8 Essential Brands Leading the American Single Malt Whiskey Revolution

The American single malt is arguably the hottest whiskey category in the marketplace. IWSR data published in April 2024 suggested the category was expected to grow by a rate of 9% annually from 2022 to 2027.

This whiskey category is so young, and it is still finding its identity, so there is plenty of diversity within the realm of American Single Malts. With rampant demand and an explosion all over the U.S., producers have pushed for some kind of guidelines ensuring the protection and transparency involving the production process of these distinctively American drams.

Since 2022, The American Single Malt Commission has urged the U.S. Government’s Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to cement regulations as to what exactly makes an American Single Malt. Just last week, the TTB ratified the whiskey category.

Distilleries all over the U.S. celebrated the news, and some brands breathed a sigh of relief now that there are finally guidelines in place to protect this fledgling whiskey category. To raise a glass to America’s coolest and newest whiskey, we’ve gone ahead and collated some of our favorite bottles from essential American single malt brands that tirelessly lead the American Single Malt charge — and some way before the category took off.

Westward Whiskey

(Photo: Jordan Hughes/Westward Whiskey)

Westward Whiskey hails from Portland, Oregon, and its whiskeys are made from locally malted barley and ale yeast. The brand has been around for 20 years, and it uses the beauty of the American Northwest as inspiration for all its whiskeys. The brand’s team is an eclectic mixture of former hospitality professionals, including brewers, winemakers and even chefs.

Westward brews the base of its whiskeys like an American ale from scratch, then distills it like a single malt and ages it like a bourbon. All of Westward’s whiskeys are twice distilled in custom-made pot stills and are all aged in new, heavily toasted American oak barrels with a light char.

One Whiskey to Try: Westward Whiskey Cask Strength ($99.95)

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Westward’s cask-strength American Single Malt is bottled at 125 proof. Breaking Bourbon was quite partial to this whiskey in its review, with its aromas of pineapple and apricot that segue into peach pie, orange zest and graham cracker on the palate. This beautifully complex pour is the perfect way to taste Westward. With no water diluting it, it’s pure distillate and oak.

Balcones Distilling

(Photo: Balcones Distilling)

Balcones is based out of an old welding shop under a bridge in Waco, Texas.

The brand began distilling its whiskeys in 2009. It started with single malts, and while it’s made bourbon, rye and more in the years since, single malt is Balcones’ specialty. In November of 2023, Bottle Raiders reported Balcones was halting its bourbon production entirely to dedicate its distilling practices to American single malt.

One Whiskey to Try: Balcones Lineage Texas Single Malt ($40)

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If you’re new to Balcones, start with its Lineage Texas Single Malt. This distinctly Texas whiskey is distilled from Texas-grown malted barley and Golden Promise malted barley. The whiskey is aged in a mixture of refill and new oak barrels before it was bottled at 47% ABV. Susannah Skiver Barton of Whisky Advocate cites aromas of tropical fruits like mango, pineapple and jackfruit at first whiff. The palate continues the tropically fruity vibe with cocoa powder and a drying nuttiness. Balcones Lineage finishes with kiwi, jackfruit and vanilla bean.

Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey

(Photo: Stranahan’s)

Stranahan’s lies in Denver, Colorado. Stranahan’s is the state’s first legal whiskey distillery since Prohibition ended. The brand prides itself on crafting grain-to-glass American single malts and uses water sourced from the Rocky Mountains.

The story of this American Single Malt brand is born out of friendship. Jess Graber, a volunteer firefighter, responded to a fire in his neighbor, George Stranahan’s barn, in 1998. Stranahan was a brewery owner and whiskey fan. The two bonded over their love of whiskey and the great outdoors. The rest is history.

One Whiskey to Try: Stranahan’s Blue Peak Single Malt ($43)

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Blue Peak is double distilled in Colorado and spends four years aging in barrels with a #3 char. The brand’s floral-driven nose has plenty of confectioner’s sugar aromas interlaced with herbs. The palate is full of lemon cookies, cinnamon and sugared almonds to a finish with cinnamon bun and tiramisu, according to Whisky Advocate. Stranahan’s Blue Peak American Single Malt has an ABV of 43%.

Minden Mill

(Photo: Minden Mill)

Minden Mill is a newcomer whiskey brand near Lake Tahoe in Minden, Nevada. The distillery prides itself on its “estate” practices. It grows 100 percent of the grains used in its whiskeys on-site and even malts its own barley. The brand’s whiskeys are made on a 1,200-acre property with climate-controlled rickhouses.

One Whiskey to Try: Minden Mill American Single Malt ($59.99)

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This American Single Malt spent five years aging in oloroso sherry, American oak and ex-bourbon casks. It was bottled at 47% ABV. The nose on this single malt is full of dark fruit, blackberry and cranberry with tobacco and vanilla pudding. On the palate, tobacco and leather interplay with clove spices and pepper. Minden Mill’s American Single malt finishes with peppercorns and tobacco. Consider this the perfect American Single Malt for those who like their whiskey on the spicy side.

Virginia Distillery Co.

(Photo: David Morrow/Bottle Raiders)

Virginia Distillery Co. makes American Single Malt whiskeys in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The brand’s founder, Dr. George G. Moore, was passionate about single malts and wanted to start a distillery. Virginia Distillery Co. is currently run by George’s wife, Angela Moore, his son, Gareth Moore and his wife, Maggie Moore. The brand’s Courage & Conviction label was born out of one of Dr. George G Moore’s favorite sayings: “Have the courage of your convictions.”

One Whiskey to Try: Virginia Distillery Courage & Conviction American Single Malt ($64.99)

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Scotch lovers, rejoice! Virginia Distillery’s Courage & Conviction American Single Malt is the whiskey for you. This whiskey (or “whisky,” as Virginia Distillery spells it in an homage to Scotland) is the flagship within the brand’s Courage & Conviction line, and it possesses a sweetly spiced nose, coupled with wine and tobacco that segues into a honeyed and vinous palate that finishes like a well-aged Balvenie. Courage and Conviction American Single Malt has an ABV of 46% and is aged for three years in bourbon, sherry and wine casks.

Westland Whiskey

(Photo: Westland/Instagram)

Westland Distillery is based out of Seattle, Washington. The brand’s origins date back to 2011, when the team envisioned crafting an American single malt that captured the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. The brand is sustainably focused, and a lot of its whiskeys pay homage to the distillery’s natural surroundings.

One Whiskey to Try: Westland Garryana ($149.99)

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This particular whiskey honors an oak species local to the area, Quercus Garryana. Instead of using the brand’s usual sherry-seasoned oak casks, the Westland team decided to play around with this latest edition and use oloroso sherry casks instead.

Westland Garryana Edition 9 is a hit, with its distinctive raspberry and cream nose. The palate is woody, with pepper and honey coupled with sassafras and raising bread. The whiskey finishes with clove, smoke and orange peel. This latest edition of Westland Garryana has an ABV of 50%. Just 6,600 bottles are available, so we recommend snagging one soon if you’re interested.

Wolves Whiskey

(Photo: Wolves Whiskey/Facebook)

Wolves Whiskey is about stirring up a little bit of trouble — but the good kind. The California brand was founded in 2017 by James Bond, the co-founder of the streetwear brand Undefeated, and lifestyle entrepreneur Jon Buscemi. Buscemi is known for the deliciously sophisticated hot sauce Truff. The brand produces American single malt whiskeys and introduced its flagship whiskey earlier this year.

One Whiskey to Try: Wolves Whiskey 5 Year Old American Single Malt ($89.99)

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Wolve’s flagship American Single Malt spends five years in California wine barrels and is finished in cognac casks for six weeks before being bottled at 96 proof. Oenophiles will be delighted by the nose of this whiskey with all of its red wine qualities. A bit of tree fruit, honey and leather are present at first whiff, and they fade beautifully into a palate full of mesquite smoke, eucalyptus and créme brûlée. Wolves American Single Malt finishes with tobacco, peach juice and char.

McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt Whiskey

(Photo: Hood River Distillers/Facebook)

We would be completely remiss if we didn’t include the producer of the first American Single Malt, McCarthy’s. McCarthy’s is under the umbrella of by Hood River Distillers in Oregon, and the single malt’s origins date back over two decades ago when Steve McCarthy took a trip to Ireland. Inspired by the whiskeys around him, McCarthy wanted to make a single malt of his own back in Oregon, thus starting the American Single Malt craze.

One Whiskey to Try: McCarthy’s 3 Year Oregon Single Malt Whiskey ($64.99)

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This whiskey is bottled at 85 proof. Drinkhacker was partial to this American Single Malt and claimed Lagavulin fans will fall hard for its briny, peaty smoky qualities. The palate possesses a citrus-driven throughline with honey and light ash. McCarthy’s concludes with white pepper and tropical fruit.