B – as in Blended Malt Whisky

What is a Blended Malt Whisky?

A Blended Malt Whisky is a composition of at least two single malt whiskies from different distilleries. As soon as even one drop of a single malt whisky from distillery A is added to a single malt whisky from distillery B, this blend can no longer be called a single malt, but is classified as a Blended Malt Whisky.

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What are some examples of Blended Malt Whisky?

There are now numerous Blended Malt Whiskies on the market, not only limited to Scotland but found all over the world. In 2023, St. Kilian Distillers also created its own Blended Malt. By marrying our single malt whisky with the smoky single malt from the Upper Franconian distillery Elch-Whisky, the unique Franconian Vatted Malt Whisky was created.

What does the term Vatted Malt mean?

Until 2009, the term Vatted Malt was used in Scotland to describe the blending of several single malt whiskies. The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) then replaced this term with Blended Malt. This change aimed to make the designation more precise and understandable, as Vatted Malt – in the SWA's view – was sometimes misinterpreted and did not reflect the exact nature of the product.

What is the difference between Blended Malt and Blended Whisky?

A Blended Malt is created by marrying different single malt whiskies from different distilleries. This blend is made exclusively from 100% malted barley. In contrast, a Blended Whisky contains single grain whisky in addition to single malt.

What is Grain Whisky?

A Grain Whisky is made from a mash that does not consist of 100% malted barley, but rather of other types of grain or mixtures thereof. The base usually consists of wheat or corn, to which a small amount of malted barley is added as an enzyme source. After alcoholic fermentation, the resulting wash is distilled in a continuously operating still, also known as a column, coffey, or patent still. This process can produce distillates with an alcohol content of almost 95 percent by volume. If the grain whisky comes from a single distillery, it is called a Single Grain.

Does St. Kilian also have a Blended Whisky in its range?

Yes, in our range, we carry not only Single Malt and Blended Malt Whiskies, but also Blended Whiskies. These include our mild Bud Spencer – The Legend bottling, as well as the two mild and smoky Terence Hill – The Hero Whiskies. These belong to the Blended category. Here, our St. Kilian Single Malt Whisky was married with various whiskies (Malt, Pot Still, Grain Whisky) from the Irish Great Northern Distillery. According to current European spirits regulations, they fall into the Blended Whisky category.

What is Blended Scotch Whisky?

This term refers exclusively to whiskies that are produced, aged, bottled, and labeled in Scotland. To create a Blended Scotch, single malt whiskies and single grain whiskies from Scottish distilleries, each aged for at least three years in oak casks, are married together. Scottish blends typically contain between 12 and 25 malts, though in some cases the number can be up to 50. While the quality of a blend does not necessarily depend on the number of malts in the mixture, generally, the higher the malt content, the better the taste of the blend.