In the American whiskey industry, there was a long period when blending was a dirty word. Historically, blended whiskey was a combination of straight whiskey and grain neutral spirit (GNS) — and producing it earned brands such as Four Roses a bad reputation. But outside of the US, blended whiskies were typically something entirely different.
In Canada, many producers make and age component whiskies separately instead of having a mash bill — corn, rye, and barley malt spirits are each made of 100 per cent of their respective grains and are not blended until maturity. Blended Scotch was once the pinnacle of Scotch production, preferred over single malt because it would combine whiskies produced in different Scottish regions to create a unique flavour profile.
For decades there were only eight major distilleries in Kentucky; many of them would produce the same bourbon mash bill and buy and sell barrels if one brand needed a specificblending barrels of whiskey produced in different states or of different styles or finishes has become a way to create a truly unique product.
