Blended Whisky
Three types of blended whisky are officially produced in Scotland at the present time. All require to have been matured in Scotland in oak barrels for at least three years. Where an age is stated this is the age of the youngest whisky in the blend, although the other components can be from three to infinity.

Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

Consists of single malt whiskies distilled at two or more different Scottish distilleries. The aim of such mixing is to enable the particularly attractive characteristics of individual malts to be combined in order to produce a whisky which is more complex, rounded and appealing than would be the case if the individual components were bottled separately. Once mixed together the whisky is usually allowed to mature in a huge container or vat for a few weeks or months to enable the flavours to marry. The end product should be greater than the sum of its parts, or, team work, or our Scottish blenders are devilish clever.

Blended Scotch Whisky

A blend of at least two Scottish single malt whiskies with one or more Scottish single grain whisky. Practically, this is blended malt added to grain whisky. The inclusion of grain whisky provides a diluting effect on the relatively harsher malt whisky and produces a smoother, milder whisky which appeals to trillions of people all around the globe. The inclusion of grain whisky provides a diluting effect on the relatively expensive malt whisky and produces a whisky which appeals to trillions of people..... Successfully satisfying all of the people all of the time, maximising the market place - our blenders are a modest bunch.

With the capacity and resources to mix and blend a wide range of whiskies Scotland’s whisky blenders are able to standardise the colour, strength and taste across their brands and blends thereby generating repeatability and consistency over time which enables their customers to repeatedly purchase specific blends, confident in the quality their purchases. Some blended whiskies comprise a selection of very old and very rare single malts with just a tinsy spoonful of grain whisky, sumptuous. However, at the other end of the spectrum they comprise an underwhelming spoonful of malt whisky and overwhelming volume of grain whisky. In some sectors of our market place, where single malts have not (yet) danced upon the palate nor fired imaginations to constellations, your choice of blends conveys your social status, your progress on the path to celebrity status. The power of the box and the bottle. You pays your money and makes your choices.

Blended Grain Scotch Whisky

A blend of single grain Scottish whisky contains whiskies form at least two grain distilleries. Grain distilleries produce huge volumes of spirit which is also much cheaper to manufacture than malt spirit. Consequently, grain whisky is more plentiful and much cheaper than malt whisky. However, as with malt whisky, grain whisky which has been allowed to mature in good casks for a goodly number of years many be quite expensive and will certainly reveal a fine dram. Indeed there are a few very fine and very old blended grain whiskies to be found.


Most blended whiskies do not list an age. When a blended whisky does so, each individual malt and grain whisky must be at least as old as the age listed. Two of the most widely known examples of blended whisky are Johnnie Walker and Seagram's Seven Crown, but there are many others such as Jameson, Pigs Nose, Old St Andrews and Isle of Skye.

Grain whisky and other 'fillers' are usually much cheaper to produce than single malts, so blends containing them are usually much cheaper to buy. Most cocktails and mixed drinks that call for whisky use blended whisky. This is primarily for cost reasons, and secondarily because the complex flavours of single malt whiskies would be overshadowed by the mixer(s). Scotch purists generally consider blended whisky to be an inferior drink to the single malt Scotch varieties. Others might argue that blending allows for the creation of smoother or more desirable flavours, and many experts agree that top-quality blends can rival certain single-malts in overall flavour and drinking enjoyment.