Improving the flavor of barley used to make whiskey and finding new varieties for farmers to grow are some of the goals of a new fellowship that will begin next summer at Washington State University’s Bread Lab west of Burlington.
Bread Lab Director Stephen Jones said Seattle’s Westland Distillery, which makes single-malt whiskey, will fund a full-time Ph.D student at the Bread Lab for four years.
The student will focus on developing unique flavors of barley that can be grown by Skagit Valley farmers, Jones said.
“This is one the of the best places in the world to grow barley,” he said. “Barley likes it cool and wet. And you get flavors you wouldn’t get elsewhere.”
For years, Skagit Valley farmers have planted barley in their fields to improve soil health. In recent years they have grown it for profit, too, because of increasing demand from distilleries and other processors.
