legal
Single Grain Scotch Whisky
Defined in law
Scotch whisky distilled at a single distillery that is neither Single Malt Scotch Whisky nor a Blended Scotch Whisky. It is defined by exclusion, not by grain content.
Where it is defined
Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890), reg. 3(2)
Often confused with single malt
Both mean one distillery. Single grain is not 'made from one grain' and need contain no cereal other than barley — it is simply single-distillery Scotch that fails the single malt test, usually because a column still was used.
Worth knowing
A 100% malted-barley whisky distilled in a column still at one distillery is legally Single Grain, not single malt: the drafting turns on the still first and the cereals second. Loch Lomond's malted-barley grain whisky is the standard example.
Related terms
Last reviewed 2026-07-30 · All glossary terms