Whiskey by Type

To best describe the types of whiskey, start with the categories “single malt” and “single grain,” from here, you then have mixes of these two categories.

A “blended malt” whiskey is a blend of malts from different distilleries. “Blended grain” whiskey is made from a blend of grain from different distilleries. “Blended Scotch” is made up of malts and grains; this is usually the cheapest, because you can get the ingredients from anywhere. It used to be so easy; Blended whisky was a mixture or 'blend' of grain and malt whiskies, whereas vatted whisky was a mixture or 'vatting' of only malt whiskies. But alas, the Scotch Whisky Association has now redefined every 'mix' to be called blended whisky so we have Blended Scotch whisky, blended grain whisky and blended malt whisky.

Malt Whisky

Malting is a process applied to cereal grains in which the grains are made to germinate and then quickly dried before the plant develops. Malt whisky from only one distillery is called single malt. Generally, it is distilled in a pot still

Single Malt Whisky

Single malt whisky is whisky from a single distillery made from a mash that uses only one particular malted grain. Unless the whisky is described as single-cask, it contains whisky from many casks, and different years, so the blender can achieve a taste recognizable as typical of the distillery. In most cases, single malts bear the name of the distillery, with an age statement and perhaps some indication of some special treatments such as maturation in a port wine cask. For example, the Glenlivet Single Malt means all the whisky in that bottle was produced by The Glenlivet Distillery.

In most cases, single malts bear the name of the distillery, with an age statement and perhaps some indication of some special treatments such as maturation in a port wine cask. For example, the Glenlivet Single Malt means all the whiskey in that bottle was produced by The Glenlivet Distillery.

Single Grain Whiskey

Single grain whiskey applies to whiskeys made from rye, corn, wheat, and unmalted barley. It is produced in a column still by a continuous process. This usually produces less flavor than malt whiskey, and therefore generally less popular, seldom bottled and hard to find. It is an important component of most Scotch Whisky. Single grain whiskey is often included with malt whiskey to produce a blended whiskey.

To the uninitiated, grain whiskeys are the filler in blends, knitting together the real flavor from the single malts and – since they’re typically cheaper to make – keeping the price down. Apart from giving real flavor and texture to blends, well-made grain whiskeys have a distinct character all their own.

Blended Whiskey

Blended whiskey is drawn from whiskeys of differing vintages and/or manufacturers, and are a blend of either single malt or straight whiskey together with grain whiskey. The malt or straight whiskey used is normally identified on the label. The best blended whiskeys contain the most malt whisky, or are entirely made from malt whiskeys.

Roughly 9 out of 10 bottles of Scotch sold around the world are blends – that is, a mix of grain and single malt whiskeys. These products are the lifeblood of the industry and the liquid expression of an art form that borders on alchemy: combining a myriad of components to create one harmonious and consistent whole.

Blended whiskey is made from a mixture of different types of whiskey. A blend may contain whiskey from many distilleries so that the blender can produce a flavor consistent with the brand. The brand name may, therefore, omit the name of a distillery. Most Scotch, Irish and Canadian whiskey is sold as part of a blend, even when the spirits are the product of one distillery.

Additional qualifiers

You may see these additional qualifiers added to the categories of whiskeys listed previously.

Straight Whiskey

Straight whiskeys must be made with a minimum of 51% of the grain that identifies that particular whiskey: rye, wheat, corn, unmalted barley. Straight whiskey must be aged a minimum of 2 years

Single Cask

Single Cask (also known as single barrel) whiskey means that not only is it the product of one distillery, but also from only one specific cask from that distillery. By their very nature single cask bottlings are limited editions (limited to the number of bottles from the one cask!) and will often have the individual cask number and number of bottles detailed on the label. They may also include the distillation and bottling dates. The taste of these whiskeys may vary substantially from cask to cask within a brand.

Cask Strength

Cask strength (also known as barrel proof) whiskeys are rare, and usually only the very best whiskeys are bottled in this way. They are bottled from the cask undiluted or only lightly diluted, thus they usually have a higher alcohol content.

Bottled in Bond

Bottled in Bond is a label for an American-made distilled beverage that has been aged and bottled according to a set of legal regulations. To be labeled as Bottled in Bond or bonded, the liquor must be produced in one distillation season (January–June or July–December) by one distiller at one distillery, aged in a federally bonded warehouse under U.S. government supervision for at least four years, and bottled at 100 (U.S.) proof (50% ABV). The bottled product's label must identify the distillery where it was distilled and, if different, where it was bottled. Only spirits produced in the U.S. may be designated as bonded.