Few phrases in the whisky world are as commonly misunderstood as 'single malt'. The term is often taken to imply an age or a level of quality, when in fact it refers to a very specific method of production defined precisely in law.
What single malt actually means
A single malt Scotch whisky is a whisky produced at a single distillery from a mash of one hundred per cent malted barley, distilled in copper pot stills and matured in oak casks for a minimum of three years within Scotland. The word 'single' refers to the fact that the whisky is the product of one distillery — not, as is sometimes assumed, of a single cask.
A single malt is a single voice — the voice of one distillery, expressed through many casks.
The relationship with blended Scotch
For most of the twentieth century, single malt was the raw material of the blender's art rather than a category enjoyed on its own terms. The rise of the single malt as a bottled expression, driven above all by the Classic Malts campaign of 1988, is a comparatively recent phenomenon.
The production process
The process of making single malt is a slow and unhurried one. Barley is malted, mashed with hot water, fermented with yeast, distilled in copper pot stills and then filled into oak casks to mature — often for a decade or more. Every step contributes to the whisky's character.
Understanding the phrase 'single malt' is the beginning of understanding Scotch whisky itself.