SUSTAINABILITY
SUSTAINABLE GRAIN
At Highland Grain, sustainability lies at the heart of everything we do, ensuring that the land our farmers tend continues to produce the finest malting barley in Scotland for many years to come.
Key to our sustainability story is our ongoing commitment to working in harmony with the land as the seasons unfold, ensuring that every year our malting barley serves as the best starting point for some of Scotland’s finest single malt whiskies, with a proud provenance traced back to each of the family farms within our grain cooperative.
PREPARING THE LAND
As the season approaches, each of the family farms within our cooperative works hard to prepare their land, from Kinloss to Golspie. At this stage, it’s all about getting the conditions right, tilling the land, and taking care of the important details that lay the groundwork for a bountiful harvest further down the line.
SOWING THE SEEDS
A symbolic time, when from the sowing of many tiny seeds, a new batch of Scottish single malt whisky will one day be born. This is where each season really begins, and while barley varieties and many other things have changed over the years, the simplicity and importance of the sowing process remains the same.
TENDING THE CROP
A period that demands the utmost care and attention from our farmers, as each crop of malting barley is carefully tended to - ensuring that the high-quality standards required by Highland Grain are maintained and upheld.
PRE-HARVEST PREP
As we prepare for the busy and all-consuming harvest period, the Highland Grain team is in constant communication with the 75 farms within our cooperative, waiting for just the right time for the precious malting barley crop to be harvested. At that point, it’s all systems go.
BECOME A MEMBER
Our cooperative of family farms is known for its open and welcoming approach, so we are always interested in hearing from potential new member farms from across the Highland region. If you are interested in helping us uphold the reputation for excellence that we hold so dear, we would love to hear from you.
THE HARVEST
Over an intensive period that usually covers approximately six weeks, the Highland Grain team is fully prepared to receive barley delivered from each of the farms within our cooperative. This is a period of focus that involves 24-hour shifts, seven days a week, ensuring that when our farmers are ready, Highland Grain is ready — with our in-house lab rigorously testing each load for quality and consistency, ensuring that only the finest barley can be called Highland Grain.
CONDITIONING
OUR GRAIN
While the harvest itself may be complete, our work is not yet done, as our team carefully stores and dries the malting barley within our state-of-the-art facilities on The Black Isle - with the capacity to store up to 40,000 tonnes of grain that will, in the not-too-distant future, make its way into the glass.
SUPPLY & DEVELOP
As our beloved barley makes its way to our customers at the right time, the Highland Grain team and each of our 75 family farms works together to learn from each year’s harvest and from each other — swapping stories, sharing skills, and working toward a sustainable future.