Two years after it was first proposed, the American single malt whiskey category finally has a legal definition from the TTB, the U.S. governmental agency that regulates alcohol. Many distilleries, particularly in the craft world, have been pushing for this and eagerly awaiting this news. But, as is the case with many other topics in the whiskey world, there are some who are not happy about the new guidelines.
The point of the definition is to protect and define the American single malt category in the same way that bourbon, rye, and other types of American whiskey are. The American Single Malt Commission (ASMWC) proposed certain defining rules, and the TTB announced on Friday that these will be binding.
“This is a landmark ruling from the TTB that further cements our standing on the global stage in whiskey,” said ASMWC president Steve Hawley in a statement. “We applaud TTB for hearing the call from distillers, purveyors and fans of American single malt, and formalizing a definition that supports and protects our producers both here and abroad. It’s a momentous day for American single malt whiskey, and this is just the beginning of a bright future for the category.”
The guidelines are as follows: American single malt must be made from a fermented mash of 100 percent malted barley at one distillery in the U.S; distilled to no more than 160 proof; aged in used, new charred, or un-charred oak barrels; no neutral spirits can be used; and no color, flavoring, or blending materials can be used except for caramel coloring, which must be disclosed on the label. Also, straight American single malt must be aged for a minimum of two years.
Distillers like Virginia Distillery Company CEO Gareth H. Moore (who is also the ASMWC treasurer) are pleased with the decision. “Americans have been distilling whiskey for centuries, and I’m so thrilled to see that the TTB has finally announced American single malt as an official and protected category of American whiskey,” he said in a statement. “The category will further broaden the view of the American whiskey consumer and fuel innovation and premiumization across domestic products.”
Westland Distillery’s managing director, Jason Moore, echoed the sentiment. “Westland was founded on the conviction that American single malt could and should stand shoulder to shoulder with the finest whiskeys in the world,” he said. “For more than a decade we have been at the forefront of this new category diligently working to establish it on the global stage.”
As mentioned before, there is at least one (and probably more) distiller who is not as giddy about the new rules. Minnesota distillery Brother Justus is specifically opposed to the distillation proof cap due to the fact that it distills its American single malt, as it’s been able to call the whiskey until now, to a slightly higher proof. “While having a legal definition is a good thing, having the wrong definition that stifles innovation and limits the freedom to craft better flavors for consumers is worse than no definition at all,” said CEO Phil Steger. “We believe [the distillation proof cap] limits creativity, innovation, and freedom of the distiller, the flavor, quality, and variety of the whiskey, and the choices of the consumer. Fundamentally, it doesn’t account for the nuances in the character of barley, which have never been fully explored in American whiskey until now.”
He goes on to say that these guidelines will not benefit American single malt at all. Instead, they will help buttress the dominance of scotch, which “just watched American distillers bind their own hands in the international flavor wars,” and bourbon, “which doesn’t have to adapt to a single malt flavor revolution because distillers must now make American single malt the way they make bourbon.” Steger says he is exploring legal options to counter the new ruling, and Brother Justus will continue making its whiskey and calling it American single malt.
It remains to be seen if the new guidelines will further boost the profile of American single malt, a category that is dwarfed by bourbon and rye even as big distilleries like Beam, Bulleit, and Jack Daniel’s have gotten in on the action. And with the return of tariffs on American whiskey looming under the next Trump administration, the category could be facing some serious headwinds.
