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There are three types of Scotch whisky: Malt whisky, Grain whisky and Blended whisky. Malt whisky is produced only from 100%
malted barley. Grain whisky is produced from a variety of cereals which may, or may not, include a proportion of malted barley. Blended whisky is a combination of Malt whisky and Grain whisky, mixed together in the same
bottle. Single Malts Most of the whiskies covered in this
text are Single Malt whiskies. These are the products of individual malt whisky distilleries. For example, Aberlour, Edradour, Laphroaig or Macallan. However, the actual distillery name does
not have to be identified on the label for a whisky to be called a single malt. Single malt may come from different casks of various ages, but they must all be from the same distillery. Not all distillery owners bottle
their single malts under the name of the distillery. For example, the single malt from Macduff distillery is bottled as Glen Deveron by its owners. Vatted Malts Vatted malts are whiskies from more than one distillery which have been blended
together, according to the specifications of the blender, to produce a fine, consistent product with a personality of its own. This whisky may well be given an individual name, such as Sheep Dip or Poit Dhubh. A vatted
malt may not contain any grain whisky otherwise it is blended whisky. Some vatted malts have been included in a section at the end of this text, as have some single malts bottled under "brand names" of
independent bottlers. Pure Malt All Scotch malt whiskies,
whether single or vatted, are pure malt. They are produced only from malted barley. If a whisky contains just one millilitre of grain whisky, then it is a blended whisky. Grain whisky Grain whisky is produced from a mash of various cereal grains usually, but not
exclusively, made from wheat, maize and barley. Both malted barley (barley which has started to germinate and then been dried to arrest its germination) and unmalted barley (barley which remains dormant) are used in the
production of grain whisky. Scotch Whisky All Scotch (and
Irish) whisk(e)y is produced by first grinding the particular cereal grain(s) to a coarse flour and then sweeping this in hot water in a mash tun. The resultant liquid, called wort, is then cooled to between 22 and 24
degrees centigrade and run back into a wash back. Yeast is then added. Once the yeast has been fermented out, a strong ale called pot ale remains, which is about 9% alcohol by volume. This pot ale is then distilled by
heating it in copper stills, either in a continuous still, called a Coffey still, for Grain whisky or twice in the case of Malt whisky using a pair or Pot stills. Three stills are used for Irish whiskey and the Scottish
malts Auchentoshan, Benrinnes and Rosebank, these all being triple distilled. Pot stills are usually onion-shaped, with tall, tapering swan necks designed to help the alcohols condense, after which they are collected,
cooled and put into casks. A whisky, however produced, may only be legally described as Scotch whisky if it has matured in oak cask in Scotland for a minimum of three years. It must also have been bottled at a
minimum strength of 40% alcohol by volume. There is no legal requirement for Scotch whisky to be bottled in Scotland. The same legal restrictions also apply to Irish whiskey (note the addition of an "e") in
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