Focus On Blended Whisky

The homes of blended whiskies – Most blended whiskies have a key distillery that defines their character – here are some of the best known The homes of blended whiskies – Most blended whiskies have a key distillery that defines their character – here are some of the best known There are three types of blend: Blended Malt – malt whisky from multiple distilleries, Blended Grain – grain whisky from multiple distilleries, Blended Whisky – a blend of malt and grain whiskies
There are three types of blend: Blended Malt – malt whisky from multiple distilleries, Blended Grain – grain whisky from multiple distilleries, Blended Whisky – a blend of malt and grain whiskies Andrew Usher II: The Father of Scotch whisky: pioneered blending in the 1840s Hauf an' a hauf: The classic Scottish serve: a whisky and a half pint of beer Scotland sells more than 1 billion bottles of blended whisky around the world each year
More than 90% of Scotch whisky sold around the world is blended whisky Johnnie Walker is the biggest selling blended Scotch whisky in the world – Approximately 250 million bottles per year £150,000 – The price of Chivas Regal Tribute to Honour, the most expensive blended whisky The Whisky Exchange has ever sold. Scotland sells more than 1 billion bottles of blended whisky around the world each year
Making blended Scotch whisky
Making blended Scotch whisky

How Is It Made?

Blended Scotch whisky is a combination of single malt whisky and single grain whisky. While other countries use different types of whiskies to make their blends, they almost all start with different types of whisky. The blender will decide on a flavour profile and then select different whiskies to mix together to create the blend. These whiskies can vary in complexity from small batches combining a handful of casks to massive recipes of tens of different distilleries' whiskies and thousands of casks.

Blending at Compass Box
Production of Chivas Regal
Teeling Small Batch

Who Makes It?

While the style of whisky originated in Scotland in the 1800s, blended whisky is made all over the world, from Ireland to India. The biggest names in blended whisky – Johnnie Walker, Chivas Regal and others – are made by the large drinks companies, but in the past 20 years there has been a revival of smaller, boutique blenders making more niche, small-batch blends.

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Teeling Small Batch
Highball
Highball

How To Serve It

The range of flavours and styles of blended whisky is huge, and it is drunk in widely different ways around the world. From the traditional hauf an' a hauf in Scotland, pairing up a neat whisky with a half-pint of beer, to a long whisky and green tea in Hong Kong, there's something for everyone. Here in the UK, you're just as likely to see a dram of blended whisky served on its own with or without ice as you are with cola, lemonade or ginger ale.

Whisky on the rocks
John Glaser, Compass Box Whiskymaker
John Glaser, Compass Box Whiskymaker

On the Blog

Aren’t single malts better than blends?

Over the years, blended whisky has picked up a reputation of being inferior to single malt. Chipping away at that reputation are companies like Compass Box and whiskymaker John Glaser, who has spent the past 15 years creating incredible blended whiskies. He has a very different way of looking at blends...

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John Glaser, Compass Box Whiskymaker