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Glorious weather hits grain volume in East Anglia but not quality

Published:  09 August, 2018

The volume of grain from East Anglia has been hit by the continued sunshine in the UK but quality is “looking great”.

Impacted by the unusual sunny weather this summer, grain volumes from East Anglia could be down by as much as 15%, according to Copper Rivet Distillery, but the quality was “looking high”, it said as part of its 2018 harvest report.

Nitrogen levels should be around 1.6% to 1.8%, so “not a problem” this year but the germination of some lean grains could be an issue as 92% to 96% germination was required by maltsters, added the Kent-based distillery.

“There’ll be fewer seeds with less energy in them which means less starch, less sugar and ultimately alcohol, but we won’t know the extent of this for a while,” said co-founder Matthew Russell.

The distillery, which claims to be one of just 10 distilleries out around 350 in the UK to make its own base spirit, said it expected to be one of the first to showcase this year’s crop due to the farms being so easterly and “soaking up the heat”.

The cereals are used to create the producer’s Dockyard Gin, Vela Vodka and Son of a Gun cask finished English grain spirit and are aged for years in casks to make Masthouse Whisky.

In June, Copper Rivet Distillery revealed it is working on a charter aimed at underpinning quality in the growing English whisky category, initially looking to lead by example while attracting other producers to join the conversation.

The distillery, which will produce its first batch of finished whisky in 2020, said it believed there was potential to create a “strong new category” while allowing for greater flexibility and experimentation than was allowed by the legislation controlling production of Scottish whisky.

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