Single Grain Scotch Whisky has only recently become more commercially available, although it remains unlikely that it will ever become commonplace. The nature and function of this particular type of whisky would seem to ensure that it is likely to remain a curiosity, a rather specialist niche within the Scotch whisky scene. A full explanation of how grain whisky is made can be found on our Scotch Whisky page. 

Single grain whisky began from humble origins and has, over the nearly 200 years of its history, remained as very much the poor relation in the whisky family. Nevertheless, grain whisky makes up 80-90% of the content of almost all the whiskies on the market. 

Scotland’s grain distilleries are few but mighty.  Diageo own Cameronbridge and share the North British distillery with Edrington Group, while the others include William Grant’s Girvan distillery, Whyte & Mackay’s Invergordon distillery, Pernod Ricard’s Strathclyde, the independent malt and grain whisky distillery Loch Lomond and the Starlaw distillery owned by La Martiniquaise. New independent distilleries including The Borders distillery and the proposed Reivers and Mossburn distilleries also have the capability of making grain whisky.

Sadly stocks from the DCL distilleries that closed in the 1980s and 1990s - Cambus, Caledonian and Carsebridge - are already getting rarer and can be expected to dry up in the next few years. It is to be hoped that the major producers will continue in the years to come to allow trusted independent bottlers to source and bottle casks of high quality long-aged single grain Scotch whisky from the distilleries that remain.