Simply misunderstood
Dave Broom sticks up for the overlooked 'oddball' of the whisky world, with some expert help
It was halfway through the tasting for the last issue that it struck me that no-one really understands what a vatted malt is: itâs the poor relation of the whisky industry, not quite a blend, not quite a malt either. Vatted malts are so ⦠marginal. The idea â a âblendâ of single malts â is simple enough but as Richard Paterson claims, few consumers know what a vatted malt is meant to be like. âThe consumer is confused as to what they are and the style isnât given the credit it should,â he says. âThe fact they are not a single doesnât mean they are inferior. They have complexity, theyâre just a different style. The Corriemhor should be judged in the same way as a malt.â
John Ramsay takes a similar line. âTheyâre not well understood by the majority,â he says adding â as any blender would â that a mix of malts should be and in many cases is better than single malt, age for age, as the blender has a broader base to draw from. âThey suffer from a lack of provenance in the minds of those who understand the concept like yourself.â Well, thatâs me told, but I take his point. Do we just pay lip-service to them? Allow them to sit, slightly awkwardly, off to one side? Vatted malts are like the kid who doesnât join in at school, the oddball who is too much trouble to include in your games yet when you take time to talk to him ends up being your best friend.
For years it was possible to ignore vatted malts, yet recently the category has seen .....
To read the rest of this article you can buy this issue
or subscribe to Whisky Magazine to have every issue delivered direct to your door.
You can unlock and read this entire article with 1 of your community tokens by clicking here.
By Dave Broom
Section : Vatted malts
Page number : 30
