The mashtun at Springbank Distillery dates back around 100 years. It is an open topped cast iron rake and plough mash tun, a style that is not so common place in distilleries nowadays since the introduction of more economical 'lauter' mash tuns in the 1970's. The purpose of 'mashing' is to extract fermentable sugars from the malt that will later be converted to alcohol with the addition of yeast in a wash back. THE PROCESS Malt grist is released from a storage bin above the mash tun. Just before