legal
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Defined in law
Scotch whisky distilled in one or more batches at a single distillery, from water and malted barley without the addition of any other cereals, in pot stills.
Where it is defined
Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890), reg. 3(2); labelling mandated by reg. 8
Often confused with single cask
'Single' refers to the single distillery, not a single cask or a single distillation. The regulation says 'distilled in one or more batches', so a single malt is normally a vatting of hundreds of casks filled across many years.
Worth knowing
Since 2012, Single Malt Scotch may only leave Scotland in a labelled retail bottle (reg. 7(3)). Bulk export in wood is prohibited, which is why 'single malt' cannot legally be bottled abroad.
Related terms
Last reviewed 2026-07-30 · All glossary terms