A blended whiskey (or blended whisky) is the product of blending different types of whiskeys and sometimes also

neutral grain spirits Rectified spirit, also known as neutral spirits, rectified alcohol or ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, is highly concentrated ethanol that has been purified by means of repeated distillation in a process called rectification. In some countr ...

, colorings, and flavorings. It is generally the product of mixing one or more higher-quality straight or single malt whiskey with less expensive spirits and other ingredients. This typically allows for a lower priced finished product, although expensive "premium" varieties also exist. Some examples of blended whiskey include

Canadian Club Canadian Club is a brand of Canadian whisky produced by Beam Suntory. Popularly known as CC, Canadian Club was created by Hiram Walker and Sons, an evolution of a brand around a product that took place over the second half of the nineteenth c ...

Canadian Mist Canadian Mist is a brand of blended Canadian whisky produced by the Sazerac Company. It is distilled in Collingwood, Ontario, and is bottled at 40% alcohol by volume. It is triple-distilled using a continuous distillation process, and it is age ...

, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Seagram's Seven, Kessler Whiskey, Hibiki, and the various Scotch whisky blends sold under the Johnnie Walker brand, as well as

Chivas Regal Chivas Regal () is a blended Scotch whisky manufactured by Chivas Brothers, which is part of Pernod Ricard. It was founded in 1786, with its home being in the Strathisla distillery at Keith, Moray in Speyside, Scotland, and is the oldest conti ...

and SIA Scotch Whisky, other Scotch whisky blends.

Ingredients and uses

Higher proof spirits with less time aging are usually much less expensive to produce than straight whiskeys or single malt whiskeys and are often the primary spirits in blends, along with more premium whiskies and other ingredients added for flavoring. Most

cocktail A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink. Most commonly, cocktails are either a combination of spirits, or one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients such as tonic water, fruit juice, flavored syrup, or cream. Cocktails vary widely acr ...

s and mixed drinks that contain whiskey are made using economically priced blended whiskeys rather than higher priced whiskeys, primarily because the presence of the other ingredients makes the subtleties of the taste of the whiskey less critical to the overall taste of the drink.

Age statements

Most blended whiskeys do not list an age, although the regulations governing its production in some countries specify a minimum aging requirement. All spirits in a Canadian, Scottish, or Irish whiskey must be aged at least three years, and any age statement refers to the minimum age of the spirits used in the blend. In the United States, the age statement only refers to the minimum age of the straight whiskey — which must comprise at least 20% of the content — used within the blend. As neutral spirits are not considered whiskeys, they do not have to be aged at all for the production of U.S. blended whiskey.

Other regulations by country

Canada

Most Canadian whiskies are blends. Any grain spirit aged for at least three years in Canada may be called Canadian whisky. Regulations do not specify any distillation limit, although in practice, it differs little from the Scottish and Irish limit of 94.8%, as the purity of neutral grain spirit has a practical limit of approximately that value. Whiskies with a lower distillation proof are also often included for flavor, with rye whisky being characteristically included. Canadian whisky may contain both caramel coloring and flavoring.

Ireland

Irish blended whiskey is defined by the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. ...

's Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine as a blend of two or more different whiskey types among the

pot still A pot still is a type of distillation apparatus or still used to distill liquors such as whisky or brandy. In modern (post-1850s) practice, they are not used to produce rectified spirit, because they do not separate congeners from ethanol a ...

malt Malt is germinated cereal grain that has been dried in a process known as " malting". The grain is made to germinate by soaking in water and is then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air. Malted grain is used to make beer, w ...

, and grain whiskey categories. Its production usually includes Irish grain whiskey that is produced from a distillate that "is much less intense in flavor when compared to pot still distillates ... at a strength of 94.5% vol."

Scotland

Under Scotch Whisky Regulations, "'Blended Malt Scotch Whisky' means a blend of two or more single malt Scotch whiskies that have been distilled at more than one distillery; 'Blended Grain Scotch Whisky' means a blend of two or more single grain Scotch whiskies that have been distilled at more than one distillery; and 'Blended Scotch Whisky' means a blend of one or more single malt Scotch whiskies with one or more single grain Scotch whiskies. The regulations also allow the addition of

caramel color Caramel color or caramel coloring is a water-soluble food coloring. It is made by heat treatment of carbohydrates (sugars), in general in the presence of acids, alkalis, or salts, in a process called caramelization. It is more fully oxidized than ...

, regardless of whether the final product is labeled as blended or not.Scotch Whisky Regulations Guidance 2009
,

Scotch Whisky Association The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) is a trade organisation that represents the Scotch whisky industry. The Scotch whisky industry is an important part of the Scottish economy, and particularly the Scottish export market. Structure The main of ...

, December 2, 2009. A mix of single malts only, without other types of whisky such as those made from grains other than malted barley, may be called a

blended malt A blended malt, formerly called a vatted malt, or pure malt, is a blend of different single malt whiskies from different distilleries. These terms are most commonly used in reference to Scotch whisky, or whisky in that style, such as Japanese ...

(formerly known as a vatted malt, a term no longer permitted).

United States

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

"blended whiskey" – alternatively labeled as "whiskey – a blend" – must contain a minimum of 20% straight whiskey. Blended whiskey that contains a minimum of 51% straight whiskey of one particular grain type (i.e., rye, malt, wheat, or bourbon whiskey) includes the grain type in its label description (e.g., "blended rye whiskey" or "blended bourbon whiskey"). Spirits containing less than 20% straight whiskey but greater than 5% whiskey of any kind can be labeled "spirit whiskey". American "blended whiskey" is not to be confused with American whiskey labeled as a "blend of straight whiskeys". A "blend of straight whiskeys" is a mixture of one or more straight whiskeys that either includes straight whiskeys produced in different U.S. states or coloring and flavoring additives (and possibly other approved "blending materials") or both, but ''does not'' contain neutral grain spirits.

References

External links

Dr. Whisky
(on blended whisky)
L.A. Whiskey Society
(reviews of blended whisky) {{whisky, state=expanded Whisky