What is Single Malt Whisky?

Single malt whisky can only be called so if it is made by a single distillery using only malted barley. In Australia, whisky must be aged in oak barrels for a minimum of two years before it can legally be called whisky, prior to that is is simply known as New Make Spirit.

However, contrary to popular belief, single malt whisky does not have to be the product of one single whisky cask, but rather they are almost always a marriage of whiskies taken from multiple casks. This marriage is still a single malt whisky as long as the casks are all from the same distillery. Some distilleries will release a “single cask” or single batch whisky as a limited edition or special release.

Blended whiskies, on the other hand, are made from a blend of single malt and grain whiskies from multiple distilleries.

Many still refer to all whiskies as Scotch, this is largely due to Scotland being the first producers of single malt whisky in the world, with the first recorded whisky being produced in1494. Now that’s what we call longevity! Becoming so popular, whisky was over taxed which led to many illegal distilleries popping up across Scotland. In order to combat this, in 1823 the Excise Act was introduced allowing legal distilleries to become viable, and dare say profitable, entities. By 1832 there were 232 legally registered distilleries in Scotland, but today there are 150 still going strong.

In Australia, the first craft distillery, Lark Distillery (based in Tasmania), opened 1992 after Bill Lark lobbied the government to overturn a law prohibiting distilleries with stills smaller than 2700 litres. A handful of distilleries then followed in Tasmania and Victoria. Today, there are over 300 distilleries operating across Australia, however not all distilleries are making single malt whisky, with some focussing on gin, vodke, rum, and other spirits. Tasmania has the largest number of distilleries, and this is partly due to the conditions in being very suitable for whisky production: the large diurnal temperature range and seasonal variation which is a prime climate for whisky maturation - and it doesn’t hurt that Tasmania has some of the best water in the world!

So, if you’re a single malt whisky fan, be sure to tuck into some of what Tasmania has to offer!