I understand a scotch that is single malt originate from one distillery and a blended scotch can contain scotch can contain a blend from several distilleries. I do not see the advantage of having a scotch with a content that is restricted to be from one distillery. I think it is an advantage to have the availability of several scotches to blend from many distilleries. Having many scotches to blend will give a consistent product. Scotch from the same distillery will vary from year to year and from the quality of grains used. Can someone tell me what the advantage a single malt has over a blended scotch.
Single malt Scotch vs blended scotch, I do not see the advantage of single malts.
- Thread starter Ceiling Cat
- Start date
It's my understanding that a single is always malted from barley, while a blended may included other malted grains.
Why mix one good scotch with another? The results are a consistent good but consistent is boring.
The single malt has less chance of hiding any short comings in the drink and you know where all the malt came from. When the years crop has a weakness, it will often be offered to blending house for their different blends. Even from year to year, the various blends can be made up of different combinations because the each ingredient can differ from year to year. The skill and secret is in the skill of 'the nose', the living breathing alchemist of the the distillery, who using as many as 200 different whiskies to come up with the flavour and nose of a given label. His skill and training is so precious that he and his apprentice, should there be one, often don't travel together should a mishap occur on route. The single malt is a single malt with nowhere to hide. Every so often there is an attempt to reproduce the tastes of by gone eras and offer up the famous labels of the past. One blending once offered a distillation for every years past for some 60(?) years, but the name escapes me. Every distillery uses water malt and yeast, but distilleries can produce different tastes because their water sources will differ, even though they may be only a few hundred yards apart. Just French grapes can differ from different growers across the road from each other. Much of the price difference is in the rarity factor. Edradour is the smallest distillery in Scotland, produces small runs of whiskey and can demand a higher price for it's good malts.
To hide flaws in each and still be able to sell it to a wider market, although the best scotches are seldom blended.
Apples and oranges. A Crémant is not a Champagne, but they are both sparkling wines. The JW's are massed produced to satisfy a wide market. still a blend of lesser malts ot come up with a unique taste and nose. As mentioned earlier it's often made form a different recipes each year.
In my opinion JW Blue is not worth the price, but it's just my opinion.
I have had JW blue, I will agree it is not worth the exorbitant price. Given the choice, for that price I can enjoy many bottles of Chivas Regal. Given an alternative choice of a bottle of JW Blue or Chivas Regal 12 year old, Take one or the other. I would take the Chivas Regal
Chivas Regal is an excellent blended scotch, and a pretty good value. The appeal of single malts is in their unique characteristics. Each one is different even if the basic elements are the same. Water, malted barley, distilling in a pot still, and aging in oak barrels. All the subtle and not so subtle differences are due to the water source, the method of malting the barley, the distilling technique, including the shape of the still, the type of oak barrel used, the length of time in aging, and even the location of the aging storage. There are over 200 different single malts, and you can taste the difference in each one. The vast majority of the high quality ones are very good, but each has its fans. You may love one and not be hot about another, and I'll have a totally opposite opinion, and that's fine, 'cause it's a matter of personal taste. I probably have 25 different ones at home and I like them all, just in different contexts, and depending on my mood.
It's like good wine. You can't say "I like red wine, but not white wine". There are so many different varieties and styles. Good stuff is good and interesting and stimulating. Boring stuff is just boring.
Organize a tasting of 5 or 6 good single malts with a bunch of friends, especially if you know someone fairly knowledgable, and you'll be impressed. You'll get converted.
It's like good wine. You can't say "I like red wine, but not white wine". There are so many different varieties and styles. Good stuff is good and interesting and stimulating. Boring stuff is just boring.
Organize a tasting of 5 or 6 good single malts with a bunch of friends, especially if you know someone fairly knowledgable, and you'll be impressed. You'll get converted.
A blend or single malt? This nothing more than personal preference. I prefer a single malt and depending on my mood, it can be from different area of Scotland, than my regular, giving me a whole different experience. A blend can be this way too, depending on where the distiller got their whiskey from. There is no right or wrong here, just simply personal preference.
Cheers
Cheers
That was my understanding. If I am buying scotch, it is usually as a gift as I am not a drinker, so I always bought single to ensure the best quality.
Nothing wrong with blends, they just have different characteristics and if you tastes prefer them, go for it. Your lack of consistency in singles is a hard concept to grasp though. The individual characteristics are there, but the fact they may change slightly from year to year should not be considered a downside. They do have a reputation to protect.
The best seller JW is really a mix of various singles and the recipe will change from time to time to get the classic taste every year and depends on the annual crops through the land.
Licked a lot of peat have you?
A lot of people like bacon, some like hickory smoked bacon, and fewer still like double smoked. I can't stand the latter personally.
Ha ha ha isn't the hillbilly brew of choice moonshine? Definitely don't want to drink that straight up.
