Blended Whiskey at the Whiskey For Sale Shop
A blended whiskey (or whiskey) is the product of blending
different types of whiskies. It is generally the product of mixing one or more
single malt whiskies (made from 100 percent malted grain (such as barley or
rye) together with other grain whiskies or neutral grain spirits.
Most blended whiskies do not list an age. When a does so,
each individual malt and grain whiskey must be at least as old as the age
listed. Two of the most widely known examples of blended whiskey are Johnnie
Walker and Seagram's Seven Crown, but there are many others such as Jameson,
Pigs Nose, Old St Andrews and
Grain whiskey and other 'fillers' are usually much cheaper to produce than single malts, so blends containing them are usually much cheaper to buy. Most cocktails and mixed drinks that call for whiskey use blended whisky. This is primarily for cost reasons, and secondarily because the complex flavours of single malt whiskies would be overshadowed by the mixer(s). Scotch purists generally consider blended whisky to be an inferior drink to the single malt Scotch varieties. Others might argue that blending allows for the creation of smoother or more desirable flavors, and many experts agree that top-quality blends can rival certain single-malts in overall flavor and drinking enjoyment.
Some snobs refuse to even consider Scotch blends. The fact is, it's possible to blend several flawed (or just one-dimensional) distillations and come up with something quite drinkable. It's also possible to blend some good scotches and discover something very nice. I understand blenders do their job strictly by smell (no tasting).
There was a time that blends were all that were available to the market outside of Scotland. Single Malts lacked commercial backing for marketing, and only corporations with the advertising dollars and purchasing power were able to bottle and sell substantial amounts of Scotch outside the UK. Since product consistency, low cost and mild flavor were seen as paramount, only blends fit the bill. Small-time bottlers and wealthy connoisseurs had to make their own bottling arrangements, and competed with the high-volume blenders for the Single Malt production of the many small distilleries.
Glenfiddich, followed by other Single Malt brands, broke this pattern by showing that there was a market for Single Malts outside of Scotland. I guess it's no coincidence that Glenfiddich is a mix of different years production, aging time, sherry-cask and non-sherry-cask aged cuts. They can call it a Single Malt because there is no grain and it all comes from the same distillary. It strives to achieve blend-like consistency with the blending techniques.
Blends come in an infinite variety. Grain alcohols are an ingredient of any bottling that just says "blended whiskey". If it says "blended Malt whiskies" then it's a vatted Malt, or blend of only malts. According to Poirier's excellent "Whisky with dinner", blends are 65 to 85% grain whiskey and only 35 to 15% Malt whiskey.
A blended scotch whiskey may contain a combination of whiskies from over 40 or 50 different malt and grain distilleries. The normal ratio of malt to grain is 60% grain 40% malt. The percentage of malt used will determine the quality and smoothness of taste and character. Each whisky used in the blending process will normally have been matured for about 5 years, however there are a number of higher aged blended scotch whiskies available.