US Government Reportedly Poised to Give Official Definition to Burgeoning American Single Malt Whisky Category

Stranahan’s Mountain Angel Colorado Single Malt Whiskey is pictured. American Single Malt Whiskey is expected to get a definition from the TTB in the coming months.

American Single Malt has been the single most exciting, quickly growing category in American whiskey over the past several years. In the coming months, American Single Malt will take a massive step forward on its journey to legitimacy and existing in the same space as bourbon and rye when it gets an official definition from the Tax and Trade Bureau, the New York Times reported Monday.

In April, Distilled Spirits Council of the United States and American Single Malt Whiskey Commission published an open letter to the TTB requesting the establishment of identity and standards for American single malt whiskey.

“It’s a necessary step given the critical mass that we have here, with over 200 distilleries making single malt whiskey in this country,” Steve Hawley, who co-founded the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission, told the New York Times. “That’s more than all of Scotland.”

The American Single Malt Whiskey Commission was founded in 2016 by nine distilleries, including Virginia, Balcones, Westward and Westland.

What Is American Single Malt Whisky?

American single malt whisky is, as the name suggests, single malt whisky from the U.S. Single malt whisky historically has been more popular outside of the states, such as in Ireland and Japan, but predominantly in Scotland, where single malt scotch dominates the whisky scene.

Single malt whisky is made from malted barley, without any other grains in the mashbill.

The definition proposed by the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission would make it so a whiskey has to meet the following stipulations to be considered an American Single Malt:

• Distilled from 100% malted barley
• Distilled entirely at one distillery
• Mashed, distilled and matured in the U.S.
• Matured in oak casks no larger than 700 liters
• Distilled to no more than 160 proof
• Bottled at least 80 proof

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