Kilkenny farmer shortlisted at annual malted barley awards

A Kilkennyman was shortlisted for an award honouring farmers for excellence in malting barley and supply chain sustainability.

Edward Delahunty, Kilmanagh, was named as a regional winner at the 2022 Irish Malting Barley Excellence Awards.

Boortmalt and Diageo, the largest producer of malted barley in the world and the largest purchaser of malted barley in Ireland respectively announced the winners at an awards ceremony in the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin.

Paul Delaney from Portlaoise took the top prize – the Guinness Perpetual Cup for Malting Barley Excellence – at today’s ceremony, which brought together the best of the over 900 growers from the main barley supply regions of Ireland and the best seed producers.

The annual awards acknowledge excellence in malting barley production as well as promoting sustainability in the supply chain. Paul Delaney received the Guinness Perpetual Cup for Malting Barley Excellence, which has been awarded to barley growers in Ireland since 1954.

Commenting on the win, Paul Delaney said: “It is a huge honour to win the Guinness Perpetual Cup. For those of us who grow and malt barley, this is the highest accolade that we can receive and it means so much to us to see our work and craft recognized in this manner.

“After the recent challenging years, this provides us with a fantastic boost and encouragement to continue our work and keep supplying the high-quality product that we are able to produce.”

Diageo uses more than 130,000 tonnes of barley each year at St  James’s Gate and 300 tonnes every day to brew Guinness.