Alfred GIRAUD French Malt Whisky in partnership with the Distillerie de Saint Palais acquired 34% of Malterie des Hautes Vosges, the only continuously operating micro-malting facility in continental Europe. Founded in 2018 by the Dupic family and located near Epinal in the Vosges, Malterie des Hautes Vosges malts exclusively for Alfred GIRAUD French Malt Whisky and one other French whisky brand.

In the last twenty years, the european malting industry has been consolidated into a few large facilities that cater predominantly to the beer industry. This consolidation challenges the whisky industry, limiting traceability and customization.

The large scale of the remaining malting facilities makes it difficult to trace your barley. There is always risk it will be mixed in with others and no certainty that the malted barley you get back at the end of the process is the barley you supplied.

In addition to control, these huge malting facilities malt up to 95% of their production to beer industry standards, not the whisky industry. This is problematic because the malted barley used for the production of beer is not ideal for whisky.

The investment in our own malting facility allows for reliable tracing, customization and quality control of the barley we use in our own malts. Beyond giving deeper meaning to our partnerships with farms all over France, it closes the circle of controlling our grain to glass malts and ultimately elevates the quality and balance of our Alfred GIRAUD French Malt Whisky expressions.