Blended Scotch Whiskey

Let’s talk about one of the really exciting categories in our spirits department, blended Scotch whiskey. It’s an old category at Bottle Barn and around the world but has some new and exciting variations.

Why Blends you ask? 

With the rising interest in single malts, blends have been increasingly (and criminally if you ask us) overlooked as a quality drinking experience.  There are several types of blends and to truly understand them we need to know what exactly they are. By definition a Blended Scotch is a blend of one or more single malt whiskies with one or more single grain whiskies. This is not to be confused with another type of blend called Blended Malts, which are blends of different single malts. Some of the smoothest, most flavorful whiskeys in the world are made by one of these two methods. In the past few years we have seen a renewed interest in this category and the number of new products available is mind-blowing.

Here is a short list of some of our favorites:

Isle of Skye 12 year:  The follow up to their 8-year expression, Ian Macleod’s Isle of Skye 12-year is a complex whiskey.  Smoke and earth are tempered by dried fruits, sweet sherry and big malt flavors.  There is a pleasant oily texture to this whiskey, which contributes to its overall smooth, rounded flavors.

Bottle Barn Price $33.99

Great King St. Artist’s Blend:  From John Glaser, the mastermind behind Compass Box, comes a great new blend.  Rare because the single malt component is almost 50% of the overall composition of the blend, the single malt component is a combination of two highland distilleries and a speyside distillery.  The grain is all lowland. Malt Advocate gave his Royal Highness 91 points.

Bottle Barn Price $36.99

Wemyss Malts: We are carrying three wonderful blended malts from Wemyss Malts. Each is aged 8 years and highlights a different region and therefore a different flavor profile. The Spice King’s signature malt is from the highlands, producing a rich, full, spicy whiskey. The Smooth Gentlemen uses malt from Speyside, which leads to a sweet, floral, and honeyed product. Finally, The Peat Chimney is everything you would expect from Islay, sweet smoke, iodine, and peat. This series gives the drinker a great introduction to classic scotch styles.

Bottle Barn Price $34.99 each