Speakeasy Malt aims to be the flavorful “secret sauce” which sets American Single Malt Whiskey or Bourbon apart from the crowd.
As craft distillers look to differentiate themselves in the admittedly over-saturated whiskey market, one such way to do so is with grain selection. Heirloom grains, unique flavoring grains, varied mash bills, and even malt selection all play a key role in flavor development. Once thought of (and possibly still by some) as a grain used purely for its enzymatic properties and conversion of starches to sugars in the mash, malted barley is a playground for flavor. This has become more and more evident with the surge in popularity of American Single Malt. Craft distillers who recognize this now have a new resource for malted barley made just for them.
Full Details on the News:
After much underground research and development, Riverbend Malt House now offers a malt style designed for distillers. Speakeasy malt for distillers is now available for purchase.
Riverbend has relished their role as a provider of flavorful malts to distillers for over a decade, often providing that “secret sauce” that sets an American Single Malt Whiskey or bourbon apart from the crowd. The release of Speakeasy malt for distillers is our first offering designed specifically for this rapidly growing spirits category.
The development of Speakeasy utilizes a barley variety that has shown great potential to deliver higher levels of enzymatic activity compared to other winter 2-row varieties. This variety coupled with an extended, cool germination and gentle kilning temperatures create the building blocks for this innovative malt style.
Our Speakeasy malt is a balancing act. It’s not just an enzyme package, but a rich, flavorful malt that is designed to convert corn in a Bourbon recipe while delivering notes of melon and honeysuckle. Speakeasy provides an avenue for craft distillers to explore whiskey recipes with local ingredients.
Riverbend Co-Founder Brent Manning
Speakeasy is a higher enzyme malt that doesn’t sacrifice flavor. This malt utilizes the highest quality lots of 2-row barley along with an extended, cool germination, and gentle kilning to create a malt that shines in the distillery. Distillers interested in purchasing Speakeasy Malt should Riverbend.
About Riverbend Malt House:
Riverbend Malt House is on a quest to connect Southeastern family owned farms and fermenters. Co-Founders Brent Manning and Brian Simpson launched Riverbend, the first craft malthouse east of the Mississippi River, in Asheville, North Carolina in 2010. Buoyed by a 70,000 foot production facility and state of the art equipment, Riverbend Malt House helps breweries and distilleries large, small, and in-between stand out with flavor, locality, and community in an increasingly competitive landscape— all the while challenging the status quo of corporate, big-agriculture malt. Learn more at riverbendmalt.com.
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