Scotch Whisky Malts & Blends Explained

Single Malt, Single Cask, Blended Malt & Blended Scotch — What Do These Labels Really Mean?

Spend enough time exploring Scotch whisky and you’ll start to notice something.
The words on the label feel familiar. Comforting, even. Single malt. Single cask. Small batch. Blended malt.

Most whisky drinkers recognise these terms. Many assume they understand them. Yet behind those tidy phrases sits a legal framework that’s more nuanced — and far more interesting — than the labels alone suggest.

This Whisky Academy article isn’t here to tear anything down. It’s here to add clarity, build confidence, and help you understand what’s actually in the glass. Because once you understand how Scotch whisky malts and blends really work, labels stop being confusing… and start being useful.

First Things First: What Makes a Whisky “Scotch”?

Before we talk malts and blends, we need the foundations.

To be labelled Scotch whisky, a spirit must:

• Be distilled and matured in Scotland
• Be matured in oak casks for a minimum of three years
• Be bottled at 40% ABV or higher

Once those conditions are met, everything else depends on three factors:

1. The grains used
2. The type of still
3. Whether the whisky comes from one distillery or several

Those three points quietly underpin every category on the shelf.

Single Malt Scotch Whisky

One Distillery, One Grain, Many Casks

A single malt Scotch whisky must:

• Come from one single distillery
• Be made from 100% malted barley
• Be distilled in pot stills
• Be matured in oak casks

That’s the entire legal definition. Nothing more. Nothing less.

And here’s the most persistent misunderstanding:

Single malt does not mean single cask.

One Distillery ≠ One Barrel

Most single malts — particularly core range releases — are created by marrying many different casks together. Sometimes dozens. Sometimes far more.

Those casks are rarely identical. A typical vatting might include:

• Ex-bourbon barrels
• Ex-sherry butts
• Refill casks
• Occasionally other seasoned woods

A classic example is Glenfiddich 12 Year Old, which relies on a large pool of casks per batch to maintain its familiar orchard-fruit character year after year. That consistency isn’t accidental — it’s deliberate blending within a single distillery.

It’s still a single malt. Just not a singular thing.

Small Batch Single Malt (Useful, But Not Defined)

“Small batch” sounds reassuringly artisanal, but it’s important to understand the limits of the term.

Small batch has no legal definition in Scotch whisky.

For one distillery, it might mean 40 or 50 casks.
For another, it might genuinely mean two or three.

Both are legal. Both can be honest.
The term only becomes meaningful when it’s supported by transparency.

Single Cask Scotch Whisky

One Barrel, No Safety Net

A single cask Scotch whisky comes from exactly one individual barrel.

There is:

• No vatting
• No blending with other casks
• No smoothing of edges

Single cask bottlings are often released at cask strength, and they can exist across several categories:

• Single malt
• Single grain
• Occasionally even blended malt

Single cask doesn’t guarantee quality — but it does guarantee character without compromise. When a cask shines, it does so unapologetically. When it doesn’t, there’s nowhere to hide.

That honesty is the appeal.

Single Grain Scotch Whisky

Defined by What It Is Not

“Single grain” is one of the most misunderstood labels in Scotch whisky.

The single part is straightforward: the whisky comes from one distillery.
The grain part is where assumptions creep in.

In Scotch whisky, grain does not automatically mean wheat or maize. Instead, single grain Scotch whisky is defined as Scotch made at a single distillery that does not meet the definition of single malt.

That means single grain can be produced in several ways:

• From malted barley plus other cereals (malted or unmalted)
• From 100% malted barley, if it is distilled using continuous (column/Coffey-style) distillation
• From a mash including malted barley and other cereals, even if distilled in a pot still

Yes — you can legally have a “grain whisky” made entirely from barley.
What matters is how it’s distilled and how it fits the regulations.

Most grain Scotch is produced on column stills because they create a lighter, cleaner spirit. That’s why grain whisky forms the backbone of so many blends. Bottled on its own, especially with age, it can be creamy, elegant, and quietly impressive.

Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

Malt Meets Malt — Across Distilleries

A blended malt Scotch whisky is:

• A blend of two or more single malts
• From different distilleries
• Made exclusively from malted barley
• Distilled in pot stills only

No grain whisky is allowed.

This is where the rules become uncompromising. The moment whisky from more than one distillery is involved, it cannot be called single malt — even if everything else about it looks and tastes like one.

Some blended malts are dominated by a single distillery, with only a tiny addition from another. This is where teaspooning comes into play — a practice we explore in depth in our dedicated Dram1 article. In practical terms, some blended malts are almost single malts. Legally, though, “almost” doesn’t count.

Blended Scotch Whisky

Balance, Not Compromise

Blended Scotch whisky combines:

• One or more single malts
• One or more single grain whiskies
• From multiple distilleries

This is the most widely produced style of Scotch whisky — and often the most misunderstood.

Grain whisky provides structure, softness, and approachability. Malt whisky brings flavour, texture, and weight. The blender’s job isn’t dilution — it’s balance.

At its best, a blend is not a compromise. It’s a composition.

Loch Lomond: When One Distillery Can Do (Almost) Everything

Much of what we’ve discussed so far hinges on a few core ideas:
one distillery vs many, malt vs grain, and pot stills vs continuous distillation.That’s what makes Loch Lomond Distillery such a compelling real-world example — because it sits at the intersection of all three.

Loch Lomond is the only Scotch distillery that produces:

• Malt whisky distilled on traditional pot stills
• Malt whisky distilled using continuous distillation
• Grain whisky made from multiple cereal types
• All within a single distillery site

Within one set of gates, Loch Lomond can legally produce:

• Single malt Scotch whisky
• Single grain Scotch whisky
• And the components of a blended Scotch whisky

No other distillery in Scotland can do this.

Why This Matters

Under Scotch whisky regulations, a whisky becomes “blended” the moment malt and grain are combined — or when whisky from more than one distillery is involved.

Loch Lomond is unique because it can do the former without the latter.

In theory — and entirely within the rules — Loch Lomond could produce a blended Scotch whisky made entirely at one distillery. A true single-distillery blend. It’s a neat illustration of how Scotch categories are defined by process, not flavour.

One Distillery, Many Styles

Loch Lomond actively uses this flexibility to create distinct house styles such as:

• Inchmurrin (bright and fruity)
• Croftengea (heavily peated)
• Inchfad (dense and smoky)
• Inchmoan (herbal and earthy)

Different stills, cut points, and production choices shape each style, making Loch Lomond one of the clearest demonstrations of how production decisions sit directly behind Scotch whisky classifications.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

Scotch whisky categories are legal definitions — not flavour promises.

Once you understand how grains, stills, casks, and distilleries interact, labels stop being intimidating and start being informative. They tell you how a whisky was made — not whether you should enjoy it.

And that’s very much the Dram1 philosophy:
understand more, enjoy more — and never let a label drink the whisky for you.