Barley is screened to remove any bits and pieces eg stones from the fields and then steeped in tanks of water for two or three days. The barley grains are spread out in a thick mat on malting floors and warmed from below by fires (peat, in Islay) begin to sprout or germinate producing heat, which accelerates the germination process. During germination the barley is imbued with the smoky flavours of the peat fires and produces an enzyme, daistase that makes the starch in the barley soluble in water in preparation for its conversion to sugar. 

To regulate the process and control the temperature and speed of germination the barley is turned by hand using wooden ploughs. Malting takes from 8 to 12 days depending on the type of barley and the temperature conditions. Today however many distilleries buy barley ready malted from maltsters.