The Best Blended Malt Scotch Whiskies

Copper Dog Blended Malt is a blend of eight different single malts from the Speyside region. The brand is named after a small makeshift device that distillery workers used to use to steal spirits out of resting casks at distilleries they worked at. It is made in partnership with Copper Dog Pub, which is located in the Craigellachie Hotel in Speyside.

Inspired by the famous Shackleton's expedition story, Richard Paterson, Whyte & Mackay's master blender, has tried to recreate the lost whisky legend by combining different casks of "the best Highland malt whiskies" and allowing them to marry over a long period.

Timorous Beastie is a blended malt Scotch whisky from independent bottler Douglas Laing & Co., a family-owned company founded in 1948 in Glasgow. Douglas Laing is known for both blended malt brands like Big Peat and its single cask single malt Provenance range. Non–chill filtered, Timorous Beastie is composed of Highland single malts—including Dalmore, Glengoyne, and Glen Garioch—and takes its name from Robert Burns’ poem “To a Mouse.”

Scallywag Blended Malt Scotch Whisky is a small batch release from independent bottler Douglas Laing & Co. Made entirely from Speyside single malts—including whiskies from distilleries such as Mortlach, Macallan, and Glenrothes—the whisky is matured primarily in Spanish sherry casks with some bourbon hogsheads. It is bottled without chill-filtration at 46% ABV. The name and label were inspired by the Douglas Laing family’s Fox Terriers.

Big Peat is one of the Remarkable Regional Malts from bottler Douglas Laing & Co. This blended malt is made up of single malt whiskies all from the Isle of Islay. They include Ardbeg, Bowmore, Caol Ila, and Port Ellen. Big Peat is bottled at 46% ABV without chill-filtration and without added color, both standards for the brand.

Monkey Shoulder Blended Malt Scotch Whisky takes its name from an injury once suffered by maltmen who turned barley by hand during the malting process, leaving one arm hanging like a “monkey shoulder.” Produced by William Grant & Sons, the whisky is composed primarily of Speyside single malts from the company’s distilleries, including Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, and Kininvie. Originally conceived as a marriage of three Speyside malts—a nod reflected in the three brass monkeys on the bottle—the whisky is married for several months before bottling and is commonly used in Scotch cocktails.

Naked Malt Blended Malt Scotch Whisky was first introduced in 2017 as Naked Grouse Blended Malt (arriving in the U.S. in 2018) as part of the Famous Grouse portfolio. Made entirely from single malt whiskies, the whisky is finished for six months in first-fill oloroso sherry butts before bottling. In 2021, the release was renamed and repackaged as Naked Malt to highlight both its use of “naked” first-fill sherry casks and its composition as a blend of malt whiskies.

Orchard House joins the brand's core lineup. It gets its name from the dominant part of its blend of single malts, which comes from stocks of liquid from various distilleries known for whiskies with fruit-forward flavor profiles. These whiskies were then aged in a variety of casks which include first fill ex-bourbon barrels, oloroso sherry-seasoned butts, and French oak custom barrels. It is bottled at 46% ABV and available as of October, 2021. Note: Compass Box updated its core portfolio in fall 2024 with Orchard House one of four of its permanent collection. Packaging updated.

In 2019, Compass Box updated the The Peat Monster recipe. It's now mostly comprised using peated single malts from Islay. The recipe breakdown is 64% Caol Ila and 35% Laphroaig, each parcel matured in refill hogsheads. Additionally, 1% of the blended malt whisky includes a blend of single malts from the Highlands which matured in custom French oak barrels with a heavy toast. The malts were married together for several months before bottling without added color or chill-filtration at 46% ABV. Previous batches will be referred to as Classic Brown Label. Note: Compass Box updated its core portfolio in fall 2024 with The Peat Monster featured as one of four in its permanent collection. Packaging updated.

Johnnie Walker Green Label is the only blended malt whisky in the Johnnie Walker core portfolio unlike the others which are blended whiskies incorporating grain whiskies in those blends. Included in the Green Label blend are single malts from Skye (Talisker), Islay (Caol Ila), and Speyside (Cragganmore and Linkwood). Each of these single malt whiskies were aged a minimum of 15 years. While the Green Label was discontinued for a short time in 2012, it did return permanently to the portfolio in 2016 due to popular demand. (SRP $64.99 for 750ml)