Malt or Grain Whisky – What are the Differences?

Ordering a whisky can be as cumbersome an ordeal as your first Starbucks mission, so best to have a cognoscente whisky drinker by your side when you go to the bar, to help you cogitate some of the terminology.  A whisky can be as equivocal a term as a coffee, and if you get a pedantic barman who prides himself on his accuracy of service, then you will need to be able to field some of his questions.

Scotch whisky – or “Scotch” – is probably the most renowned whisky in circulation today.  Calling for this is normally good practice and shouldn’t lead to a questionnaire, but in reality, it should.  There are five different types of “scotch” – single malt, blended malt, blended, blended grain and single grain – and they all have their own subtle differences, which even your whisky friend will have trouble articulating.  However, they all have one thing in common; they are all distilled and matured in Scotland, by international law.

Grain Whisky

A Grain Whisky is any whisky which is made from any grains other than barley; these grains include maize or wheat.  A small amount of “green malted” barley is added to assist in the conversion of the starches in the other grains into sugar, which is then turned into alcohol by the addition of yeast.  They are distilled in a column still – or a coffey still – as distinct from a pot still, which is used in the production of Malt Whisky.  Grain whiskies are not a popular brand on their own however and they are typically distilled for the production of blended whiskies, which are the most prevalent. 

Malt Whisky

Single Malt Whisky is very snobbish in how it’s produced.  Whilst the chemical processes which take place are similar to grain whisky production, single malt may only be made from one type of malted grain and must only be distilled at one location.  As well as this, the distilleries will typically only use barley specific to its region, which helps to distinguish it from other single malt distilleries in Scotland. 

Traditionally, there are four distilling regions – Lowland, Highland, Islay and Campbeltown – and these regions may be split up into further sub-divisions, the most distinguished being Speyside, which has harboured a reputation for itself since the 18^th century.  Now, over half of Scotland’s malt whisky distilleries are made in this sub-division.

Blended Whisky is the composite of mixing singe malt whiskies with grain whiskies.  The grain whiskies – which are usually lighter and less harsh than the single malts – tend to demure the taste a little.  Popular brands of blended whisky are Jameson, Johnnie Walker and Old St Andrews.

So now, let’s hope you can go to the bar on your own without your knowledgeable friend to guide you, and remember that a whisky should be drank neat and not debased by mixing it with coke or other such tempering poisons.  Afterall, you wouldn’t put milk into your espresso!