is required, which you can do via Warminster Town Council at events@warminster-tc.gov.uk

And why not see what else is on in your area – www.heritageopendays.org.uk/whats-on

Robin Appel & Lisa Conduit

Postscript…

At the beginning of April Robin received a visit from the Principal of a Brewing School in Brazil. Accompanied by the Brazilian’s English friend and interpreter, Richard Baggaley, Robin was aware that he was being filmed by his South American visitor accompanied by a spontaneous commentary in his native tongue. Robin was not aware that Richard was also making a film.

A week ago, we received a copy of Richard’s film which has been shared with an audience which stretches all round the world. It is Robin extolling the virtues of traditional ‘Floor Made Malt’ compared to the production of ‘Commercial Malt’ churned out from the malt factories in the eastern counties. It is Robin expressing himself in his most frank and revealing manner, almost ‘off the record’, an exposure of some of the most important elements that affect the quality of malt. An exposure of some elements the wider malting and brewing industry, out of ignorance, or for convenience and cost, choose to overlook.

“Malt is not widgets…”

For the brewers amongst you who might be interested, here is the link Floor Made Malt

Edition 64: More “Sunshine and Showers”

by The Maltstar | May 1, 2026 | Malt-stars News

More “Sunshine and Showers”, Please!

The sun came out on March 18th and we have welcomed generous quantities of it ever since. It has drawn everyone out of their houses and, those that are inclined, have found their way back to the pub. And every week our malt sales have reflected this, confirming that the Great British Public have not lost sight of the Great British Pub. Hooray!

Some of this may have been helped by the popular press whose relentless campaigns over the winter have drawn people’s attention to the “headwinds” that publicans are currently having to confront. Let us hope this summer offers a little respite.

But when we face the other way and spare a thought for the barley crop, we need to pray for rain. April has been far from wet enough for our crops out in the fields, which means rain in May will be even more critical than it normally is.

It is easy to overlook that lack of rain poses a far greater threat to mankind than lack of sun. So, for the time being, we are praying for a bit more of that classic weather we dub as the forecaster’s cop out – sunshine and showers! It shouldn’t stop people from going to the pub, but it will definitely help this year’s barley crop to flourish.

Teas in the Garden

Looking forward to next month, we’ll hope for nothing but sunshine on Wednesday 17th June because it will be the first of our ‘Teas in the Garden’ this year.

As always, we will open the beautiful garden here at the Maltings between 2-4pm and offer a selection of cakes along with the requisite tea and scones at a cost of £9 per person.

For the previous 2 years, we have donated the money raised from these events to charity and we will do the same again this year.

Our chosen organisation for 2026 is WAG (Warminster Action Group).

WAG is a grassroots charity run solely by volunteers, who support the people of Warminster with practical help, connection and opportunities to belong and is hugely valuable to the people of Warminster.

https://warminsteractiongroup.co.uk/

These Old Floors are Worth a Visit…

We regularly welcome our customers, brewers and distillers alike, as well as other interested parties and we have a steady flow of visitors booked to visit us over the coming months. And still the enquiries keep coming!

That’s really a very good thing as there’s little we enjoy quite as much as showing off our Maltings!

If you would be interested in visiting us, pop us an email at info@warminster-malt.co.uk or call us on 01985 212014.

Visitors will receive a guided tour explaining how malt is made, why Warminster is the historical centre of the industry and now includes time to look around our museum.

We’re very proud of our collection. It’s a record of a formerly thriving industry, but one which still exists here in Warminster.

East Lambrook Manor, Somerset.

East Lambrook Manor, near Ilminster in Somerset is surrounded by a Grade 1 Listed garden which each year attracts up to 10,000 visitors from all over the world. Described as the most outstanding example of the English Cottage Garden style, most years there are over 2,000 cultivars which combine to produce a floral canopy all year round. In the middle of the garden is a substantial former Malthouse!

Andrew and Alison Johnson purchased the property just over a year ago, and ever since, have been challenged by their visitors “What is a Malthouse?” So, they drove across to Warminster to find out.

The East Lambrook Malthouse is estimated to be early 17th century, and it is thought the production of malt ceased at the end of the 19th century, or very early in the 20th. Unfortunately, the building was then gutted by fire in 1964 and any clues to its former life have been totally obscured.

Robin Appel gave Andrew and Alison an explanatory tour of our malthouses and process and, then presented them with a drawing of the likely infrastructure and process of their Malthouse, based on the “Newark” design (Newark as in Nottinghamshire). This drawing was kindly created for the Johnsons by our dear friend and supporter, Amber Patrick, Maltings Historian.

We will continue to keep in touch with Andrew and Alison at East Lambrook Manor, because as fellow custodians of old malthouses, we are preserving an important part of our history which has all but completely disappeared.

Robin Appel & Lisa Conduit

Edition 63: Friends of Warminster maltings

by The Maltstar | Mar 1, 2026 | Malt-stars News

Raising a Glass at MaltingsFest 2026

We’re proud to once again sponsor MaltingsFest, a celebration of independent brewing.

Held in Newton Abbot, MaltingsFest brings together outstanding breweries (many of whom are customers of Warminster Maltings) and passionate beer lovers.

As the UK’s oldest working maltings, we know that incredible beer begins before the mash tun so this celebration of the craftsmanship that defines great British beer also gives us the chance to highlight the importance of the ingredients

The event, organised by SIBA, is held over 3 days giving plenty of opportunity to try the beers you know and love, and maybe find some new favourites too.

www.maltingsfest.co.uk

Will Business Rate Reductions Boost Pub Footfall?

In our January newsletter we mentioned that we were expecting to hear about a reprieve for pubs on business rates.

We now know what that will look like and apparently the measure will cut the bill of an average pub by more than £12,500 over 3 years.

Of course, any financial relief is a positive step, but the consensus seems to be that it’s not enough. With other costs (wages, energy, supplier costs…) rising all around, a key question remains: will we see increased footfall in our pubs?

We certainly hope so. For suppliers like us, a thriving pub sector is vital, but we also recognise the pub for the heart of the community that it is to so many.
Do you remember the advert from Charlie’s Bar that went viral a couple of years ago? It really highlighted the importance of our local pubs and bars as social hubs and places of connection.

We cannot lose them.

Celebrating 25 Years of Leadership

You may have seen on our social media pages recently that the 13th of February marked a momentous milestone for Warminster Maltings owner Robin Appel — 25 years at the helm!

Robin undertook an extensive programme of repairs and restoration which took 23 years to complete, all the while carefully balancing tradition with innovation.

From a run-down, barely surviving business to a fully restored and thriving company, it’s been a labour of love and an incredible transformation.

The final stage, and biggest of all the works, was the reinstatement of the pyramid style kiln roofs. The original roofs were destroyed in a fire in 1924 and the restoration project was finished 100 years later, in 2024.

Congratulations to Robin on 25 remarkable years!

Flavour Starts in the Field

Our friends at Retribution Distilling Co. recently explored an interesting question on their blog: can you taste the difference between barley varieties in new make spirit?

The short answer? Yes.

We encourage you to read the full blog on the Retribution Distilling website.

Can you really taste different barley varieties in new make spirit

The Malt Miller ran a similar experiment back in November last year, comparing malts in a classic British pale ale.

Does Floor-Malted Maris Otter Taste Better? Blind Taste Test

Both of these reinforce something we’ve long believed and talked about before: terroir is real and the process and raw material matters.

As distillers and brewers explore provenance and terroir, barley is being recognised as contributing to flavour, especially heritage varieties like Maris Otter and Plumage Archer.

The Malt Men Reach the Final!

Warminster Town faced off against Pewsey Vale last week to emerge victorious and are now headed to the Wiltshire Seniors FA Cup Final on April 14^th at Chippenham Town, where they will go up against Devizes Town FC (formerly known as the Brewers).

As proud sponsors of Warminster Town, we wish them lots of luck in the final.

Up the town!