Single malt whisky is better than blended whisky. Right?

Well, actually that’s not quite true, as with most things in life, it depends.

A multitude of questions and possibilities are in front of us. Which single malt? Which blend? For sipping…for a cocktail…or attempting to match the characters of an episode of Mad Men drink for drink?!

Lets start with two basic questions.

What is single malt whisky?

A whisky that is made from 100% malted barley which has been distilled at a single distillery, using a pot still and then aged in oak barrels (virgin oak, ex-bourbon, ex-Bordeaux, ex-amontillado sherry, etc) for a minimum of three years. This is largely true the world over, with certain differences, for example Irish single malt doesn’t solely have to be aged in oak. A single malt is a distillery wanting to reflect the unique characteristics of their location and methods of production, such as fermentation process, methods and length of maturation, use of peat, the shape of the pot still and the list goes on. It’s all about trying to tell the story of the distillery, its surroundings, history and the people that make it, all of which coalesce to reflect an undeniable romanticism when imbibing a dram.

What is a blended whisky?

Simply put, it’s a mixture of different types of whisky, in the case of Scotch, typically of malt and grain whiskies. Grain whiskies, in contrast to malt whiskies, can be made from a mixture of grains, such as barley, corn, wheat and rye, which all present different flavour characteristics, it is also distilled using a column still which produces a lighter, cleaner and less complex spirit. In very general terms, a malt whisky (see above) tends to be rich and full-bodied, with a wide array of flavour, fruits and spices, and many in between. In contrast, a grain whisky tends to reflect the flavour of the grain it was made from, corn being sweet and creamy, or rye being rich and spicy, obviously the type of barrel, and typically has somewhat less complexity than a malt whisky. But this doesn’t detract from it still being a spirit of great complexity and nuance, just think about how the myriad of aromas and taste that is found in American rye whiskey.

The Dark Art  

To bring it all home, it is the skill of blending these two methods of distillation and the wealth of experiences they offer the drinker, where the beauty of blended whisky truly shows itself. One of the most popular whiskies in the world, Johnnie Walker Black Label, is a blend of 30 different malt and grain whiskies, with some of the most famous distilleries in Scotland contributing to it. In the case of Black Label, its signature smoky back-note comes from the use of peated whisky from Caol Ila Distillery on Islay. It is in the alchemy of blending where something truly amazing happens: the malted element is elevated by the flavour of the grain whiskies, each working to enhance one another and become something greater than the some of its parts.

Whilst blended whisky accounts for 94% of global Scotch whisky sales, leaving only a small portion of overall consumption being single malts, many would still claim that single malt is the zenith of Scotch whisky. I’m not going to dispute this, however it must be taken into account that the existence of the 140 or so odd malt distilleries in Scotland is not solely down to each one’s individual success. Indeed, it could argued that they exist to provide the multitude of flavours we find in blended scotch, and without the blends we wouldn’t have the single malts. So we should be thankful for the continued international popularity of blended whisky, as it allows us in the UK to continue our love affair with single malt whiskies and also to rediscover our heritage of blended whisky, as the rest of the world can’t be wrong about how good it is!

Some of our current offerings

Mossburn Speyside Blended Malt (£46.95) – A rich blended malt crafted by the wonderful folks at Mossburn Distillers, a wonderfully crafted dram of specifically selected single malts from the Speyside region. The overall concept of Mossburns offerings is to marry a blend of whiskies in their own custom casks effectively doing a “second maturation”. The second maturation cask was a first-fill Oloroso Sherry Butt outfitted with heads (barrel top/bottom) of heavily charred American oak. All of the sourced whiskies spent their first maturation in ex-American Bourbon barrels. This is a rather unique technique and gives the whisky a wonderful balance, adding extra layers of American-oak vanilla and spice to the sherry-cask fruit, alongside touches of ripe pineapple, honey and finishing with a clean delicate sweet, citric note.

Caisteal Chamuis Blended Malt (£44.95) – A classic ‘island style’ blend of single malts from 3 separate distilleries, two of which are undisclosed (see if you can work it out), and the third being the fantastic Torabhaig Distillery on Skye. This whisky offers a fantastic introduction to the sometimes challenging world of peated whiskies, each single malt was first aged in refill and first-fill American Oak hogsheads, the individual malts were then blended before finishing in small 200L freshly emptied Bourbon Barrels. This second maturation and allows the flavours of the malts to blend together and achieve the balance that the blender is looking for. Whilst being a smoky dram, the peat is balanced by a creamy texture and wafts of salty sea breeze, teacake, caramelised nuts, leading to a finish of burnt banana fritters and a softly lingering smoky note.

Carn Mor Aultmore 10 Year Old Single Malt (£68.00)

The Càrn Mòr is a range of rare and unique independent bottlings. They offer small, limited bottlings from a multitude of distilleries, each expresses the unique differences of each batch rather than trying to aim for consistency and is bottled in a way that many of the distilleries cannot due to restrictions. One could say that  “the Càrn Mòr range will be as close to drinking from the cask as possible.”

Here we have a fantastic and strictly limited release (1098 bottles) of Aultmore, a distillery often described as “Speyside’s best-kept-secret” is not to be missed. The distillery has become a favourite among blenders due to its reputation for producing a “pure, clean spirit”, they are also well-regarded for their commitment to being as environmentally friendly as possible.

This bottling has spent most of its life in American Oak casks, before being finished in Ruby Port casks, for a wonderfully Christmassy dram. A nose of summer berry fruits and strawberry cheesecake, this continues to the palate, which has a delicate weight and is nicely rounded in the mouth. A little raspberry comes in towards the finish alongside a little sweet malt, and continues for quite some time, with a little oaky spice lingering on the tongue.

Torabhaig Allt Gleann Single Malt (£56.95)

The first distillery built on Skye in over 190 years, and also only the second ‘legal’ distillery to operate on the island. This is their second bottling in their Legacy series, which will continue until 2028, when they will release their first 10 Year old Single malt. This single malt is a combination of batches distilled in 2017 and 2018.

The nose offers wafts of dry tobacco, sweet earthy peat and a touch of minty vanilla, though there is also a touch of maritime character finding its way in too. The palate is oily, coating the entirety of the mouth with an ashy, sooty woodsmoke, there are salted peanuts, and a delicate fruit salad note, leading to a little floral heather and touch of white pepper spice. The finish has an obvious sweetness of apple and kiwi, before the peat comes fighting back, and so to does the salinity, but more pronounced this time, being almost briny. Given this is only the distilleries second release, we are very excited about what’s to come.

Written by Christy Davidson-Stearn