Scotch Glossary

This glossary is going to be an ongoing work in progress. We'll post terms and definitions related to Scotch and whisk[e]y as we think of them or as we receive questions.

abv. - "alcohol by volume" meaning the percentage of the total volume of the beverage that is alcohol

blended malt Scotch [whisky] - a blend of two or more single malt Scotch whiskies, specifically not containing any grain whiskies; formerly referred to as vatted malts; as opposed to blended Scotch or single malt Scotch whiskies; e.g. several Compass Box whiskies, Monkey Shoulder, Sheep Dip, Johnny Walker Green Label, etc.

blended Scotch [whisky] - a blend of at least one single malt Scotch whisky and at least one grain whisky; as opposed to blended malt or single malt whiskies; e.g. most Johnny Walker, JB, Cutty Sark, etc.

proof - a measure of alcohol content; in current use, it's twice the abv. (e.g. a whisky with 40% abv. is 80 proof); not commonly used outside the US anymore (and therefore, rarely seen in the context of Scotch); formerly equal to 1.75 times the abv. in the UK

single malt Scotch [whisky] - whisky distilled in pot stills at a single distillery in Scotland from malted barley then aged in oak casks in Scotland for at least three years and one day; e.g. Glenlivet 12 year old, Laphroaig 10 year old, Aberlour A'bunadh, etc.

whisk[e]y - a distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain; most markets also require a minimum aging period, often 3 years, for a beverage to be sold as whisky; most markets also require a minimum abv., often 40%, for a beverage to be sold as whisky