Whisky Terminology and Expressions
What are Single Malts, Independent Bottlings, and Single Cask Malts?
Newcomers to whisky are often confused by the terms blended whisky, vatted malts and independent bottlings, etc. This article clarifies these and other terms.
Whisky has its own language which can confuse the non-expert. This article is an attempt to clarify some of these terms.
Expression
One will hear the use of the term ‘expression’ in a whisky context. A distiller may make several different versions of their whiskies available, perhaps different age statements or with different finishes. Each of these will be known as an expression.
Single Malt
The most often asked question is what constitutes a single malt. A single malt whisky contains whisky from a single distillery. It won’t necessarily be whisky from a single cask because to continue providing a consistent flavour profile over the years, whisky from several casks may have to be vatted together. Where whiskies of different ages are used, the age statement of the single malt will be the age of the youngest whisky used (even if it was only a drop). Where no age statement is used, it is likely that some younger whisky will have been used and it may be off-putting to whisky drinkers who avoid whiskies under, say, 10 years old. However, where whiskies have younger malts added to them, they can impart a freshness that is very appealing.
Blended Whisky
A blended whisky will be a whisky that contains a number of different single malts which is then added to a larger proportion of grain whisky. Blends are normally much smoother and more rounded in taste. They are also generally inexpensive.
Vatted Malts
A vatted malt, sometimes referred to as pure malt or blended malt, is where a number of single malts are blended together, but without grain whisky being added. These whiskies are becoming very popular through whiskies like Monkey Shoulder, the Peat Monster and Oak Cross. They are generally very high quality and relatively inexpensive.
Finished Whiskies
‘Finished’ whiskies (or double-matured whiskies) are also becoming increasingly more popular. Some distilleries produce whisky that has been matured in the usual way (i.e. in Bourbon or sherry casks) and is then transferred to a cask previously holding a different drink, such as port, madeira or burgundy. This finishing will usually be for a period between six months and two years. Although it is true that such finishes do not always work and can, in some cases, mask indifferent whisky, the finishing gives the whisky a different dimension and depth. BenRiach and Glenmorangie make good examples of finished whiskies.
Single Cask Whiskies
A single cask whisky will be exactly that. Whisky from one cask will be bottled (albeit possibly reduced in alcoholic volume) and sold, particularly by independent bottlers. Because each cask of whisky is different – even if the whisky inside came from the same distillation – the resulting whisky will differ, these are really one-off experiences. Cask strength whiskies are those have been bottled unaltered straight from the cask. These will be anywhere from mid 40s abv to the mid 60s.
Independent Bottlings
Independent bottlings are an excellent way of buying whisky from distilleries that may never bottle their own whisky as single malts. Many distilleries exist purely to supply whisky for blending. Companies referred to as independent bottlers buy up casks of whisky from the distilleries direct or from brokers. They then market them themselves, under their own labels, although they will almost always tell you what the whisky is, when it was filled to cask and bottled, etc. Examples include Gordon and MacPhail and Dewar Rattray who can supply unique expressions of well-known, rare and little-known whiskies alike. The quality of these bottlings is generally high although rogue casks can always find their way into bottles.
