Our History
At the end of the 18th century, Warminster Town was classified as one of the Malting Capitals of Great Britain. There were 36 separate malthouses across the town, all drawing in prime quality barleys from Salisbury Plain to the east, and sending malt west, all the way across to Bristol and Exeter. The quality of the malt was highly acclaimed, with innkeepers along the coach roads boldly displaying a plaque on the front their hostelries, proclaiming “Warminster Malt”, a sign of top quality ale.
Built in 1855 by the Morgan Family, our traditional floor maltings was designed around the rigorous protocols of the Malt Tax (repealed in 1880)
In 1905, our then proprietor Edwin Sloper Beaven, a self taught barley breeder, bred the first genetically true barley variety in the world. He named it Plumage Archer
Beaven died in 1941, and Guinness took on an extended lease of the maltings from the Beaven family. Guinness required the exclusive production of ‘Pale Ale Malt’ for their Park Royal brewery in London.
In 1954 Beaven’s barley breeding programme was formally transferred to The Plant Breeding Institute at Cambridge (PBI). From this, and based on Plumage Archer, the PBI bred Maris Otter in 1965, a variety widely acclaimed as “The Finest Malting Barley in the World!”
Guinness relinquished their lease of the maltings in 1994, but the management chose to continue making malt, supplying other West Country brewers. This market slowly declined and disappeared.
In 2001 Robin Appel acquired the maltings, and in 2002 the introduction of “Small Brewers Relief” precipitated across the UK an explosion of microbreweries, now labelled Craft Brewers, along with a whole new demand for Warminster Malt!
William Frank Morgan
Edwin Sloper Beavan
ROBIN APPEL
Forever, Warminster has been famous for malt.
When William Morgan planned his substantial new malting complex on the (then) edge of Warminster town, he designed a remarkable structure which incorporated greater efficiency at every stage of the process. From walls built of stone (better insulation) to the 5ft ceilings on the germination floors (more stable temperatures), Morgan shunned Victorian grandeur in favour of industrial efficiency. It is not surprising that 165 years later this maltings continues to endure.
Warminster town is one of the former “malting capitals” of the British Isles, sitting on the western tip of the important Icknield Series soil type, the most perfect soil for growing premium malting barley. Top quality barleys grown across Salisbury Plain have sustained this maltings forever, and continue to do so. Now owned, and managed day to day by the pre-eminent Hampshire based barley merchant, Robin Appel, access to barley supplies has taken on a whole new dimension. It has widened the procurement window to ensure, every year, preferential access to the best of the best premium quality barleys, at the most competitive prices!