Types of Scotch Whisky

A new arrival to the world of whisky may be somewhat confused as to what some of the terminology means. Well, if that's you, we've written this article especially for you. If not, don't worry, it's always good to do a little bit of revision here and there, plus you can always read through to make sure we've got it all right!! (We've done our research, but are always open to feedback and comments - suggestions@singlemalts.co.uk

Scotch Whisky

Scotland is the home of whisky, and most whiskies are still produced there. The production of whisky is taken very seriously in the UK, and not only are there the normal laws associated with manufacturing drinks for public consumption, there are also specific pieces of legislation governing Scotch Whisky and what can be labelled as such. The term Scotch Whisky is now reserved solely for those whiskies produced in Scotland. The following definitions come from the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009.

Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Single Malt Scotch Whisky (apart from being the thing that this site is mostly about), are so called due to being produced at a single distillery. The Regulations also state that it must be produced from only water and malted barley in pot stills. This does not mean that the whisky has to come from a single barrel. In fact, the distillery will blend the results from multiple barrels in order to achieve a consistent product for each bottling - otherwise things would end up rather hit and miss - not something you want when you have to wait so long for the product in the first place!

Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

This simply refers to any whisky that is a result of the blending of two or more Single Malt Scotch Whiskies from different distilleries.

Single Grain Scotch Whisky

This refers to a whisky that like a Single Malt Scotch Whisky is produced from water and malted barley, but can "also be produced from whole grains of other malted or unmalted cereals". In order to avoid an overlap of some of the categories, this definition excludes any whiskies that would be able to qualify as a Single Malt Scotch Whisky or a Blended Scotch Whisky in their own right.

Blended Grain Scotch Whisky

As for a Blended Whisky, this refers to any whisky that is a result of the blending of two or more Single Grain Scotch Whiskies from different distilleries.

Blended Scotch Whisky

This is a combination of one or more Single Malt Scotch Whiskies with one or more Single Grain Scotch Whiskies.

Other terms

Other terms to describe types of whiskies have been used in the past (for example, Pure Malts). These are now banned under the new regulations.