Single malt Scotch whisky is made from 100% malted barley and must come from a single distillery, using copper pot stills. This is in contrast to blended whisky, which is the result of blending one or more single malt Scotch whiskies with one or more grain whiskies. All Scotch whisky must be matured for at least three years. 

Single malt whiskies often take their name from the distillery in which they were made. The Macallan single malts are made at The Macallan Distillery.  

Single malt whisky is made exclusively from malted barley. Barley is malted to enable the starch within it to become accessible. The malting process involves steeping, germination and kilning. Malted barley grains are crushed in a mill and ground into a coarse flour called grist. The grist is then mixed with hot water in the mash tun. The Starch is solubilised and broken down into sugars, creating a solution called wort. 

The wort is cooled and put into a washback, where The Macallan's yeast is added, and fermentation takes place, converting the fermentable sugars to alcohol and CO2, creating a liquid known as the wash. 

The wash is then distilled twice in our curiously small copper pot stills to separate the alcohol from the water. Only the finest quality spirit, called “new make,” is selected from these stills. 

This new make spirit is then transferred into our sherry seasoned oak casks for maturation. Oak is not uniform so whisky in different casks will peak at different times. 

Once the whisky reaches optimum maturity, our whisky makers select the whiskies from casks of a similar character, and they are combined for a number of months before bottling. This is known as the marrying process. 

Differences in how a single malt whisky tastes will depend on its production conditions and processes, as well as the casks the spirit is matured in. The new make spirit is transferred to our oak casks for maturation, and because oak is not uniform, whisky in different casks will peak at different times and draw out different flavours from different oak species, which can give the whisky a different taste.  

Wood contributes to the flavour and colour of the whisky. Firstly, European Oak is less dense and has more tannin, which provides rich golden colours and flavours such as dried fruits and sweet spices.  

American oak, however, is denser and has less tannin than European oak. This gives lighter gold colours to the whisky, with flavours such as vanilla, fresh fruits, citrus and coconut.  

A single malt Scotch whisky provides the unique character and flavours of one distillery, whereas blended whisky provides an opportunity to taste whisky and grains from various distilleries. Single malt whisky is usually matured for longer. 

A pure malt is just another term for a blended malt and refers to a whisky made from a blend of single malts distilled in traditional pot still and aged for at least three years in oak casks from at least two different distilleries.  

Although single malt whisky is often associated with Scotland, single malts can be made anywhere in the world. However, ‘Scotch’ single malt whiskies must be produced in Scotland and matured in oak casks for a minimum of three years. 

Single malt whisky can be enjoyed neat, with water, on the rocks or in cocktails. For more information around how you can elevate your enjoyment of single malts, visit our Whisky Knowledge and Whisky Serves pages. 

To enhance your whisky tasting experience, consider pairing your dram with a selection of fine cheeses, meats, seafood, or chocolate. 

For more information on indulgent whisky pairing information, you can visit Our Whisky.