FOOD NEWS
The Quality Difference Between Single Malt And Blended Whiskey
BY NIKITA EPHANOV
Rather than meaning the whiskey is crafted from a specific batch and aged in a single barrel, "single malt" means the whiskey exclusively malts at only one distillery.
On the other hand, "blended whiskeys" can incorporate a variety of distillates using a combination of grain and malts, from many distilleries that may be in different countries.
Although they come from only one distillery, single malts are still typically blended with barreled liquors of varying ages so there's consistent flavor across different years.
Because their creation process is limited to a single distillery — meaning there are more rigid quality and ingredient controls — single malts are typically more expensive.
Blended whiskey is cheaper but not necessarily lower quality, as the style's flexibility lets blenders pick the best batches without confining the producer or composition.