Barley

KWS SASSY (95, 80) – KWS UK 5 / 6 / 5

(CONCERTO X PUBLICAN)

KWS SASSY is a fantastic choice for the Scottish grower.  It is early to mature and robust enough to deliver outstanding performance, even in years of extreme weather.  We like it because it has proven to return a fantastic yield of bold grain and has very good resistance to skinning.  We have been contracting this since 2017 and is has proven to be our most reliable Low Nitrogen barley.  The official 6 rating for brackling is not representative of commercial performance; in our experience it is a solid 7.  KWS Sassy is fully MBC approved for distilling.

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SY TENNYSON (101, 82) – SYNGENTA 4 / 5 / 5

(SY SPLENDOR x LG DIABLO)

Tennyson sits alongside Laureate on the recommended list in terms

of agronomic yield and has performed consistently in this aspect over the last

three seasons, showing a maturity similar to that of Laureate. Tennyson

is now fully approved for malt distilling and brewing.

exceptional quality characteristics, including leading hot water extract and predicted spirit yield figures. Industry expectations are that Tennyson will continue gaining market share over the next few seasons.

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LAUREATE (102, 88) – SYNGENTA 5 / 6 / 8

(SANETTE X CONCERTO)

Laureate continues to be one of the benchmark dual-purpose spring malting barleys in the UK, with full approval for brewing and malt distilling. A well-established variety in both the UK and Europe, Laureate has been a consistent performer across variable growing seasons, giving the grower confidence that it will perform on farm. Having a relatively stiff straw it has a high resistance to brackling & mildew, Laureate has been a mainstream variety of ours since 2016. Acceptability on intake has been consistent since it was introduced to the marketplace, however, there remains a question mark over its resistance to skinning.

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SY ARROW (103, 86) – RAGT 5 / 7 / 8

(LAUREATE X (SY SPLENDOR X SY BRONTE)

SY Arrow is a high-yielding two-row spring malting barley variety with strong potential for both brewing and malt distilling markets. Added to the AHDB Recommended List in 2025, it combines excellent yield performance with a robust agronomic package and attractive malting quality characteristics.

The variety offers good resistance to key barley diseases, including mildew, rhynchosporium and net blotch, alongside strong standing ability and resistance to brackling. Its earlier maturity compared with many established varieties makes it particularly appealing in northern growing areas where harvest timing is critical. It recently received full approval for both Brewing & Distilling from the MBC in May 2026

WINSTON – ELSOMS UK 4 / 9 / 4

(LAUREATE X ORIGIN)

Winston is a spring variety that reached the candidate status on the recommended list in 2021 and was initially progressed in Ireland as a feed variety. It has demonstrated strong, consistent yields on farm and in trials similar to that of Laureate. Winston has been highlighted for its ability to fix nitrogen and to exhibit high levels of enzyme activity, particularly alpha amylase, making it a strong candidate as a HDP variety. Scotgrain are offering HDP contracts to grow this variety as the grain distilling market continues to grow in demand.

PTARMIGAN (103,89) – SECOBRA 5 / 6 / 8

(SKYWAY X HURLER)

Ptarmigan combines strong yield performance with excellent untreated yield potential and is noted for its early maturity, making it particularly well suited to northern growing regions and situations where an early harvest is desirable. The variety has demonstrated good agronomic characteristics and a competitive disease resistance profile, helping to support reliable performance across a range of growing conditions. Early analysis through our trials programme has also highlighted its large grain size, good malting quality, high spirit yield, and strong hot water extract, making Ptarmigan an attractive option for growers in Scotland.

LG AQUARIUS – LIMAGRAIN (101, 87) 4 / 5 / 6

(LGBN14223-3 X LG FURLONG)

LG Aquarius offers excellent yield potential alongside a balanced disease resistance package, helping to deliver reliable performance across a range of growing conditions. LG Aquarius has been bred with a focus on grain quality, producing bold grain and characteristics that support malting and distilling requirements. Its robust agronomic profile, including good standing ability and crop resilience, contributes to consistent field performance and harvest security. Through our trials programme we have identified LG Aquarius as having very strong HDP & Brewing potential.

SY VESSEL – SYNGENTA UK 5 / 7 / 6 (WINTER)

(OVERTURE X SY VENTURE)

SY Vessel remains the only non-GN winter malting barley on the UK.

Market offering flexibility and risk management for the grower. It is a variety that demonstrates potential for malt distilling and distilling due to its high enzyme package it offers. SY Vessel has comparable yields to Craft with high specific weight and can achieve grain nitrogen suitable for both brewing and distilling. This is a versatile variety with a lot of end market potential.

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KWS TARDIS – KWS UK (103, 84) 6 / 6 / 5
(11-12 x KWS Orwell)

KWS Tardis, the 2-row winter feed variety that’s already become a firm farm favourite. It’s one of the UK’s highest yielding 2-row winter feed barley and thanks to its super stiff straw, it performs well on heavy land. KWS Tardis has a good disease package, boasting 6 for Rhynchosporium and 6 for net blotch and one of the best untreated yields available (85% treated controls). It’s also early to mature.

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LG CARAVELLE – LIMAGRAIN (103, 90) 7 / 6 / 6
(LGBU11-5495-B x KWS Moselle)

LG Caravelle is one of the highest yielding 2-row winter barley on the AHDB Recommended List. The variety has very high yield potential across all regions of the UK along with high untreated yield and has grown market share over the last few seasons due to its consistency. Alongside a strong disease resistance package and specific weight, LG Caravelle also demonstrates the benefit of early maturity.

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KITTY – SENOVA UK 7 / 6 / 6
(VALERIE x LNGN3601)

Kitty has quickly established itself as one of the most exciting new two-row winter feed barley varieties on the 2025/26 Recommended List. Combining strong yields with exceptional grain quality, it offers the highest specific weight of any current UK winter barley variety, making it particularly attractive to both growers and end users. Kitty has performed consistently across all regions, with particular strength in the North and on heavier soil types. Its very stiff straw, low brackling risk and strong disease resistance package provides excellent agronomic security in challenging seasons.