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Single malt whisky

A single malt is whisky made at one distillery from malted barley alone. For single malt Scotch, the law also requires pot stills and at least three years in oak casks in Scotland. “Single” refers to the distillery, not the cask: most single malts are a mix of many casks from the same place. For bottles drawn from just one, see single cask whisky. For pot still science, legal rules and the five types of Scotch, see our guide to single malt Scotch.

Most of the single malts here are Scotch, but the list also includes single malts from Ireland, Japan, England, Wales, India, Taiwan and the USA. To narrow it down, start with a region, a cask type or peated whisky.

Prices are the best current in-stock offer from the UK retailers we check.

2166 bottles in stock, with the best current price from the UK retailers we check.

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Questions

What is the cheapest single malt whisky?
The cheapest single malt whisky is Glen Moray Elgin Classic Single Malt Whisky (40% ABV, 70cl), at £23.99 from Master of Malt. That is £28.94 delivered to the UK mainland for one bottle. Next cheapest: Glenmorangie X (£24.95) and Loch Lomond Original Single Malt Whisky (£24.99).
How much does single malt whisky cost?
Single malt whisky costs from £23.99 to £24,500.00, with a median of £99.95 for a full-size bottle. The dearest is Glen Grant 1948 (cask 1365) King Charles III Coronation Release (Gordo Single Malt Whisky.
What is the oldest single malt whisky you can buy?
Glen Grant 1948 (cask 1365) King Charles III Coronation Release (Gordo Single Malt Whisky, at 74 years old, from £24,500.00.
What makes a whisky a single malt Scotch?
Under the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, a Single Malt Scotch Whisky must be distilled at a single distillery, from only water and malted barley, in pot stills. Like all Scotch, it must then be matured in Scotland in oak casks of no more than 700 litres for at least three years, and bottled at 40% ABV or more.
Does the 'single' in single malt mean the whisky comes from one cask?
No. “Single” means one distillery, not one cask. A standard single malt is usually a vatting of many casks from that distillery, mixed to give a consistent house style; whisky from just one cask is sold as a single cask bottling.
Is American single malt whisky made to the same rules as single malt Scotch?
Not quite. The US standard requires 100% malted barley, distilled at one US distillery at no more than 160 proof (80% ABV) and stored in the US in oak barrels of up to 700 litres, but it sets no pot still requirement and no minimum age unless the label says “straight” (at least 2 years). Caramel colouring is allowed only if it is disclosed on the label.
What does the age on a whisky label mean?
It is the age of the youngest whisky in the bottle. Labelling regulations tie an age statement strictly to the youngest component, so a 12-year-old can contain older whisky but nothing younger than 12 years.