6 min · Beginner

The big six styles

By the end you'll be able to name the six major whisky styles and say what makes each one taste the way it does.

Slide 1 of 31/3

Two from Scotland

Single malt Scotch is made at one distillery, from 100% malted barley, in copper pot stills — the style of Glenfiddich, Macallan and Lagavulin. Blended Scotch (Johnnie Walker, Chivas) marries malt whiskies with lighter grain whisky: smoother, more consistent, and about 90% of all Scotch sold.

'Single' doesn't mean one cask or one grain — it means one distillery.

On the map

The places this lesson covers, in the Atlas.