LAUREATE – The Spring Malting Variety Of Choice
17 January 2024, UK: Since first joining the AHDB Recommended List back in 2016, LAUREATE has continued to go from strength to strength and is now the most popular spring barley grown across the UK and the most popular variety purchased by maltsters.
And it’s easy to see why…
- High and stable yield performance
- Excellent quality with wide market acceptance
- Ease of producing the right malting specifications
- Expanding export potential across Europe
High and stable yield performance
When it comes to yield, LAUREATE sets the standard to beat. It remains the highest yielding spring barley variety with Full MBC Approval for both Brewing and Malt Distilling on the 2025 AHDB Recommended List and has wide end user support.
Full Approval Use | UK Treated | UK Untreated | East | West | North | |
LAUREATE | Brew & Malt Distilling | 102 | 89 | 101 | 103 | 101 |
SY TENNYSON | Brew & Malt Distilling | 101 | 84 | 102 | 101 | 101 |
LG Diablo | Brew & Malt Distilling | 99 | 84 | 100 | 98 | 100 |
Skyway | Brew only | 101 | 87 | 101 | 102 | 101 |
RGT Planet | Brew Only | 96 | 83 | 96 | 95 | 96 |
Firefoxx | Malt Distilling Only | 102 | 86 | 102 | 102 | 102 |
KWS Sassy | Malt Distilling Only | 94 | 82 | 93 | 94 | 96 |
Source: AHDB Recommended List 2025
However, consistency and dependability are very much at the heart of LAUREATE’s success – both in terms of on-farm performance and end-user quality.
Again in 2024 we saw an excellent performance from LAUREATE, outperforming its 5-year treated mean in AHDB Recommended List trials, this is despite many other varieties underperforming.
An historical view of UK treated yield performance shows that this is nothing new. Since first entering AHDB Recommended List trials, LAUREATE has maintained a high level of performance despite many of the key competition declining in more recent years.
LAUREATE has also maintained a strong, consistent, untreated yield performance since first being sown in Recommended List trials. This is very much underpinned by its robust disease profile with current AHDB ratings including an 8 for mildew, 5 for brown rust, 7 for Rhynchosporium and 8 for net blotch.
Excellent quality with wide market acceptance
From an end-user perspective, LAUREATE is very much the variety of choice, with contracts widely available for 2025. Maltsters purchase more LAUREATE than any another variety across the UK, making up 52.9% of total purchases from the harvest 2023 crop. LAUREATE was the highest purchased variety in both England and Scotland demonstrating the wide acceptance and adaptability of the variety.
Scotland total tonnes | England total tonnes | As % of total purchases | |
---|---|---|---|
LAUREATE | 607,282 | 360,490 | 52.9% |
RGT Planet | 0 | 190,219 | 10.4% |
LG Diablo | 150,374 | 23,162 | 9.5% |
KWS Sassy | 121,743 | 0 | 6.7% |
Firefoxx | 17,897 | 0 | 1.0% |
Fairing | 19,569 | 2 | 1.1% |
Others | 27,925 | 49,144 | 4.2% |
Source: MAGB Malting purchases by region from 2023 harvest crop.
Ease of producing the right malting specifications
LAUREATE is purchased for both brewing and malt distilling; however, these two end markets require different % grain nitrogen:
- Malt distilling – Low nitrogen contracts below 1.65%
- UK domestic brewing contracts between approximately 1.6 and 1.75%
Local contracts will specify the % grain nitrogen required along with other criteria such as screenings and specific weight. It is important to always check the details of your contract or grain buyer to ensure you know the specifications required.
Getting the nitrogen right is key to gaining premiums for malting barley, and LAUREATE has proven year after year that it can easily produce a range of grain N for different markets by tailoring nitrogen rates and timings.
Expanding export potential across Europe
The UK was the first focus when developing LAUREATE but over recent years European interest in LAUREATE has blossomed.
In addition to full approval for brewing and malt distilling on the UK’s Malting Barley Committee (MBC) approved list, LAUREATE also has approval in two major European malting barley systems: the Danish Preferred System and the Comité Bière Malt Orge (CBMO) in France. These European approvals open-up more potential for LAUREATE, with the variety increasingly being requested by name for shipments into Europe.
Although most LAUREATE in Europe is currently used for brewing, there is growing interest in whisky production on the Continent, with France being one of the world’s biggest whisky consumers.
As demand continues to grow, it gives UK LAUREATE growers the potential of four end markets – UK malt distilling, UK brewing, feed, and potentially export to Europe. The growing export potential will be a real opportunity for growers in the South of England in particular, because of easier access to ports.
LAUREATE has consistently produced high stable yields on farm, with no signs of slowing. It has strong agronomics and an easy ability to make a range of % grain for different markets. LAUREATE continues to perform for end users and has flexible market options, including export, which makes it a highly valued and preferred variety for 2025 and beyond.
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