Whisky labels explained: what a bottle can tell you

How to read a whiskey bottle label? What do terms such as "single malt," "NAS," and "non-chill filtered" mean? Many whiskey lovers ask themselves these questions when choosing new bottles.

In this terminology guide, you will find explanations of the basic terms that appear on whiskey bottle labels. A whiskey bottle is not just a design piece for your bar, it is also a calling card for the distillery and a small encyclopedia, if you know how to read it correctly. It can tell you a lot about itself, from its origin and age to the maturation process and flavor profile. Every detail on the label can tell you what to expect in your glass.

Let's take a step-by-step look at how to decipher the language of whiskey bottles.

Contents:

What is single malt whiskey and what does this term actually mean?
The origin of whiskey. How can origin influence the taste or production of whiskey?
Alcohol content or ABV (alcohol by volume)
Age designation
Information about coloring or cold filtering
Types of barrels
Batch

What is single malt whisky and what does this term actually mean?

In Slovak, this term is often translated as "single malt whisky", but this is not entirely accurate; there is probably no single malt whisky in the world, because whisky is made from a huge amount of barley.

Distilleries either grow it themselves (although this is rare today, we encounter it, for example, at the Kilchoman distillery, which grows some of its own barley and uses it to produce its 100% Islay Edition bottling) or buy it from various farmers or maltsters.

Whisky is also produced from various varieties of barley, such as Concerto, Bere, Golden Promise, and Publican, which can come from all corners of the world. Much of the barley is grown directly in Scotland or England, but France, Denmark, Germany, and Ukraine are also significant suppliers.

The term "single malt" should therefore be understood as follows: these are two separate words that should correctly be separated by a comma or hyphen. The first part, "single," indicates that 100 % of the bottle's contents come from a single distillery, while the second part, "malt," means that the entire contents of the bottle are made from malted barley. For this reason, Scottish whiskey can also be labeled as: single grain, blended malt, blended grain, or simply blended whiskey. This term can be understood in the same way as the term single malt.

The term "single grain" could be translated as "grain whiskey" and means that the whiskey comes from a single distillery and is either made from a grain other than malted barley (unmalted barley, wheat, rye, corn, etc.) or, in the case of Scotch whiskey, if the whiskey was distilled in a column still – Scottish whisky regulations do not allow whisky distilled in a column still to be labeled "malt" even if it was made from 100% malted barley (which is why, for example, Loch Lomond Grainstorm and Floral and Smoky are labeled "single grain whisky made with 100 % malted barley").

Blended malt means that the whisky comes from two or more distilleries but is made from 100% malted barley (e.g., Johnnie Walker Green Label). This is a blended whisky.

Blended grain also indicates that it is a blended whisky from two or more distilleries, at least one of which is a grain whisky.

Blended (Scotch/Irish) whisky indicates that it is a blended whisky made from a combination of distillates from several distilleries. It can be malt or grain whisky. It is the most commercially available type of whisky and includes all whiskies such as Jameson, Ballantines, Chivas Regal, Johnnie Walker Red Label...

These are the most common labels that can appear on a bottle of whiskey, but we may also encounter the label "single pot still whiskey," mainly on Irish whiskey. This label means that the whiskey comes from a single distillery, is made from a mixture of malted and unmalted barley, and was distilled in a pot still (copper stills).

American whiskey may be labeled "bourbon," which means that the whiskey is made from at least 51% corn and aged in new oak barrels. "Rye whiskey" indicates that it was made from at least 51% rye. "Tennessee whiskey" means that it is made from at least 51% corn and was produced using the Lincoln County Process – filtration through charcoal before the whiskey is poured into barrels, which removes impurities and softens the flavor profile of the whiskey.

The origin of whiskey. How can origin affect the taste or production of whiskey?

If we stay in Scotland, the region of production often indicates the typical flavor profile of the whiskey that comes from it. Scotland has five main whiskey regions: Islay, Campbeltown, Lowland, Highland, and Speyside (in the modern concept of dividing whiskey regions, we sometimes find Island whiskey as a separate category, but officially, island whiskeys belong to the Highland region).

Whiskies from Islay are often smoky (if you are interested in learning more about this region, you can read about it in our previous article), while whiskies from Speyside are often matured in sherry casks, and whiskies from the Highlands are very diverse, ranging from smoky whiskies to mild fruity whiskeys, and heavier sherry-matured whiskeys. Lowland is a region that usually produces milder, slightly herbal whiskeys, while whiskeys from Campbeltown are often described as "funky" and "dirty." Island whiskeys tend to be seaside and salty.

If we look at Ireland, whiskeys here are usually distilled three times (unlike in Scotland, where they are usually distilled twice), making them smoother, fruitier, and with a smoother texture. In the US, the aforementioned bourbon and rye whiskeys dominate. Distillation takes place in a column still, and after distillation, the whiskey is transferred to virgin oak barrels, which give it an intense vanilla-spicy profile with notes of oak, caramel, and baking spices. If we look at Japan or Taiwan, we find that they have followed the Scottish tradition of whisky production, so it is usually distilled twice. Whiskies from Japan and Taiwan are smoother, fruitier, and emphasize purity of taste and elegance.

Alcohol content or ABV (alcohol by volume)

For most of the world's whiskeys, the legal minimum alcohol content is 40%, but we also encounter whiskeys that are bottled at 43%, 46% or more. When it comes to alcohol content, we can mention the terms "batch strength" or "natural cask strength." "Batch strength" means that the whiskey was bottled from a specific batch, so the alcohol content may vary from batch to batch. However, sometimes the whiskey is slightly diluted to ensure consistency between batches. "Natural cask strength" or simply "cask strength" means that the whiskey was bottled at cask strength without any dilution.

Age designation

For whiskey, the youngest part of the content is indicated, so if the bottle says, for example, that it is a 12-year-old single malt whiskey, we know that there is no distillate younger than 12 years in the bottle. Even single malt whiskeys are usually "vattings" or "marriages" (blends) of different casks from the same distillery, which are combined to achieve the desired flavor profile of the final whiskey. So unless it is a "single cask release" (bottled from a single cask), the bottle contains a combination of dozens, if not hundreds, of casks that make up the final product. If the label does not specify the age, it is a so-called "non-age stated" whisky, i.e., a whisky bottled without specifying the age.

Information on coloring or cold filtering

Whiskey legally may not be flavored or sweetened. It may only be made from barley (or other grains), water, and yeast. Technical caramel (E150a) is used to color whisky, a process known as "color unification," which ensures that every bottle of the same product looks the same. This prevents one bottle from being paler than another, etc. However, distilleries do not always indicate whether whisky has been colored or not. If the bottle says "of natural color" or "cask imparted color" or something similar, it means that the whiskey was bottled without coloring.

Cold filtration, or "chill filtration," is a process in which the whiskey is cooled to either 4 or 0 degrees Celsius and passed through a fine mesh that removes fats from it. This is done to prevent the whiskey from clouding when cooled. This does not happen if the whiskey has an alcohol content of more than 46 %, but some producers still filter their whiskey to "maintain quality" even at higher alcohol contents.

This information is usually indicated on the bottle if the whiskey has not been chill-filtered. In this case, the bottle may be labeled "non-chill filtered" or "unchillfiltered." For whiskey fans, it is always better if the whiskey has not been chill-filtered, as it then has greater intensity and a thicker consistency. As for cold filtration, this is also information that does not always appear on the label, so as a rule, it is better to expect that the whiskey has been colored and cold filtered unless the bottle states otherwise.

Types of barrels

The label also usually indicates the type of barrel in which the whiskey was aged, but we will take a closer look at this in a separate article. Very briefly, bourbon and sherry barrels are most commonly used for aging whiskey. They impart a specific flavor profile to the distillate that ages in them. Bourbon barrels impart notes of orchard fruit, vanilla, black pepper, and oak, while sherry barrels impart notes of cinnamon, cocoa, coffee, and forest fruits.

Batch

The label may also include the batch number and information about whether it is an official distillery bottling or an independent bottling by so-called "Independent Bottlers". But we will look at this again in a separate article. It may also include a brief description of the flavor profile so that you know what to expect from the whiskey after opening it.

Knowing this basic information helps us better understand what we are buying and drinking, and makes it easier for us to choose a whiskey based on its flavor profile or taste. Whether it's a smoother Japanese whiskey or a heavier, smokier whiskey from Islay, the label itself can reveal much of the story hidden inside the bottle.