What is the difference between blended and malt whisky

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These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Balvenie recently replaced their Year single barrel American oak bourbon cask with a single barrel Sherry cask. But single barrel generally is more common in Bourbon, and usually far less expensive.

Confusing, yes. And we know that single malt whiskies are always the product of one distillery. And we know that we could probably use a tumbler of either one right about now…. There are lesser-known categories between these two pillars, too. One of them is blended malt. Blended malts, as you might expect, are blended whiskies that only use malts as components.

That means no grain whisky, and the malt whisky comes from one or more distilleries. Another outlier that deserves some praise is the single grain whisky, which obeys all the same rules as a single malt, but exchanges malted barley for another grain. The reality is that all of these categories are most valuable to consumers when consumers use them as guideposts for exploration.

Here are a couple well-known blends and single malts that are used to create them:. For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube! More Videos. Blended Scotch Whisky and Single Malt Scotch Whisky is commonly bottled at ages from 10 to 21 years, but there are also younger and much older ages.

Most casks have previously held American bourbon, but also sherry casks from Spain are common. To a lesser extent other cask types like port, madeira, rum or wine are used as well.

Most whisky casks are re-used several times by distilleries. Maturation takes place in warehouses. The traditional dunnage warehouses have stone walls and an earth floor which is believed to create perfect conditions for maturation. But there are also modern racked warehouses with concrete floor and steel walls where casks can be handled by forklifts.

During maturation, the clear new spirit extracts flavouring and colouring substances from the cask that are both from the wood and the remains of the previous cask filling. Because the casks are not totally airtight some of the spirit evaporates during maturation. Here you have a bottle of whisky from a now-silent distillery, which means there is not only no production there any more, but the whole site has now been torn down so no more Port Dundas whisky will ever be produced.

Excellent narration. Perfectly explained the differences in detail. Have a much better understanding of what I am buying and drinking. Privacy policy. Have an account? Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube.

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