Do you know the difference between Single Grain Whisky and Single Malt?

Do you know the difference between Single Grain Whisky and Single Malt?

We give you the answer to the difference......

Post by Luka Gottschalk

When talking about Scotch whisky, in the vast majority of cases, it is Single Malt whisky that is championed and referred to as the definitive form of whisky. However, there are other really interesting alternatives, and one of these is Single Grain Whisky.

Definition: Designation Single Grain Whisky is very similar to the more common Single Malt Whisky. The word 'single' has the same meaning in this context, meaning that the distillate comes from a single distillery. This means that Single Grain should not be understood as 'single grain' as it would otherwise be easy to believe.

In fact, the main difference between Single Grain and Single Malt is that a Single Grain can consist of several different malted raw materials such as barley, corn, rye and wheat, whereas a Single Malt must consist of 100% malted barley to carry its title.

This obviously has an impact on the taste, as barley, corn, rye, and wheat each have their own impact on the taste. Other grains such as spelt and oats are allowed, but are not as commonly used as the ones I'm about to discuss.

Barley

• Barley gives a sweet caramelized taste with notes of brown sugar in the raw spirit.

Corn

• Corn, which we know from Bourbon whiskey in particular, has a rich syrupy sugar flavor and provides many slightly lighter sugar notes in the raw spirit.

Rye

• Rye, which is also a major player in Bourbon whiskey, provides a strong spicy influence, with notes of mint, pepper and cinnamon in the raw spirit. In addition, whisk(e)y with a high rye content often has a very dry aftertaste.

Wheat

• Wheat contributes to a mild and pleasant cereal and bread flavor in the raw spirit.

As can be clearly seen above, there are many directions the taste and impression can go in a Single Grain Whisky, as the content can vary quite a bit between productions.

Production

It is a common misconception that Single Grain does not have the same level of quality as a Single Malt (subject to one-off exceptions). The main reason for this misconception is that there is a significant price difference between Single Grain and Single Malt. It is significantly cheaper to produce Single Grain than Single Malt, as the title Single Grain is not subject to as many regulations as Single Malt.

Most Single Grain is distilled incolumn stills, allowing the distiller to continue production in a continuous operation. Single Malt must by law always be distilled using pot stills, which require cleaning between batches råsprit. This means that a whisky made from 100% barley malt is still called Single Grain if it is distilled on a column still.

Tasting Single Grain Whisky

As a fitting end to the post, I tasted a North British 1991, 30 year, refill sherry butts, from bottler Signatory Vintage.

The grain composition is not specified, but from my tasting experience I would guess that around 75% is barley, and the remaining 25% is a mix of rye and wheat.

Here is my experience:

• The nose offers dates, tobacco, mint, blood orange, and grape. Great aroma.
• The taste blows everything away with powerful notes of brown sugar, plums, black pepper, orange peel, red grapes, and roasted nuts. High viscosity that glides comfortably around the tongue.
• The incredibly long finish offers earthy wood (old cottage vibe), honey, dark chocolate, and a long, rich and dry rye aftertaste. All in all, a fantastic whisky!