The Spirit World

For many, “Whisky” immediately brings to mind Scotch Whisky, and its often robust, smoky, peaty flavor. Like all other whiskies, Scotch is made from grains which have been fermented, and then distilled. But what sets Scotch apart from the others is that the heat it uses to halt the pre-fermentation germination process comes from peat fires, and that the smoke from these peat fires is allowed to touch the drying grains themselves. This imparts a unique smoky character to the Scotch that other whiskies get only when they intentionally imitate the Scotch process.

As we discussed in our examination of Irish Whiskey, you can easily get into a debate as to which came first, Irish Whiskey or Scotch Whisky. While most printed materials lean toward Ireland as the birthplace of Whiskey, there are others who claim that any references to Irish Whiskey pre-dating Scotch Whisky are mere hearsay, and that no documented proof has yet been uncovered to support these claims. When reviewing these arguments it is important to remember the pub culture of the UK, and that having discussions over a difference of opinions is an important fixture.

While a vast majority of the once prolific distilleries of Ireland have merged or dissolved, resulting in a landscape of large distilleries of a limited number, Scotland still supports what appears to be a thriving collection of distilleries of various sizes. If you ever get a chance to tour some of the distilleries of Scotland, you may often find yourself at a distillery that you’ve never heard of before. There are a variety of distilleries across Scotland that don’t sell their products under their own label, instead they supply their whiskey to larger companies, which in turn combine the whiskies from these various sources together in order to form a whisky that is both consistent in flavor, and often lighter than a traditional “Single Malt” Scotch. These whiskies are commonly known as either “Blended” whiskies.

Today, the most popular, or perhaps it would be more appropriate to say the most talked about, of Scotch whiskies is “Single Malt”. While I think blended Scotch still outsells Single Malt, the difference is a lot less than it once was. Used to be that when you thought of Scotch Whisky you were almost certainly thinking of the “Blended” variety. It was the preferred version in America, since it was smoother and more consistent in flavor than its rough and rustic cousin, the Single Malt. Eventually the often enigmatic characteristics embodied in the Single Malts started to be seen as a enhancement instead of a detriment. Just as wine drinkers will need to train their palates with the lighter and more simplistic wines, only to eventually crave the more complex wines which they once eschewed, many Scotch drinkers will gradually gravitate toward the robust complexities of Single Malt. So perhaps now is a good time to try to explain exactly what “Single Malt” is, and how it differs from “Blended Malt” or “Blended” Scotch whisky.

Many mistakenly believe that “Single Malt” refers to a whiskey which is made from a single type of grain, or perhaps from a single vintage, or perhaps… The problem is that they are taking “Single Malt” as one designation, when in fact it is two. It might be better to use “Single / Malt” to help make the meaning a little more clear. “Single” means that the whiskey is a product of a single distillery, and “Malt” means that it is a product of malted barley. If other grains besides barley are used, it can’t have “malt” in its name. If the whiskies from more than one distillery are combined together, it can’t have “Single” in its name. A “Blended” whisky is one, which as the name implies, is a blend of whiskies from different distilleries. The big names in blended whisky are folks like Johnny Walker, Dewars, Famous Grouse, Chivas Regal, Cutty Sark, and various others. None of whom actually have their own distillery, instead relying on a network of local distillers to provide them with the whiskies they blend together.
While “malt” whiskies (i.e. just using malted barley) are traditionally made using a pot still, “grain” whiskies (i.e. made from grains other than barley) are usually made using industrial column stills, and often distilled to a much higher level (which removes more of the grain “characteristics” of the resultant alcohol). Blended whiskies are usually a combination of several different single malt whiskies, to which is also added some grain whiskey. The result is a whiskey with some of the characteristic smoky flavor of Scotch, but it is tempered and softened by the mellower grain whiskey. There are some Scotch producers who are making blended whiskies that are made only from blending “Single Malt” whiskies, without any additional grain whiskey (Johnny Walker “Green Label” is probably the best known). Depending on the manufacturer, these might be called “Pure Malt” or “Vatted Malt”. The Scotch Whiskey Association is standardizing the terminology for this type of whisky to be referred to as “Blended Malt” in an attempt to avoid confusion. So the different types of Scotch Whisky available could be ordered as follows:

• Single Malt Scotch Whisky – From a single distillery, using only malted barley.
• Blended Malt Scotch Whisky – From multiple distilleries, using only malted barley.
• Blended Scotch Whisky – From multiple distilleries, using malted barley and other grain whiskies.
• Blended Grain Scotch Whisky – From multiple distilleries, using grain whiskies.

Hopefully this clarifies things a little bit for you, if not, perhaps you need to pour yourself a wee little dram.