A lot of people tell me they don’t like Scotch based on the one Scotch they tried. Did you know there are actually five different categories of Scotch whisky, each with its own definition and style? Let’s explore:
1. Single Malt Scotch - This is the one everyone is familiar with. It must be distilled at a SINGLE distillery, by batch distillation in a pot still, and it must be made with only malted barley. This category of whisky is the best way to identify a specific distillery’s flavor and style but can sometimes be inconsistent as distillery changes happen over time.
2. Single Grain Scotch - A lot of people think the term “Single Grain” means from one single grain, but it doesn't mean that. It must be distilled at a SINGLE distillery and produced from other malted or unmalted grains (usually wheat or corn) in addition to malted barley.
3. Blended Malt Scotch - This is a blend of two or more single malt scotches produced at more than one distillery. These used to be called pure malt or vatted malt, but that is no longer allowed. So imagine if Macallan 12 blended with Glenmorangie 12 and created a blended malt called Macallorangie. That would be so cool. For a real example,  Monkey Shoulder is one of my favorite blended malts and is created using Balvenie, Glenfiddich, and Kininvie.
4. Blended Grain Scotch - This is a blend of two or more single-grain scotches produced at more than one distillery. A lot of people think a blended grain scotch is worse than a single malt, but some great examples of blended grain products are Compass Box’s Hedonism (amongst others) and even a luxurious 50-year-old blended grain scotch by Last Drop Distillers.
5. Blended Scotch - This is a blend of one or more single malt scotches with one or more single grain scotches. It’s known for being smooth and consistent. This category accounts for 90% of scotch whisky consumed worldwide. Think Johnnie Walker.
And this hasn't even accounted for the influence of peat, distillation, or weather. So, next time you try a scotch and don’t like it, take a look at the label and perhaps try a different category!
Let me know in the comments if you learned something!

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