Editing Scotch whisky (section)

=== Independent bottlers ===
{{Main|Independent bottler}}Most malt distilleries sell a significant amount of whisky by the cask for blending, and sometimes to private buyers as well. Whisky from such casks is sometimes bottled as a single malt by ''independent bottling'' firms such as [[Duncan Taylor (company)|Duncan Taylor]], Master of Malt,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Buy Whisky Online &#124; Single Malt Whisky & More |url=https://www.masterofmalt.com/ |website=Master of Malt}}</ref> [[Gordon & MacPhail]], Cadenhead's, [[The Scotch Malt Whisky Society]], [[Murray McDavid]], [[Berry Bros. & Rudd]], [[Douglas Laing & Co|Douglas Laing]], Adelphi and others.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Independent Bottlers - scotchwhisky.net |url=https://www.scotchwhisky.net/independent/index.htm |website=www.scotchwhisky.net}}</ref> These are usually labelled with the distillery's name, but not using the distillery's trademarked logos or typefaces. An "official bottling" (or "proprietary bottling"), by comparison, is from the distillery (or its owner). Many independent bottlings are from single casks, and they may sometimes be very different from an official bottling.<ref name=":0" />

For a variety of reasons, some independent bottlers do not identify which distillery produced the whisky in the bottle. Mostly this will be at the request of the whisky distiller as they are unable to regulate the quality of the whisky sold. Some distilleries, to prevent third-party bottlers from naming them on the bottle, add a small amount of whisky from a different distillery, a technique called 'tea-spooning' which then precludes the sale of the whisky as from a specific distillery, or as a single malt; the addition of any whisky from a second distillery is by regulation a blended malt (which will also allow it to be exported in bulk form, unlike single malts which may only be exported bottled ready for sale). Instead the bottler may identify only the general geographical area of the source, or simply market the product using their own brand name without identifying their source. This may, in some cases, give the independent bottling company the flexibility to purchase from multiple distillers without changing their labels.