Does this apply to irish whiskey also??

[scotty]

All i could find on single malt is the following

Single malt ... contrary to common perception ... refers to Scotch whiskey made from 100% malted barley from a Single Distillery ... and not to the number of malts used.

A scotch called double malt (not an official nomenclature) ... is extremely uncommon ... and probably is refering to a vatted or blended malt scotch whiskey which combines malt whiskeys from just two distilleries. It would be officially known as a blended scotch, but that wouldn't give proper credit to its more exclusive pedigree. I have seen these sometimes called "Double Single" malt scotch whiskey.

Blended scotch is made from both malted barley and grain whiskeys and is usually sourced from many distilleries.

The reason single malts are considered superior nowadays is the use of only malt whiskeys and the more intense taste. They are also more expensive.

Blended scotch typically uses only 10-50% malt whiskey mixed with less expensive and less intensely flavored grain distillates. This was originally done because pure malt was considered too strongly flavored. Far more blended scotch is sold because of its softer flavor and lower price. Although you can have a blended scotch also of extremely high quality like Johnny Walker Blue.

All of this is not to be confused with "Double Wood" which refers to the use of multiple types of wood casks used in the aging process. Balvanie Double Wood for example uses casks made from American Oak previously used to age Bourbon and European Oak previously used to age sherry. Again the term is confusing since all their casks are from the single wood oak ... just from different sources and having different flavoring properties given their different prior usage.
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[rathbeggan]

Scotty,

Most of what you quoted does apply to Irish whiskey as well as Scotch, with a couple of differences.

Single malt Irish whiskey is from a single distillery, in a pot still, made solely from malted barley. Single malt is made in Midleton, Bushmills, Kilbeggan and Cooley, but Midleton doesn't market any single malt, it's mixed with its other whiskies. There was a single malt available in the US in the 90s called Erin Go Bragh which was reportedly from Midleton, but it wasn't very good.

"Double malt" is not a recognised description, or at least not as far as I know, and certainly not for Irish whiskey. I'm not aware of any "vatted Irish malts".

Single pot still or pure pot still is made in a single distillery, in a pot still, from a mix of grains. This is the "classic" Irish whiskey style. It was developed because there was a higher tax on malted barley so unmalted grains were added. In recent years it has been a mix of malted and unmalted barley. In past years other grains were used. Midleton was the only distillery making this whiskey style from the mid seventies to this year. Kilbeggan distillery is now making single pot still and is using oats as well as barley.

Grain whiskey is made from a mix of grains in continuous stills. This is made in Midleton, Cooley and I think Kilbeggan, but Midleton and Kilbeggan don't bottle their grain separately. Cooley bottles a single grain under the Greenore label.

Blended Irish could be a blend of malt and grain whiskey; malt, grain and single pot still; grain and single pot still; or, in one case, malt and single pot still.

All the whiskeys (malt, grain, single pot still) in Midleton's blends have been made in Midleton. All the whiskeys (malt and grain) in Cooley's/Kilbeggan's blends have been made in Cooley or Kilbeggan, mostly Cooley as Kilbeggan has only been recently reopened as a distillery. The malt in the Bushmills blends (Original, Black Bush, 1608) comes from Bushmills, the grain is from Midleton (to date at least, though that may change as they're not owned by the same company any more).

Bushmills, Cooley and Kilbeggan do "wood finishes" - that is, they mature the whiskey mostly in ex-bourbon casks and then finish some in other casks, usually sherry, sometimes madeira, port, rum or non-fortified wines. They also market whiskey which is not finished in wine casks. Some Bushmills malts are "triple wood" - matured in Bourbon, then sherry, and finished in port casks (the 16 year old) or madeira casks (the 21 year old). Midleton don't do finishes, they mature some stock in Bourbon casks, some in sherry casks, and then marry them in certain blends.

I'm not sure what the new Dingle distillery is making.

Other forum members may be able to offer more info or correct any heresies above!

Sláinte,

Rathbeggan

[scotty]

I forgot to say thanks for the info.

[GSC]

Some great info here. Thanks for posting it.