Malting is a process applied to cereal grains, in which the grains are made to germinate and then are quickly dried before the plant develops.

The term malt refers to several products of the process:
The grains to which this process has been applied, for example malted barley;
The sugar derived from such grains which is heavy in maltose, such as baker's malt,
A product, based on malted milk, similar to a malted milkshake (i.e., "malts").
whisky or beer can also be called malt as in Alfred Edward Housman's aphorism "malt does more than Milton can, to justify God's ways to Man."

Malted grain is used to make beer, whisky, and malt vinegar. Malting grains develops the enzymes that are required to modify the grain's starches into sugars, principally maltose. Barley is the most commonly malted grain because of its high diastatic power or enzyme content. Other grains may be malted, although the resulting malt may not have sufficient enzymatic content to convert its own starch content fully and efficiently.

Maltings

A malting, sometimes called maltings, malthouse, or malting floor, is a building that houses the process of converting barley into malt, for use in the brewing or distilling process. A typical maltings is a long, single-story building with a floor that slopes slightly from one end of the building to the other. There are a number of maltings buildings still in existence, and a handful are still operational.