The art of whisky
Written by John Macpherson
Working the barley with a malt shovel © John MacPherson
During malt whisky production, when the barley is being floor-malted (to allow the natural starches to convert to sugar) the barley (or ‘piece’ as it’s known) must be turned regularly to ensure heat and carbon dioxide are dissipated, but also to prevent the germinating barley from ‘matting’ its roots. Some places do the turning by machine, but a few undertake it by hand, with a malt shovel. This is wonderful to watch, the rhythmic shovel-lift-toss-shovel-lift-toss as the barley flies across the room, all the time ensuring even distribution. The noise is hypnotic, but the smell – that’s a deep earthy rich unforgettable tang. I spent my childhood playing in a distillery, and the smell more than anything else has stayed with me.
Author — John Macpherson
John MacPherson was born and lives in the Scottish Highlands. He trained as a welder in the Glasgow shipyards, before completing an apprenticeship as a carpenter, and then qualified as a Social Worker in Disability Services. Along the way he has cooked on canal barges, trained as an Alpine Ski Leader & worked as an Instructor for Skiers with disabilities, been a canoe instructor, and tutor of night classes in carpentry, stained glass design and manufacture, and archery. He has travelled extensively on various continents, undertaking solo trips by bicycle, or motorcycle. He has had narrow escapes from an ambush by terrorists, been hit by lightning, caught in an erupting volcano, trapped in a mobile home by a tornado, kidnapped by a dog's hairdresser, rammed by a basking shark and was once bitten by a wild otter. He has combined all this with professional photography, which he has practised for over 35 years. He teaches photography and acts as a photography guide & tutor in the UK and abroad. His biggest challenge is keeping his 30 year old Land Rover 110 on the road. He loves telling and hearing stories.
Discussion (3 Comments)
Where is this? Laphroaig?
Balvenie Robert, they still do some of the traditional stuff there.
Balvenie Robert. They still do some of the traditional stuff there.