
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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Blended Malt SRV58 Year Old Thompson Bros
£32.50
(£46.43 per litre)
Monkey Shoulder
£29.25
(£41.79 per litre)
Campbeltown Loch Blended Malt
£40.75
(£58.21 per litre)
Compass Box Secrets of Smoke
£122
(£174.29 per litre)
Johnnie Walker Green Label 15 Year Old
£46.75
(£66.79 per litre)
Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old Highland Origin42% 70cl
£50.25
(£71.79 per litre)
Compass Box Orchard House
£47.95
(£68.50 per litre)
Naked Malt Blended Malt
£26.95
(£38.50 per litre)
Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old Islay Origin
£50.25
(£71.79 per litre)
Compass Box Nectarosity
£53.50
(£76.43 per litre)
Copper Dog
£34.95
(£49.93 per litre)
Old School MaltOver 31 Year Old Signatory
£286
(£408.57 per litre)
Mossburn 12 Year Old Speyside Blended MaltDupont Calvados Finish
£70.95
(£101.36 per litre)
Poit Dhubh 21 Year Old
£91.95
(£131.36 per litre)
Old Perth OriginalSherry Casks
£39.25
(£56.07 per litre)
Compass Box Crimson Casks
£69.25
(£98.93 per litre)
Scallywag Speyside Blended Malt
£38.75
(£55.36 per litre)
Scallywag 10 Year OldSherry Cask Douglas Laing
£44.25
(£63.21 per litre)
Dad's Dram Blended MaltThe Whisky Exchange
£59.95
(£85.64 per litre)
Scallywag Chocolate EditionBot.2023
£56.25
(£80.36 per litre)
Blended Malt 197150 Year Old 50th Anniversary
£1,251
(£1,787.14 per litre)
Famous Grouse 199212 Year Old Bot.2004
£120
(£171.43 per litre)
Compass Box Flaming Heart2018 Edition
£123
(£175.71 per litre)
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£6.50Caisteal Chamuis Blended Malt
£37.45
(£53.50 per litre)