A consumer would have to drink in the region of three bulk tanks before they actually become effected by the carcinogens, but NGN barley is what the malting industry will require in the future.

Seamus Kearney of the Department of Agriculture, speaking at the Irish Seed Trade Association’s open day in Kildalton about how non-glysodic nitrile (NGN) malting varieties are the future for Irish malting barley growers.  Glysodic nitrilie is produced during the distilling process, he said, and these compounds are carcinogenic.

However, Kearney added the quantity of these NGNs in current malting varieties are minimal.

However, I drink three bulk tanks of whiskey before breakfast.