The history of Blended Whisky begins, more or less, with two events in the early 1800s: the 1823 Excise Act which enabled illicit Highland distillers to license their distilleries and sell their malt whiskies legally; and the development of the continuous still, perfected in 1830 by the Irishman Aeneas Coffey. The production and cost efficiency of the Coffey still led to ready availability of cheap grain whisky in Scotland within a few years.

Around the 1840s and 1850s the blending of malt and grain whiskies was still illegal but merchants including the Chivas Brothers and John Walker had begun blending single malts to proprietary recipes for sale in their shops. The passing of the 1860 Spirits Act legalised the blending together of grain and single malt whisky and the final obstacle to the creation of blended Scotch whisky as we know it today was removed.

By the end of WWII, blended Scotch whisky made up almost the entirety of the whisky category, with Diageo forerunner Distillers Company Limited having consolidated their power by buying up dozens of malt whisky distilleries. The subsequent downfall of Scotch in the late 1970s and 1980s was followed by the rise of prestige blends such as Johnnie Walker Blue Label, while the new century has seen the likes of Compass Box pushing boundaries and introducing much needed innovation. 

At the same time, the rise of whisky auctions and a growing fascination among whisky fans with the golden age of whisky in the 1950s and 1960s has led to a renewal of interest in older blended whiskies. Today, single malts dominate the prestige whisky market, but the needs of the blended whisky category will continue to drive the market and malt whisky distilleries will always rely on the continuing prosperity of blended Scotch whisky for their own survival.