Single Malts

• Single malt is the simplest type of Scotch whisky. A single malt is the product of only one distillery and contains only whisky made from malted barley. Variation in recipe, water, cask and other factors gives single malts complex, often powerful flavors. Popular among whisky connoisseurs, single malts are expensive and time-consuming to produce and tend to have correspondingly high price tags. In addition to being sold by themselves, single malts also serve as ingredients in other types of whisky.

Blended Whisky

• Smoother and more consistent in flavor than single malt, blended whisky is also much more affordable. Blended whiskies contain several different single malts, often from different distilleries. In addition, grain whisky -- whisky made from grain other than malted barley -- is an important ingredient in blended whisky. Some of the more popular mainstream brands of whisky are blended whiskies.

Double Malts

• Double malt whisky is also known as vatted malt whisky or blended malt. Like blended whisky, double malt consists of a mixture of more than one single malt. Unlike blended whisky, double malt contains only malt whisky, without any addition of grain whisky. The term "double malt" is relatively rare; in Scotland, this is more likely to be referred to as a "blended malt," a term not to be confused with "blended whisky." "Vatted malt" and "pure malt" are older terms.

Differences

• Differences between types of whisky are largely a matter of preference. Some whisky enthusiasts love the powerful, complex character of single malts, while others prefer the smoother, more consistent blends. Double malts represent a halfway point between the two. Some double malts combine multiple single malts from one of the great whisky-producing regions -- Speyside, Islay and the Highlands -- to create a whisky strongly featuring that region's distinctive characteristics.