Here at InchDairnie Distillery we do not use just any malted barley we use different varieties and types of barley which are malted for us by Muntons, at their maltings in Bridlington, England. We use spring barley, planted in the spring time and harvested in the summer of the same year, and winter barley, planted in the autumn and harvested in the summer of the following year. All grown here in Fife, Scotland. We do this to explore the possibilities for creating different flavours reflective of the seasons in which they are distilled.

The distillery distils according to the seasons making adjustments throughout the year. To celebrate the summer solstice, a popular holiday time in Sweden and Finland, we are producing a special whisky made from a barely that is normally grown in these countries, Brioni. The Brioni barley, a spring barley, was grown for us at a farm in the north of Scotland. It is a two-row barley like all of the other varieties that we use. Much of the barley gown in America and Canada is six row barley. That is to say there are two fully developed rows of grain on the head of the barley plant.

The barley has a higher than normal protein content which will make it difficult to use in a traditional malt distillery. However, Inchdairnie with its hammer mill, mash conversion vessel and mash filter make easy work of this variety. The variety was grown here in Scotland in the hope that it could be used for grain whisky production, where malt with a high level of enzyme is needed. All the enzyme is required to convert the starch in the non-malted cereal, usually wheat or maize.

This weeklong distillation run, using the fermented wash produced from 100% malted Brioni barley, is centred around mid-summer’s day. All of the whisky distilled during the longest day is collected together and filled into barrels, made from American oak, previously used to mature American bourbon. All the barrels will be matured here at the distillery in our own warehouses until the whisky is ready to be bottled.

The new make whisky will be laid down for 12 years before being bottled and sent to Sweden for them all to enjoy during this special time of the year.