Guest Post: Blended Scotch Whisky Defined

Keith Wood is a Scotch whisky expert who runs the aptly-named site Whisky Emporium.  As we’re more whiskey with an “e” experts around here (you know, the stuff from Kentucky, not the Isle of Islay), Keith pinch hits from time to time when it comes to questions of Scotch.  In this case, Keith schools us in the definition of “blended” as it relates to Scotch.  Turns out it’s quite different than what “blended” means to whiskey. Take it away Keith!

Don asked me a jolly good question recently:

I know that most scotch is blended. For American whiskey, blending is a bad thing. It adds grain neutral spirits (Vodka) and essentially waters down the flavor without losing the alcohol content like adding water would. This is a nasty practice and makes absolutely awful whiskey. I’m thinking that scotch blends are different and a usual part of the process for making scotch whisky. Can you enlighten me?

If you mean volume sold, you are quite correct that most Scotch is blended. Household names like Johnnie Walker, Bells, Famous Grouse, White Horse, Ballantine’s, Whyte & MacKay and many others are blended whisky.  The idea behind blended whisky was to retain an identifiable product and one which, during the early 1900′s, was perceived as more gentle or even more sophisticated than single malts.

For example, Johnnie Walker wanted consistency in his products, so that if you bought a bottle of red label one day, then again in a few months or even years time, it should still taste the same.

So, what’s in a blended whisky?  Well, each supplier or label has their own secret recipe, a bit like Coke or KFC.  Basically it is a mix of various single malt whiskies and at least one grain whisky (which means grains other than malted barley may be used).

Lots of this grain whisky is produced, and it is usually very smooth and delicate, especially if you get one over 20 years old. Well over 90% of the grain whisky made goes solely into various blended whiskies. Its purpose in a blend is to smooth out the end product and add a little roundness to the single malts which can be a little rougher.

In my original article I named various Scotch whiskies for noobs and these are all ‘Single Malts,’ which means each is made from malted barley (allowed to begin germination) and everything in the bottle originates from only the distillery named on the label. This means that something called “The Glenlivet” was distilled only at The Glenlivet distillery, Ardbeg only at Ardbeg distillery, etc.

Once upon a time there was another type of whisky called ‘Vatted’ whisky. This is also a mixture, but one of various single malts, from different distilleries, but without any grain whisky in there. Unfortunately, along with another term ‘Pure Malt’ which you may have seen on various Cardhu bottles of the past, this was considered confusing.

So in November of last year, the UK Government along with the Scotch Whisky Association redefined Scotch labeling to only allow the following 5 categories:

1. Single Malt – as explained above.
2. Blended Scotch – As explained above – Single malts & Grain.
3. Single Grain whisky – Grain whisky from only one distillery.
4. Blended Malt whisky – what we used to call ‘Vatted’ – a mix of only single malts.
5. Blended Grain whisky – a mixture of various grain whiskies from different distilleries.

When you see a bottle of Ardbeg, or The Glenlivet, or Macallan, etc. on a store shelf you will notice that the label states ‘Single Malt’. Looking at a bottle of Ardbeg 10y as an example, this means it is filled with whisky only from Ardbeg distillery, and the youngest whiskey in the bottle is at least 10 years old.  Is this also why you think all Scotch is blended – because Ardbeg 10y contains various different Ardbegs? Well, although it is a mixture, all from Ardbeg, it is still a Single Malt not a blend! Also, as I said it may contain various ages . 10y, 11y, even 20y … but even if it only has one drop of 10y it must be called 10y.

There is one more thing worth mentioning and that is the concept of ‘Single Cask.’  If you see a bottle of Ardbeg (or any other single malt) where the label states ‘Single Cask,’ this means that all the whisky in that bottle is not only from Ardbeg, but from just one cask of Ardbeg. The label will also state the cask number, along with the date distilled and the date bottled.

Which brings me to one very last point, when you see an age declaration on a bottle, like 10y, this means full years. So if a whisky is distilled and poured into a cask on 5th June 2000, but bottled on 4th June 2010 it is only 9y, even though only one day short of 10y.

I hope this helps clear up the meaning of blended Scotch.

Slànite Mhath
Keith  Wood
Whisky Emporium
http://www.Whisky-Emporium.com