Single Malt Whisky

What is a Single Malt whisky?

To be qualified as a Single Malt, a whisky must meet 2 criteria. It must be produced with a single malted cereal, barley, unlike Single Grain which is made with an unmalted cereal which can be corn (Bourbon), rye or wheat. It must also come from a single distillery, as opposed to the Blended Malt which is made by blending malt and grain whiskies from different distilleries.

We can also speak of Single Malt whisky when it comes from a blend of several malt whiskies, but still produced within the same distillery.

A Single Malt from a single ageing cask is called Single Cask. These are often high quality whiskies sold in limited edition and made without blending.

The stages of making a Single Malt whisky

Single Malt is produced from malted barley. This means that the barley goes through the so-called malting stage, that is to say that it's germinated and then dried in an oven. It is during this stage that the more or less peaty profile that the whisky will have is defined.

The barley is then crushed and brewed to produce the must which will be transformed into alcohol during fermentation. Then comes the distillation and finally the ageing in Sherry, Bourbon or other barrels which will give the whisky all its aromatic profile and colour.

The history of Single Malt

For a long time the Blended Malt was the most consumed type of whisky in the world because it was more economical to produce. Still as popular today, it nevertheless faces more and more competition from Single Malt, sought after by lovers of new horizons and today the most consumed type of whisky in France.

The most famous of these is the Scotch Single Malt, which must have aged in oak barrels for at least three years in Scotland and have a minimum content of 40%.