Landmark maltings

Warminster Maltings is celebrating the completion of its repairs to its Grade 2* Listed malthouses built in 1855.

200 years ago, many maltings similar to Warminster were commonplace, dotted across the urban and rural landscape, providing one of life’s staples – malt – for local breweries, innkeepers and home brewers in the days when the water was unsafe to drink.

Today, Warminster Maltings is one of only 3 of these traditional maltings left working in England. There are 8 in Scotland, each a part of a long established Whisky Distillery, and there is one in Northern Ireland that has just been rescued from dereliction.

But Warminster is remarkable because it is the only ‘stand alone’ example, totally dependent
on loyal Brewing and Distilling customers for all its malt production.

Warminster Malt sales continue to flourish, because it is widely accepted that malt made the traditional way is superior to the modern methods that drive global malt production. As a result, “floor made” malt commands a premium, sufficient to sustain the Warminster Maltings
business, which maintains a workforce of 20 local men and women. But, Warminster’s is a ‘Landmark Maltings’ in more ways than one.

Landmark 2: The Grade 2* Listed malthouses still retain a unique set of processing features, originally laid down by the notorious Malt Tax that exploited the UK malting industry from 1641 to 1880.

Landmark 3: Back in 1905, the then Maltings proprietor, Edwin Sloper Beaven, bred the first “genetically true” variety of barley in the world, and in doing so, single handed, he completely transformed cereal production across the globe! An honorary doctorate from Cambridge University was among his many awards.

Mindful of all this, the current management of the Maltings is, at last, now proud to announce the completion of an extensive and comprehensive programme of repairs and renewals.

This has taken 24 years to fulfil, all paid for without the aid of grants or other interventions. This investment has been carried out to not only protect the business going forward, but to also preserve the architectural integrity of these respected and historic structures.

The Maltings has often been a location of choice for a number of popular TV and radio programmes but its biggest claim to fame is the quality of its malts.

That these serve brewing and distilling customers, not just across the U.K., but right across the world probably speaks for itself!

For further information,
please contact Lisa Conduit on 01985 212014
or lisa.conduit@warminster-malt.co.uk

Submit a Comment Cancel reply