To grasp the understanding of a scotch label takes the ability to understand many things. National laws, marketing, tradition, as well as whim are placed on the label of this fine product. This simple guide can get you through the confusion of what's inside the bottle.
If you are looking for a true scotch whisky then the label should say exactly that, if the spelling is different, than that it is not made in Scotland rather it is made elsewhere. Look for the words single malt they can be broken up yet they will say single malt if that is what it is. The only way to identify a true single malt whisky is to do research, never take the name as it's word on quality; many names have been forged to hide the identity of the true distiller.If the alcohol content per volume reads more than fifty percent then it would be best to water down this malt as it is rated by cask strength and will be stronger please do not mistake percentage with proof.
And finally check the date of bottling it does not age once bottled.
A Bottle of Their Own
The majority of fine scotch distillers sell casks of their product as a whole for blending purposes as well as to private buyers. Usually the distiller name will be placed on a blended product however not the logo. This is an indication that the product is indeed blended and not single malt.
Most independent bottling companies will bottle products from single casks and may or may not be from the original bottling source. At this time many renowned distillers are trying to end the open market of bottling operations as it is infringing on their overall sales.
Some malt companies will incorporate more than one batch of their scotch into the cask selling to ensure the independent bottlers from selling it as a single malt product. Many independent bottlers will use merely a geographical region or an alias of the distiller, as to avoid any legal repercussions. This method of legal sneakiness is known as "bastard bottling". Either way the society of scotch malt whiskey can still track the product by the distiller number.