
Single MaltScotch Whisky
Malt whisky is the ‘original’ whisky of Scotland. Although other grains were used, barley was grown specifically for making beer and whisky. However, with the success of blended whisky in the late 19th century, little was drunk as single malt outside the Highlands until the 1980s, when ‘the vintages of the North’ were rediscovered by an enthusiastic public and began to be made available by distillery owners.
Single malt whisky must be made with 100% barley
Currently there are around 90 operating malt whisky distilleries in Scotland – it is difficult to be precise, since sometimes distilleries go out of production for periods, in order to balance stock levels. Single malts from a further 30-odd now closed distilleries may still be found.
Although made from very simple materials – malted barley, water and yeast – the make of each distillery has an individual character, owing to a variety of factors, such as the length of fermentation time, the style and size of the stills, and how they are operated, the type of condensers used and amount of spirit saved (called ‘the cut’).
By law, Scotch (both malt and grain whiskies) must be matured in oak casks in Scotland, and the casks themselves can make a huge contribution to the flavour of the finished product, according to a) how long the whisky has been left to mature, b) how often the individual cask has been used to mature Scotch and c) whether the cask is made from European oak or American oak. This makes it difficult to identify the mature products of individual distilleries.
Since at least the 1880s, blenders have identified different styles of whisky coming from different parts of Scotland. The original division, dating from the 1780s, was between ‘Lowland’ whisky and ‘Highland’ whisky. Then the whiskies made in Campbeltown and Islay were discerned to be different, and the whiskies of Speyside were added to the list.
With the dramatic growth of interest in single malt whiskies since the 1980s, the ‘Highland’ region has been sub-divided into Northern, Western, Eastern, Southern and Islands.
In truth, regional differences in the style and flavour of malt whiskies has more to do with tradition (how a malt is made in one place or another) than terroir, and although it is not possible to make a malt with identical character to another in a different distillery, it is possible to imitate a regional style out-with the region in question.
Did you know?
- more than one billion bottles of Scotch are exported every year, with France the biggest market
- the first reference to Scotch whisky was in 1495
- the first single malt to be marketed outside Scotland was by Glenfiddich in 1963
Typical Character and Style of Single Malt
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Malt
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Vanilla
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Oak
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Nutmeg
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Dried Fruit
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Smoke
Sort & Filter
Region
Distillery/Brand
Price Range
Age
Vintage
Cask Type
Bottler
Series (1 selected)
Strength
Size
Single Cask
Flavour Profile
Colouring
Highland Park 198932 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice
£780
(£1,114.29 per litre)
Aultmore 200515 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice
£94.95
(£135.64 per litre)
Glenrothes 200714 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice
£115
(£164.29 per litre)
Tormore 199130 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice
£630
(£900 per litre)
Mortlach 198833 Years Old Connoisseurs Choice
£850
(£1,214.29 per litre)
Multi
Buy
OfferAllt-A-Bhainne 200615 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice
£70.45
(£100.64 per litre)
Glendullan 200912 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice
£89.95
(£128.50 per litre)
Strathisla 193734 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice Black Label
£3,500
(£4,666.67 per litre)
Glenlossie 196917 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice
£700
(£933.33 per litre)
Kinclaith 1967Bot.1992 Connoisseurs Choice Map Label
£1,200
(£1,714.29 per litre)
Glenlivet 200416 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice
£120
(£171.43 per litre)
Tormore 199130 Year Old Sherry Cask Connoisseurs Choice
£500
(£714.29 per litre)
Scapa 199129 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice
£575
(£821.43 per litre)
Miltonduff 198931 Year Old Sherry Cask Connoisseurs Choice
£650
(£928.57 per litre)
Caol Ila 198832 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice
£850
(£1,214.29 per litre)
Port Ellen 1982Bot.2006 Connoisseurs Choice
£1,200
(£1,714.29 per litre)
Tomatin 198831 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice
£750
(£1,071.43 per litre)
Balblair 199029 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice
£625
(£892.86 per litre)
Rosebank 198930 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice
£3,000
(£4,285.71 per litre)
Miltonduff 198830 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice
£590
(£842.86 per litre)
Tormore 199524 Year Old Sherry Cask Connoisseurs Choice
£225
(£321.43 per litre)
St Magdalene 196418 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice
£1,800
(£2,400 per litre)
St Magdalene 196418 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice
£2,000
(£2,666.67 per litre)
Talisker 195121 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice
£3,000
(£4,000 per litre)