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Whiskey terminology can get confusing, especially since some of the terms sound so similar. “Single barrel whiskey” and “single malt whiskey” are two such phrases that can be difficult to understand if you aren’t already familiar with the whiskey-making process. Luckily, the difference is pretty straightforward and, once you understand what each phrase is referring to, you’re unlikely to continue getting them confused.

The overall view of the situation is that the term “single barrel” refers to a point in the process towards the end of production, whereas “single malt” refers to a point in the beginning. That will make more sense in a moment but this is the broadest way to differentiate the two.

When producing whiskey, the process follows this sequence: malting, mashing, fermentation, distillation, and finally, maturation. As you may have deduced, single malt refers to the first step, malting. Single barrel refers to the maturation process, specifically the very end of maturation. Comparing the two is like comparing apples to oranges, but there are critical differences worth mentioning.

Whiskey from a single barrel is what we refer to as single barrel whiskey. It’s this straightforward. The maturation process of whiskey involves placing it into barrels or casks to age for many years, and the product that isn’t labelled “single barrel” can essentially be made the same way. It’s entirely possible to have a batch of whiskey with some that are made as single barrels, and others that aren’t.

In a barrelhouse, the whiskey in each barrel will mature into a slightly different taste thanks to factors such as location, climate, and placement within the building, even if it’s from the same batch. Normally, the master distiller tastes a bit from every barrel and blends different barrels for a consistent flavor profile, aligning with previous batches.

However, such consistency sacrifices individuality. Some barrels taste different in a pleasing way, and the distiller may decide to individually bottle these. Each barrel yields about 250-300 bottles of whiskey, causing single barrels to often fetch a premium price. They are generally of a higher proof, but the proof varies from bottle to bottle.

On the other hand, Single malt whiskey is a tad more complex. Simply put, it’s whiskey that’s made from only malted barley, water, and yeast. While barley is predominantly used, other grains can also be used to make single malt whiskeys. However, the rule is one kind of grain only – you can’t mix malted barley with another grain for a single malt whiskey.

Single malt whiskey, by definition, has to be produced by a single distillery. While this might seem straight forward, it can be quite misleading. It’s possible for a single malt whiskey to be a blend of three different single malts, as long as they all originated from the same distillery. Most commonly associated with scotch whisky, the term single malt serves to distinguish it from blended scotch.

Interestingly, single malt scotch can also be a blend. The key difference lies in the fact that blended scotch combines single malt whiskey with grain alcohol, which is less expensive and quicker to produce than single malt. In contrast, a single malt scotch may be a blend of different single malts, from diverse batches, as long as they only incorporate other single malts. Single malts are not restricted to Scotland and can be found in other countries as well.

Examining each term further, how do single malt and single barrel whiskeys compare? A clear differentiation can be drawn not by examining them side by side, but by comparing several bottles of the same type. For instance, upon tasting ten bottles of the same single malt whiskey, it is likely that the flavors, proof and other characteristics would be consistent across all.

However, the same doesn’t hold true for single barrels. Should you purchase ten bottles from the same barrel, they would undoubtedly taste identical. However, if you were to purchase ten bottles of a specific single barrel product from a store and taste each, the flavors could vary considerably. This is due to the fact that each barrel possesses its own unique flavor profile and proof point.

Your chances of getting bottles from the exact same barrel are slim to none unless you’re buying directly from the distillery and asking for it. For some, consistency is exactly what they’re looking for. If a whiskey is good, then there’s no problem. The novelty of each bottle having a slightly different flavor is part of the appeal of single barrel bottles, but whiskey connoisseurs are also looking for richer notes in their spirit that get muted out when blended. It’s all about what you’re into.

It’s worth mentioning that “single barrel” is a very specific term that is relatively unambiguous. There’s a barrel of whiskey and the whiskey inside doesn’t mix with other barrels. If a bottle is labeled as “single barrel, barrel proof” that means it’s entering the bottle exactly as it came out of the barrel. If it’s not labeled “barrel proof,” the whiskey is likely mixed with some water to reach the desired proof point. Other than that, with a single barrel what you get is what you see.

Single malt is not as easy to pin down from the customer’s standpoint because the term has acquired meaning which it doesn’t truly have. If you asked a handful of people what a single malt is, you would probably get at least one person describing a single malt as single barrel whiskey. Meaning, they think single malt means the same thing as single barrel. This could just be due to ignorance, but it’s a wide enough problem (and one distilleries aren’t quick to correct) that it verges on being misleading.

Single malt whiskies are seen as premium, and therefore they can sell at a premium. But within the genre of single malt, there is an enormous range in quality and characteristics. It looks nice on the bottle, it just doesn’t actually tell you that much about what’s inside. One thing you can tell is that whatever age is on the label indicates the youngest whiskey within the bottle.

Read the original article on Tasting Table.