What Is Single Malt Whisky?

Single malt means 100% malted barley, distilled at one distillery — not necessarily from a single cask or a single year.

"Single malt" is one of the most misunderstood terms on a whisky label. It refers to two specific things:

• Single — the whisky was distilled at one distillery (not that it came from a single barrel or a single batch)
• Malt — it was made entirely from malted barley (as opposed to other grains like corn, wheat or rye)

What single malt does NOT mean

• It does not mean single cask — a single malt is usually a blend of many casks from the same distillery, combined to create a consistent house style (unless specifically labelled "single cask" or "single barrel").
• It does not mean a single vintage/year — most single malts blend whisky from multiple years of production, unless a specific vintage is stated.

Single malt vs blended malt vs blended whisky

• Single malt — 100% malted barley, one distillery.
• Blended malt — 100% malted barley, but combining whisky from more than one distillery.
• Blended whisky — a mix of malt whisky and grain whisky (see "What is blended whisky?"), often from multiple distilleries.

Why single malt has a premium reputation

Because it comes from one distillery's stills, water source and house style, single malt is often seen as a more distinctive, "signature" expression of a particular producer, compared to a blend built for broad, consistent appeal across many casks and sometimes many distilleries. New Zealand's whisky scene — including producers like Cardrona Distillery — has focused heavily on single malt as its flagship style.