Official regulations

Under the official regulations: “Blended Scotch Whisky” is defined as a blend of one or more Single Malt Scotch Whiskies with one or more Single Grain Scotch Whiskies. Blended Whisky is the foundation of Scotch Whisky industry – up until around 1950 it was basically only avaiable type of whisky, and was of great importance for the popularization of this drink among the connosieurs. To this day blended whisky comprises 90% of Scotch whisky global sales.
As every Scotch whisky it must be made entirely on Scottish soil and matured in an oak cask for at least 3 years.
Blended whisky is a mix of both malt whiskies and grain whiskies, sourced from several different distilleries. Single malt whisky is only made from barley, while grain whiskies could be made from any grain, such as rye and corn.

Key ingredients

The single malt whisky is said to be a quality ingredient in blended whisky, accounting for its distinctive flavours. Bonnie Prince Whisky recognizes the importance of single malts in blending, therefore it has greater than standard ratio of highest quality single malt to grain whisky (around 15% of single malt, compared to standard of 5%). But that doesn’t mean that the grain whisky is just neutral spirit – this whiskies also has their character and aromas, developing as it ages in casks. In quality blended Scotch whiskies, the grain element soothes overly intensive flavors of single malt whisky, emphasizing secondary notes that might otherwise be covered and unrecognizable. The smoothness and mildness of blended whisky makes it preferable over single malt to many consumers. That is also what makes it a great drink to enjoy on the rocks or in drinks.
Blended whisky could contain up to hundreds different distillates. That high numer of ingredients allows for consistency of taste and aroma at the greater scale of production. While every single cask whisky is different, blending helps to hide this differences and give consumers the flavour they enjoyed before and expect every time. This is the task of Master Blender, a respectable and important profession in Scotch whisky industry. It recquires exceptional sensory skills and memory, what makes the most famous Master Blenders sort of a superstars in the industry.