🥃 Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
A blend of single malt Scotch whiskies from at least two distilleries, with no grain whisky; every component matured 3 years or more in oak.
Blended Malt Scotch Whisky is a blend of two or more single malt Scotch whiskies distilled at different distilleries. It contains no grain whisky: only malted barley, water and pot stills. Each component has been matured for at least three years in oak casks in Scotland, and the finished whisky is 40% ABV or more.
It is one of the five categories of Scotch under the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, in force since 23 November 2009. The 2019 Scotch Whisky technical file clarifies that a blend can also be made from malt distillates that are still maturing, provided all the requirements for Scotch are met afterwards. The category name is written on the front of the bottle, all words equally prominent and with no insertions.
The blender combines single malts from different distilleries that complement one another to build a more complex flavour. A region (Highland, Lowland, Speyside) or a locality (Islay, Campbeltown) may be named only if the whisky was distilled there. The words “pure malt” are banned in any combination. Such whisky may not leave Scotland in wooden casks but, unlike single malt, it may be transported in bulk in inert containers and bottled abroad.
The age on the label is always in years and always the age of the youngest whisky: if the blend contains 12-year-old and 60-year-old whiskies, only “12 years old” may be written. The year of distillation is stated only if all the whisky was distilled that year and the year of bottling, the maturation period or the age is shown alongside. Only water and plain caramel colouring E150a may be added.
Why it matters to you. “Blended Malt” does not mean a mix with grain spirit: the bottle holds only malt whiskies, but from several distilleries. What sets it apart from “Single Malt” is the number of distilleries, not the raw material. The age is counted by the youngest component. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe dose of alcohol.
Facts
| Legal basis | Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, regs 3(2), 8, 11, 12; Scotch Whisky GI |
|---|---|
| Raw material | only single malt Scotch whiskies (malted barley and water) from at least two distilleries |
| Distillation method | components in pot stills at their own distilleries, below 94.8% ABV |
| Minimum maturation | 3 years or more in oak casks of up to 700 l, in Scotland only |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | 40% ABV or more |
| EU category | 2 “Whisky/Whiskey” |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Blended Malt Scotch Whisky → kind of → 🥃 Whisky → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Packed in
- 🍷 Oak barrel, 🍷 Wine label
- Made from
- 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Barley and malt in whisky
- What it contains
- 🍷 Ethanol
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Part of
- 🥃 Whisky, 🥃 Scotch Whisky
- Related to
- 🌍 Western Europe
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Blended Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Single Grain Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Peated whisky, 🥃 Blended Irish Whiskey, 🥃 Blended Irish Whiskey, 🥃 Johnnie Walker, 🥃 Chivas Regal
- In other topics
- 🍷 Blend
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that blended malt contains grain whisky?
No. Under the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 it is a mix of single malt Scotch whiskies only, from two or more distilleries. A mix of malt and grain whiskies is Blended Scotch Whisky.
How does blended malt differ from Single Malt?
The raw material and stills are the same, but Single Malt is distilled entirely at one distillery, while blended malt combines whiskies from at least two distilleries.
May “pure malt” be written on the label?
No. The 2009 regulations forbid the phrase “pure malt” and any combination of the words “pure” and “malt”, even when separated by other text.
May blended malt be bottled outside Scotland?
Yes: it may be exported in bulk in inert containers. Only export in wooden casks is forbidden, so that the whisky does not mature outside Scotland.
What does the age on a blended malt label mean?
The age of the youngest whisky in the blend, in years only. Mentioning the age of older components on the label or in advertising is forbidden.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden barrel of oak staves in which wine matures and breathes.
- 🍷 Ethanol — The alcohol formed during fermentation that makes you drunk.
- 🌍 Western Europe — France, the Netherlands, Britain, Ireland, Belgium and Luxembourg: a mild, moist climate, pastures and hundreds of cheeses such as Roquefort, Camembert, Gouda and Cheddar.
- 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky — Scotch from a single distillery: only malted barley, water and copper pot stills; at least 3 years in oak, 40% vol. or more.
Similar
🥃 Blended Scotch Whisky · 🥃 Irish Single Malt Whiskey · 🥃 Blended Irish Whiskey · 🥃 Single Grain Scotch Whisky · 🥃 Irish Grain Whiskey · 🥃 Japanese whisky
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890), regs. 3, 7–12
- Technical File for Scotch Whisky, June 2019 (DEFRA, GI)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)