The choice of raw material for distilled alcoholic drinks differs around the world, but whether it is maize (corn), potatoes, wheat or rice, starch is the basic substrate. Starch has to be broken down by enzymes into fermentable sugars that yeast can transform into alcohol.
In most countries, malt has been totally displaced from distilling operations by industrial enzymes.
The advantages of using enzymes instead of malt are straightforward: it is more cost-efficient. A few litres of enzyme preparation can replace 100 kg of malt, making enzymes much easier to handle and store. Enzymes are supplied with a uniform, standardised activity, so distilling is more predictable and there is a better chance of obtaining high yields from every fermentation.
Unlike industrial enzymes, the quality of malt can vary from year to year and batch to batch. Finally, industrial enzymes perform better than some of the corresponding enzymes found naturally in malt due to their specificity and heat stability.
Given these advantages, it is hardly surprising that commercial enzymes have replaced malt in all but the most conservative parts of the distilling industry.
A similar change is slowly taking place in the brewing industry, where malt has a more central role. After all, malt has been described as "the soul of the beer". Enzymes are used to replace a portion of the malt. By using enzymes, it is possible to change the mix of raw materials from 70% malt and 30% adjuncts (e.g. corn grits or rice) to 50% malt, 20% unmalted barley and 30% adjuncts, giving considerable economic savings.
In the near future, brewing enzymes could make it possible to replace even higher proportions of malt while still producing a high-quality premium beer.