Malting is how people turn barley’s starch into sugar, which they can turn into beer and booze. Whisky is, basically, distilled beer—and this was the process Takamine hoped to obliterate. Brewers and whisky makers use barley because it’s easy. Other grains are maltable, but wheat, for example, produces less starch-breaking enzyme. Oats have too much protein and fat. Corn needs too much heat to untangle the starches before malting, and the oils tend to turn rancid. Barley is the way to go.
Adam Rogers in Proof