Triticale may be little used and little known, but it has history and a lot to offer both farmers and distillers. However, this hybrid of wheat and rye has been slow to gain ground as a workhorse in the stillhouse.
The grain has its origins in Scotland in the late 1800s, but systematic breeding only got off the ground in the 1960s. For farmers, triticale offers some great benefits.
Curtis Hennings, who has been growing triticale in Washington state for about 40 years, says it tends to offer high yield—about 10 percent more per acre than wheat. And, when it comes to drought tolerance, “it is every bit as tough or tougher than wheat,” he says.
In recent years, this grain has also been gaining traction among distillers.