What Does Blended Straight Whiskey  Mean?

What does the term “blended straight whiskey mean” and how is it different than “straight whiskey”? The definition of “blended whiskey” differs from one country to another and may include variations such as “Blended Irish Whiskey”, “Blended Malt Scotch Whisky”, “Blended Grain Scotch Whisky”, “Blended Straight Whiskey”, and “Blended Scotch Whiskey”. This article looks at blended American whiskeys labeled as “blended whiskey” and “blended straight whiskey”.

American Straight Whiskey

Let’s start with the definition of what a Straight Whiskey is because its definition is more stringent than blended whiskey or blended straight whiskey. To be labeled “Straight Whiskey” the law requirements include these major requirements:

• Must be distilled within a single state (but can be from different distilleries in a single state)
• Must be distilled from a fermented cereal grain mash (usually with a high percentage of corn, rye, wheat, malt, or rye malt) to no more than 160 proof
• Must have a mash bill with at least 51% of a single grain (corn, rye, wheat, malt, etc.)
• Must be barreled at a proof of no more than 125 proof
• Must be aged for a minimum of 2 years in new charred oak barrels
• If aged less than 4 years in the barrel, then an age statement must be declared which reflects the youngest whiskey in the bottle
• Must contain no additives or colorings

American Blended Whiskey Definition

The phrase “blended whiskey” on a label could indicate that it’s a bottle better left on the shelf, or it could mean that it’s a complex creation worthy of exploring and shelling out some cash for.

The definition of blended whiskey in the US as stipulated by the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau) states that blended whiskey must contain at least 20% straight whiskey and no more than 2.5% additives. According to the TTB, “additives” in blended whiskey are defined as, “Harmless coloring, flavoring, or blending materials that are not an essential component part of the particular distilled spirits to which added, but which are ‘customarily employed therein in accordance with established trade usage’ may be used in certain distilled spirits products, without changing the class or type of such spirits, if the materials do not total more than 2½ percent by volume of the finished product.”

The definition of blended whiskey leaves a HUGE door open for blenders to walk through. For instance, they could do a 20% straight whiskey and 80% neutral spirits (like vodka) blend and include 2.5% of the total volume as additives such as coloring and flavoring and call it blended whiskey. Recipes like these are among the cheapest versions of blended whiskey out there, such as Seagram’s 7 or Canadian Mist, and are mostly used for mass-produced products meant to be used in cocktails, not as signature sippers.

Or they could do a blend of 100% straight whiskeys, which by definition means the final product follows the strict rules of being called a straight whiskey, part of which states that it cannot contain any additives. These are the high-end straight blended whiskeys.

American Blended Straight Whiskey Definition

The more stringently controlled label phrase “blended straight whiskey” follows the guidelines of the TTB for ALL of the whiskeys used in the blend. Straight blended whiskeys include great sipping brands such as Redwood Empire, Lost Monarch, Sweetens Cove, and High West Campfire.

The most important qualities of a straight whiskey include:

• Each straight whiskey in the blend must have a mash bill with at least 51% of a single grain (corn, rye, wheat, malt, etc.) (but it’s ok to blend straight rye with straight bourbon with straight wheat, etc.)
• Must be distilled within a single state (but can be from different distilleries in a single state)
• Must be aged for a minimum of 2 years in new charred oak barrels
• If aged less than 4 years in the barrel, then an age statement must be declared which reflects the youngest whiskey in the bottle

When you dump a whiskey from a barrel into a bottle for a straight whiskey, the only legal changes to the juice include: mixing it with other barrels of straight whiskey, particulate filtering, chill filtering, and/or adding water to reduce its proof. All of these steps are optional. For example, a non-chill filtered, cask strength single barrel straight whiskey wouldn’t utilize any of these optional steps.

Notice that one of the rules for being able to label a whiskey as “straight whiskey” includes that every whiskey used to produce it must be from the same state (but not necessarily the same distillery). This means that if you blend straight whiskeys from different states it can no longer be called simply “straight whiskey”, now it legally must be called “blended straight whiskey” because it breaks the rule of being from one state.

It’s also important to note that “blended straight whiskey” can include straight whiskey from any country, not just the US. For instance, Little Book “Noe Simple Task” includes Kentucky whiskey and two Canadian whiskeys. And High West’s Campfire includes American bourbon and a blended Scotch malt whisky.

Blended Bourbon Whiskey

The definition of a “blended bourbon whiskey” is more stringent than the requirements for “blended whiskey”. To be labeled a “blended bourbon whiskey” it must contain at least 51% straight bourbon whiskey. By contrast, to be called a “blended whiskey” the requirement is only 20% usage of straight whiskey in the end product.

This suggests that a “blended bourbon whiskey” has a better chance of being a decent pour than something labeled “blended whiskey”. However, a blended bourbon whiskey can still contain up to 49% other ingredients including plain neutral spirits and additives.

Straight Blended Bourbon Whiskey

You would think that since there is a definition for “straight blended whiskey” there would also be one for the phrase “straight blended bourbon whiskey”. But there isn’t one (at least, not that I can find).

But I do notice that Barrell Craft Spirits uses the phrase “blended straight bourbon whiskey” on some of their labels. So perhaps the accepted rule is that similar to straight blended whiskey, the phrase “straight blended bourbon whiskey” must be a blend of 100% straight bourbons which can be from other states but cannot be from other countries (because to be called “bourbon” it only be produced in the US).

And because all bourbons are whiskeys, but not all whiskeys are bourbons, straight blended bourbon is also straight blended whiskey. But if you’re going through the effort to meet the more stringent requirements of bourbon, most (or all) distillers will call it a straight blended bourbon whiskey. Distilleries creating some awesome straight blended bourbon whiskeys include Barrell Craft Spirits’ Vantage and Batch 32, Sweetens Cove 22, and Little Book.

Final Wrap-up Q & A

Does blended whiskey from the same state have to say “blended” on the label?

No. If all the whiskeys in the blend are straight whiskey from the same state with no additives or neutral spirits then it can be labeled as a straight whiskey.

If additives in a blended whiskey are used, such as coloring or flavoring, does the label need to specify it?

No. If the label doesn’t specify it, then the only way to know for sure if additives are used in a blended whiskey is to know the full mash bill and see if it adds up to 100%. If not, then that missing little bit may be additives (up to 2.5%).

If neutral spirits are used in a blended whiskey, does the label need to specify it?

No. Again, you will have to do the mash bill math to figure this out.

Are there blended whiskeys that do not need to specify that it is blended?

Yes. If all the whiskeys in the blend are straight whiskeys and are also from the same state (but not necessarily from the same distillery) then it legally qualifies to be labeled as a straight whiskey, and they do not need to call it a blended whiskey or a blended straight whiskey (Of course, there can also be no additives or neutral spirits added).