Single Malt vs Blended

Where it started

Until the 1830s all Scotch was malt whisky from pot stills; the Coffey still, dated 1831 by the Scotch Whisky Association⁴ and 1830 by Ireland's technical file,⁶ created grain whisky and, with it, the blend. The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 turned trade custom into five legal categories, and since then every bottle must state its category on the front.²

Where and how it's made

The definitions, straight from regulation 3. Single Malt Scotch Whisky has been distilled at a single distillery, from water and malted barley without the addition of any other cereals, in pot stills.¹ Single Grain Scotch Whisky has been distilled at a single distillery and is anything that is not a single malt or a blend, so whole grains of other cereals may join the malted barley.¹ Blended Malt Scotch Whisky is a blend of two or more single malts distilled at more than one distillery.¹ Blended Grain Scotch Whisky is a blend of two or more single grains from more than one distillery.¹ Blended Scotch Whisky is a blend of one or more single malts with one or more single grains.¹

A single malt can contain whisky from many casks and many years; "single" is about the distillery, and the SWA adds that single malt Scotch must also be bottled in Scotland.⁵ A "blended malt" has no grain whisky in it at all. A master blender may combine up to 60 different whiskies.³ A regional name may precede the category, as in "Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky," if all the whisky was distilled there.²

Ireland uses the same logic with its own vocabulary: "single" may be applied to pot still, malt or grain Irish whiskey only when all the whiskey was distilled at one distillery and belongs to one variety.⁶

How to taste it

Pour a single malt, a blended malt and a blended Scotch side by side: one distillery's character, then rounded edges, then the lighter body of grain.

Styles and what the label means

• Single malt — one distillery, malted barley, pot stills.¹ scotch-whisky →
• Single grain — one distillery, not a malt.¹
• Blended malt — several single malts, no grain.¹
• Blended Scotch — malts plus grains.¹ blended-whisky →
• Single cask — one cask; a subset of single malt, not a legal category. single-barrel →
• Single pot still Irish — Ireland's own "single" style. single-pot-still-irish →