In DEFENCE OF THE BLEND

Johann Malawana
Jun 26
6 min read

If you have spent any time around whisky enthusiasts, you will likely have encountered a particular kind of snobbery. Someone orders a Johnnie Walker or a Famous Grouse, and a knowing eyebrow goes up across the table. The implication is clear: serious whisky drinkers drink single malt.

It is time to push back on that.

What Is a Blended Whisky, Exactly?

A single malt whisky is made entirely from malted barley at a single distillery. A blended Scotch combines single malt whiskies from multiple distilleries with single grain whisky - typically made from wheat or corn - to produce a consistent, balanced final product. ¹

There is also a third category worth knowing: the blended malt, which brings together single malts from several distilleries without any grain whisky at all. This sits between the two and is where some of the most exciting modern blends are being made.

The word “blended” can sound like a compromise. In practice, it is anything but. Creating a great blend requires a master blender to work with dozens sometimes hundreds - of different whiskies simultaneously, balancing flavour profiles, ages, and regional characters into something coherent and repeatable. It is an extraordinary craft, and one that frequently goes unrecognised.

The Numbers Tell an Interesting Story

Despite the prestige that surrounds single malt, blended Scotch accounts for the vast majority of whisky sold worldwide -somewhere between 60 and 85% of global volume, depending on which market you measure. ² Single malt has grown impressively since 1980, when it represented just 1% of global sales; today it is over 15%. ³

But blends remain the backbone of the industry, and the most recognised names in Scotch - Johnnie Walker, Chivas Regal, Bell’s - are all blends. In other words: most of the whisky drunk on the planet is blended. The snobbery is, to put it gently, somewhat at odds with the facts.

The Master Blender’s Art: Johnnie Walker

Johnnie Walker is an instructive place to start, because it illustrates just how demanding blending at the highest level truly is. The range is led by Master Blender Dr Emma Walker, who works with casks from over 29 distilleries across the Lowlands, Highlands, Speyside, and the Islands - drawing on Caol Ila’s smokiness, Speyside fruit, floral Highland malts, and creamy Lowland grains to achieve balance in a single glass. ⁴

At the premium end, Johnnie Walker Blue Label is assembled from only one in every ten thousand casks inspected - including whisky from so-called “ghost distilleries” that have long since closed. ⁵ It is a product that simply could not exist as a single malt. Its depth and complexity are made possible because it is a blend.

The history behind it is equally compelling. John Walker opened his grocer’s shop in Kilmarnock in 1820, and what began as a small trade in whisky became, through successive generations, one of the most recognised drinks brands in the world. ⁶ That heritage is built entirely on the art of blending.

Craft Blending: The Compass Box Story

For those who think blending is purely an industrial exercise, Compass Box offers a compelling counter-argument. Founded in London in 2000 by John Glaser, a former marketing director at Johnnie Walker, Compass Box set out to treat blended Scotch with the same seriousness and creative intent more commonly associated with single malt. ⁷

Rather than distilling its own spirit, Compass Box sources casks from distilleries across Scotland and blends them into something entirely their own. Their current range illustrates the breadth of what blending can achieve: Orchard House is soft and fruit-forward; The Peat Monster draws together Islay and Highland peated malts for bold, smoky complexity; Hedonism -their very first release -is a blended grain whisky aged up to 24 years, silky and sweet in a way few single malts can match. ⁸

Compass Box also became one of the most prominent voices in Scotch whisky

transparency. In 2015, they attempted to publish full details of every component whisky in their blends - including distillery names and ages - only to be told by the Scotch Whisky Association that this was prohibited under existing regulations. Their resulting campaign for greater openness in blending has since shifted the conversation across the industry. ⁹Their whiskies have won numerous international awards.

The Peat Monster, in particular, became a beloved cult expression - and was the original whisky used in the modern classic cocktail The Penicillin. ¹⁰ This is a blended malt sitting comfortably in the same conversation as the finest Islay single malts.

Monkey Shoulder: Blending for a New Generation

Monkey Shoulder arrived in 2005 with a different kind of ambition: to make Scotch relevant, approachable, and genuinely fun for a new generation of drinkers who were more at home in cocktail bars than whisky societies.

Created by master blender Brian Kinsman at William Grant & Sons, it brings together single malts from three Speyside distilleries -Glenfiddich, Balvenie, and Kininvie - each matured in first-fill bourbon casks, then vatted together for up to six months before bottling. ¹¹ The result is a creamy, malt-forward dram with honey, vanilla, and a gentle warmth that works equally well neat or in a cocktail.

The name itself has a wonderful back-story. In the days of floor malting, distillery workers who spent long shifts turning barley by hand would sometimes develop a repetitive strain injury that caused one arm to hang low at their side — a condition they called “monkey shoulder.” ¹² The bottle carries three small metal monkeys on its shoulder, one for each of the distilleries in the blend. Details like that reflect genuine affection for the craft and its history.

Monkey Shoulder became the world’s trendiest Scotch whisky brand in 2015, according to a poll of the world’s best bars. ¹³ It is now a staple behind bar counters internationally, and a bartender’s recommendation that enthusiasts have learned to trust.

What Blending Can Do That Single Malt Cannot

A single malt is defined -and constrained - by the character of one distillery in one place.

That specificity is part of its appeal. But blending opens up a different kind of possibility. A master blender can draw on the smokiness of Islay, the rich fruit of Speyside, the coastal salt of the Islands, and the light, floral quality of the Lowlands - and weave them into a single dram that no single distillery could produce alone.

That is not a lesser achievement. It is a different kind of artistry, and one with a far longer history in Scotch whisky than the single malt revival that began in earnest only in the 1970s.

Our Invitation

Blended whiskies are often the kindest entry point for those new to whisky, but they are far more than a stepping stone. Some of the most complex, expressive, and memorable drams we have poured at Devon Drams events have been blends - and the conversations they prompt are often the most interesting ones of the evening.

We would love to explore blended and blended malt whiskies with you at one of our upcoming events. Come with an open mind, and you may find yourself quietly revising some long-held assumptions.

Find our next event at devondrams.com/events, or get in touch at

Sources

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Scotch Whisky Association. The Five Types of Scotch Whisky. Available at:

https://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/discovering-scotch/the-five-types-of-scotch-whisky/

(Accessed: June 2026)

Mordor Intelligence. Scotch Whisky Market Share and Forecast. Available at:

https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/scotch-whiskey-market

(Accessed: June 2026)

Cask Trade. The World of Scotch Whisky — A Fascinating Statistical Analysis Pt. 2.

Available at: https://www.casktrade.com/news-events/the-world-of-scotch-whisky-a-

fascinating-statistical-analysis-pt-2/ (Accessed: June 2026)