Cultivar · Barley cultivar
Optic
Optic is a two-row spring malting barley from a British breeding programme that became the most widely grown spring malting variety in Britain in the mid-2000s before being superseded by newer cultivars.
Record
Cultivar / variety- Variety of
- Barley
- Botanical taxon
- Hordeum vulgare
- Type
- Cultivar
- Breeding method
- Cross-breeding (pedigree selection)
- Origin
- United Kingdom
- Breeder / institution
- New Farm Crops / Nickerson barley breeding programme (later part of Syngenta)
- Registry status
- Historical · as of 2026-07-12
- Adaptation
- A spring malting barley grown in the United Kingdom and other temperate regions.
- Intended use
- Spring malting barley for brewing and distilling
Registry listing or variety protection is jurisdiction- and date-specific and does not by itself indicate current commercial availability, universal cultivation approval, patent status, or a recommendation.
Optic is a two-row spring malting barley (Hordeum vulgare) developed by a British barley breeding programme (New Farm Crops / Nickerson, later part of Syngenta). It was approved for malting through the industry assessment process and grown widely for brewing and distilling.
For a period Optic was the most widely grown spring malting barley in Britain, particularly in the mid-2000s. It has since been largely superseded by later malting varieties, and is now of chiefly historical and reference interest.
History and adoption
Optic came from a British spring-barley breeding programme and was taken up widely as a malting variety after passing the malting industry’s assessment process. In the mid-2000s it was the leading spring malting barley grown in Britain.
As newer varieties with updated agronomic and malting characteristics were introduced, Optic was gradually replaced in commercial cropping. It remains a well-documented reference point among modern British malting barleys.
Classification and use
- Species
- Hordeum vulgare
- Spike type
- Two-row
- Growth habit
- Spring
- End use
- Malting for brewing and distilling
Scope & limitations
Geographic scope: Documented United Kingdom two-row spring malting barley, widely grown in the 2000s; adaptation and performance are region- and season-specific.
Climate context: A spring malting barley grown in the United Kingdom and other temperate regions.
- Adaptation and trait notes are region- and season-specific, and performance varies by environment.
- No release year is asserted here because a reliable date was not confirmed; Optic has been largely superseded, and its current variety-list status is not verified here.
Sources
This article draws on the following authoritative sources. See our sources & methodology for how they are selected.
- [1]AHDB — Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (opens in a new tab)High
Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB)
Cited for: United Kingdom spring malting barley variety and Recommended Lists context
- Type:
- Government agency
- Jurisdiction:
- United Kingdom
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12
- High
Cited for: Classification of Hordeum vulgare
- Type:
- Reference database
- Jurisdiction:
- Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12