So like, there's malt whisky. And barley gets malt... ed. Malting: what is this mysterious process, that apparently also results in Ovaltine?
Malting is not just for whisky. It's a process that basically tricks grains (which are seeds, humans -- did you know it? You did?) into changing their chemical composition to be more delicious.
Step one in the malting process is putting your grain in water.
This is a cruel trick to make the grain think it's time to make a new plant. Super excited about this idea, the grain starts to sprout, and releases enzymes (chemicals that jump start reactions) that begin converting its starches into sugars.
Step 2 is to heat the grain to dry it back out.
This stops the sprouting process, but the enzymes keep going, making more sugars.
Sugar is what yeast eats in the production of whisky. The yeast then... excretes alcohol. Yum!
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