Best blended Scotch whisky brands: Top 5

Many Scotch whisky enthusiasts automatically opt for single malts without thinking of alternatives. While I would never wish to speak negatively of single malt brands (I am a huge fan of them), I do think that blended Scotch whisky does have its own appeal and I can appreciate why some people consider blended Scotch to possess both complexity and less harshness. Over 90 percent of the Scotch produced in Scotland is blended whisky. It is made up from malt whisky and grain whisky. Each of the blended Scotch whisky brands uses different combinations and recipes to create its own distinctive style. I hope you like my top 5 list of the best blended Scotch whisky brands and find it to be useful.

This pale, light-flavored, blended Scotch whisky was created in 1923 by the Glenrothes Distillery in the Scottish region of Speyside. It is named after a famous clipper ship, which is also pictured on the label. Cutty Sark is generally favored by people who prefer a less boldly flavored Scotch whisky blend.

The Famous Grouse Gold Reserve blend has a flavor that is big and rich without being crude or overbearing. Famous Grouse was first produced in 1897 by Matthew Gloag, named after his whisky merchant grandfather who had supplied beverages for a Queen Victoria royal banquet in Perth, Scotland, back in 1842. The brand’s emblem is a red grouse, which can be seen on the label.

Chivas Regal is produced by Chivas Brothers, who were established in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1801. The brand’s home is Strathisla Distillery in Speyside, Scotland, from which it has established itself as a global market leader in recent years. The Chivas Regal blend contains a large amount Speyside malts, which gives it a smooth, elegant and very accessible taste.

One taste from a dram of Johnnie Walker will tell you why it is the most widely distributed blended Scotch whisky in the world, selling over 130 million bottles annually. Its iconic square bottle was introduced in 1870 and meant that, as well as suffering less breakages, more bottles could be fit into the same amount of space. The gold label is a blend of over 15 single malts and its taste has an Islay peatiness about it, almost certainly deriving from the Caol Ila distillery, which is also owned by Diageo.

Ballantine’s have been producing their award winning blended Scotch whiskies since the 19^th Century. They rely on fifty single malts to create their distinctive Ballantine’s brand. Their 17 year old blended Scotch whisky is a sweet and creamy, superior dram. Probably the best, however, is Ballantine’s 30 year old Scotch, a marvel of smoky peatiness and cedar that shows what extra magic three decades of wood-aging can bring.