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Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
Blended malts are essentially blended Scotch whiskies without the grain element. They combine single malt whiskies from two or more distilleries and, as such, their flavours are as rich and varied as the entire distillery map of Scotland, from honeyed fruitiness to full-on peat smoke.
Spirit of innovation
This is a category where distillers are happy to give their imaginations free rein, mingling the diverse characters of individual distilleries to create new layers of interest and complexity. This free thinking extends to the names of the whiskies themselves: Big Peat, Monkey Shoulder, Sheep Dip, to name but three.
The legal bit
The name ‘blended malt’ is a relatively recent innovation. Until 2009, these whiskies were usually called ‘vatted’ or ‘pure’ malts, but that all changed with the Cardhu affair, which began in 2003.
Such was the success of Cardhu single malt in Spain that owner Diageo found demand outstripping supply – and came up with the idea of making Cardhu a ‘pure’ or blended malt, combining it with whisky from other Speyside distilleries and renaming the Cardhu distillery Cardow.
Cue a tidal wave of protests from rival companies and whisky enthusiasts, a climbdown from Diageo (Cardow swiftly became Cardhu again) and – eventually – the renaming of the category as ‘blended malt’ to clarify matters.
But, to this day, many still dislike the new name, and one whisky – The Last Vatted Malt from Compass Box – marks the change in the law with some regret.
A flavour kaleidoscope
Whatever the terminology, blended malts remain a hotbed of innovation in the relatively conservative world of Scotch whisky. Indeed, previous incarnations of The Spice Tree from Compass Box – a rich mix of Highland malts centred on Clynelish – have fallen foul of the Scotch Whisky Association, which ruled its innovative oak maturation technique illegal. Luckily, the method has been tweaked and the whisky is back and better than ever.
Elsewhere, there is a rainbow palette of flavours, from Monkey Shoulder, a smooth-as-silk combination of Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Kininvie, to Douglas Laing’s uncompromisingly smoky Big Peat – an Islay masterclass mingling Ardbeg with Caol Ila, Bowmore and the much-missed Port Ellen.
Did you know?
- These whiskies are big business in Taiwan, which remains by far the world’s biggest blended malt market
- There’s no limit to the number of single malts you can use in a blended malt: while Monkey Shoulder combines only three, Wemyss The Hive is made up of no fewer than 16, many of them from Speyside
- You might think you’re firmly rooted in Islay when tasting Peat Monster from Compass Box – but peated Speysider Ardmore is a crucial part of the mix
Typical Character and Style of Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
Malt
Leather
Toffee
Dried Fruit
Vanilla
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Monkey Shoulder
£29.95
(£42.79 per litre)
Blended Malt SRV58 Year Old Thompson Bros
£31.75
(£45.36 per litre)
Shackleton Blended Malt
£38.25
(£54.64 per litre)
Campbeltown Loch Blended Malt
£39.95
(£57.07 per litre)
Johnnie Walker Green Label 15 Year Old
£48.25
(£68.93 per litre)
Dalrymple Blended Malt 201113 Year Old Thompson Bros
£69.95
(£99.93 per litre)
Dad's Dram Blended MaltThe Whisky Exchange
£59.95
(£85.64 per litre)
Naked Malt Blended Malt
£26.50
(£37.86 per litre)
The Whisky Exchange 37 Year Old Blended MaltGastronomy Selection
£199
(£284.29 per litre)
Compass Box Orchard House
£46.75
(£66.79 per litre)
Elements of Islay Cask Edit
£46.25
(£66.07 per litre)
Monkey Shoulder Smokey Monkey
£34.75
(£49.64 per litre)
Old Perth Cask StrengthSherry Casks
£49.50
(£70.71 per litre)
Personalised Blended Malt 37 Year Old
£199
(£284.29 per litre)
Famous Grouse 199212 Year Old Bot. 2004
£120
(£171.43 per litre)
Old Perth Solera
£62.95
(£89.93 per litre)
Campbeltown 2017 Blended Malt7 Year Old Watt Whisky
£66.50
(£95 per litre)
Compass Box Crimson Casks
£67.75
(£96.79 per litre)
Copper Dog
£34.50
(£49.29 per litre)
Compass Box The Peat Monster
£52.50
(£75 per litre)
Old Perth Manzanilla Cask Matured
£58.25
(£83.21 per litre)
Big Peat The Thropaigeach EditionRum Cask Finish Feis Ile 2024
£59.95
(£85.64 per litre)
Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old Islay Origin
£50.25
(£71.79 per litre)
Caisteal Chamuis 12 Year Old Blended Malt
£55.95
(£79.93 per litre)