Whiskey History in the Making: American Single Malt Defined

Credit: ASMWC

The term American Single Malt Whiskey has been tossed around in marketing for quite some time. Like many whiskey descriptions, it often carried no standardized meaning. That’s no longer the case. After years of lobbying, the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission has successfully established an official definition for this category.

For the first time in over 52 years the U.S.  Government is adding a new Type of whiskey to its regulations: American Single Malt Whiskey. On December 18th, 2024 TTB officially added the new Standard of Identity to Part 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations with an effective date of January 19th, 2025 that clearly defines the category and protects its producers and their products.

Just as the legal definition of Bourbon whiskey has long been codified, the term American Single Malt now has its own set of rules. To qualify as an American Single Malt Whiskey, a product must meet the following criteria:

• Made From 100% Malted Barley
• Distilled Entirely At One Distillery
• Mashed, Distilled And Matured In The United States Of America
• Matured In Oak Casks Of A Capacity Not Exceeding 700 Liters
• Distilled To No More Than 160 (U.S.) Proof (80% Alcohol By Volume)
• Bottled At 80 (U.S.) Proof Or More (40% Alcohol By Volume)

To date, I’ve only sampled a handful of American Single Malts. During the process of defining this new category, many producers provided input, often shaped by their own production preferences. It will be fascinating to see – and taste – the innovation and growth that emerges in this space as a result of the ruling.

You can find the official regulation on the Federal Register. I’ll be keeping an eye on new developments and look forward to sharing my experiences with this evolving category of whiskey.

Cheers!