Types of Scotch Whisky

Scotch whisky varieties, according to the different raw materials and brewing methods, can be divided into three categories: pure malt whisky, grain whisky and blended whisky.

1. Pure malt whisky (Pure malt Whisky)

Only barley as raw material for distilled spirits called pure malt whisky. Pure malt whisky is made from barley malt roasted on open peat, distilled in pot stills, generally after two distillations, the alcohol content of the liquid obtained after distillation reaches 63.4 degrees, and aged in special charcoal-fired oak casks, diluted with water before bottling. This wine has a rich flavor produced by peat. According to the regulations, the aging time is at least three years, and generally the wines aged for more than five years can be consumed, the wines aged for seven to eight years are finished wines, and the wines aged for ten to twenty years are the best quality wines. A whisky aged for more than twenty years will have lost some of its own quality. Pure malt whisky is loved by the Scots, but due to the overly strong flavor, only 10% is sold directly, while the remaining 90% is used as the original spirit when blending blended whisky. So it is seldom exported. Famous brands include: Glendonald, Ben Norman

2. Grain Whisky (Grain Whisky)

Grain whisky uses a variety of grains as the raw material for distilling, such as oats, rye, barley, wheat, corn and so on. Grain whisky requires only one distillation and is produced mainly from non-malted barley, using malt as the saccharifying agent. The difference between it and other whiskies is that most of the barley is not malted and fermented. Because most of the barley is not malted, so there is no need to use a lot of peat to bake, so the peat flavor of the grain whisky after the wine is correspondingly less, and the taste also seems to be much softer and more detailed. Grain whisky is mainly used to blend other whisky and gin, the market is rarely retail.

3. Blended Whisky

Blended Whisky, also known as blended whisky, is made from pure malt whisky and grain whisky. Blending is a highly technical task, and the blending of whisky is in the hands of the blender. The blending process takes into account not only the proportion of pure malt and grain whisky, but also other characteristics such as age, origin and taste of the various blends.

The first step in the blending process is blending. When blending, the technician uses only his nose, never his mouth. When he is confused, he puts a little bit of liquor on the back of his hand and then sniffs it carefully to identify it. The second step is blending, and the recipe for the blended dose is kept secret. According to the dose of the different varieties of injection in the mixer (or by high-pressure spray) to blend, and then add coloring agent (mostly caramel), and finally into the barrel aging and storage. The blended whisky has a smoky flavor that is diluted and the nose is more appealing, combining strong malt and subtle grain flavors, making it a popular whisky around the world. According to the ratio of pure malt whisky to grain whisky, blended whisky is categorized into two types, ordinary and premium, based on the proportion of pure malt whisky in the liquid. Generally speaking, the amount of pure malt whisky in 50-80% of the whisky, for advanced blending and whisky; if the proportion of grain whisky is significant, that is, ordinary whisky.

The vast majority of whisky sold throughout the world is blended whisky. Scotch blended whisky is commonly packaged in volumes between 700ml-750ml, with an alcohol content of around 43°C. The most commonly used blended whisky is Scotch whisky.