Single malt, blend, grain, pot still - what they really mean
Single malt sounds noble, blend a bit less so, and most people walk straight past grain and pot still. Yet these are not grades of quality, but a description of what the whisky is made from and how. Once you sort it out in your head, the label stops being a code.
Two questions that organise everything
Each of these categories answers two simple questions: which grain the whisky is made from and how many distilleries it comes from.
- Single - from one distillery. Not one barrel, one distillery.
- Malt - from malted barley.
- Grain - from other grains (corn, wheat, rye), usually distilled more efficiently and lighter.
- Blend - a mix of different whiskies, often from many distilleries.
The main categories, one by one
- Single malt - malted barley, one distillery, distilled in pot stills. The most characterful style, with the clear stamp of a specific place.
- Blended malt - a mix of single malts from different distilleries. Not a drop of grain whisky.
- Grain whisky - from corn or wheat, light and mellow, rarely bottled on its own.
- Blended whisky - malt plus grain, the most common type in the world. The grain brings smoothness, the malt brings character.
- Pot still (Irish single pot still) - an Irish specialty from one distillery, made from a mash of malted and unmalted barley. Hence the creamy, spicy texture.
Is single malt better
Not by definition. A single malt usually has more character, but a good blend can be more consistent, more approachable and deliberately composed to a specific profile. Many iconic, excellent whiskies are blends. Single does not mean better, it means from one place.
From category to flavour
These words are not theory - you can hear them in the glass. A light grain whisky, a bold peated single malt and a creamy Irish pot still are three completely different experiences. The best way to understand them is side by side, for example by hosting a whisky tasting at home. For more label terms, see how to read a whisky label.
Write down what you drink
In GustoNote you note the type and profile of every whisky, and after a few dozen entries you will see whether you lean toward single malts or smooth blends. If you are just starting, begin with how to fall in love with whisky.