BY KARA NEWMAN
Photography by Tom Arena
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It’s been a long journey for American Single Malt, and the producers who make these whiskeys in all corners of the country want you to know a few things:
It’s not Scotch.
It’s made only with American-grown malted barley.
And they’re tired of waiting for U.S. regulators to officially approve the category.
“It’s been a while,” says Miles Munroe, master blender for Portland, Oregon’s Westward Whiskey, a weary note in his voice. “We established the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission (ASMWC) in 2016,” an organization of companies that make the whiskey, and put forth a framework defining what the whiskey is—but still leaving plenty of room for distilleries to riff.
In 2019, a coalition including the ASMWC and the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), approached the Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), urging them to establish a standard of identity for American Single Malt Whiskey, just as bourbon or rye have official definitions. Stalled by the pandemic, it took until 2022 for the TTB to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, signaling the beginning of the process to establish an official American Single Malt Whiskey category.
Fast forward to 2024: At press time, American whiskey-makers were still waiting for that designation to go through.
“The category is moving along just fine without it,” Munroe shrugs.
Indeed. If it seems like the liquor store shelves are groaning with all the new made-in-the-USA bottlings, you’re not imagining it. As of the end of 2023, a whopping 256 distilleries produced at least one American Single Malt, according to the Malt Whisky Yearbook 2024, outpacing even Scotland (140 producers of single malt Scotch) by a nearly two-to-one margin. (By comparison, Australia logged 89 single malt producers, Germany 66 and France 58 producers.)
Luckily, many of those bottles are delicious and worth seeking out.
But First, What’s American Single Malt?
According to the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission, it’s whiskey that is:
- Made from 100% malted barley
- Distilled entirely at a single distillery
- Mashed, distilled and matured in the U.S.
The Birth of American Single Malt
While the category has been picking up traction over the last few years, the late distiller Steve McCarthy is credited with distilling the first commercial example, McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt Whiskey from Clear Creek Distillery, which debuted in 1996. Inspired by smoky Islay Scotch, he imported peated malt from Scotland, distilling and aging it in Oregon. Today, the distillate ages in barrels made from Oregon-grown oak, yielding a golden liquid that whirls Islay-like peat smoke and iodine around a core of fresh pear. Clear Creek walked so American Single Malt can run.
“American Single Malts are a unique expression of how we see whiskey,” says Joe O’Sullivan, former Master Distiller for Clear Creek (and now Master Distiller for Minden Mill Distilling). “Ours has one foot in Scotland traditions and one foot in new traditions, i.e. American oak, Oregon oak.”
Line up a few drams in a flight, and the broad diversity of these spirits soon becomes clear. Every distillery has its own point of view, and that shows up in the liquid. Westland Distillery, for example, homes in on the barley that grows abundantly in the Pacific Northwest. Their Colere line dives deep into the character of new and forgotten varieties; the fourth edition of this expression, released in 2024, starts with “Fritz,” a specific strain bred by Washington State University. It sips a bit like a light, fruity Scotch crossed with a rye whiskey, finishing with dark chocolate and cinnamon spice.
By comparison, Virginia Distillery Co., another prolific maker of single malts, distills its whiskey in copper pot stills brought in from Scotland, and experiments liberally with wine cask finishes. The bottlings tend to be soft and reminiscent of the more robust end of Irish whiskey, often with baked fruit on the finish (not surprisingly, the distillery was founded by an Irishman). And Kentucky’s New Riff Distilling leans into brewery roots, to the point of hiring a distiller away from Boston Beer Company and distilling a sour mash in a column beer still and doubler. The finished whiskey is malty, nutty and full-bodied.
“It’s inspired by Scotch, it’s inspired by beer, but we make it like Kentucky,” says Jay Erisman, cofounder and vice president of New Riff. “Our bottle says ‘Kentucky Single Malt.’ We pound the desk a little bit. It doesn’t say ‘American Single Malt.’”
Which raises the question of regionality. Similar to Kentucky bourbon or Maryland rye—or even Islay Scotch—it’s tempting to characterize America’s Single Malts by region. To be sure, some region-specific examples exist, such as Whiskey Del Bac’s mesquite-smoked whiskeys, which give the Arizona distillery’s single malts a distinct whiff of the Sonoran Desert. But mostly, it comes down to how each distillery manipulates the malt—yeast choices, barrel-aging and blending choices, etc. Most bottlings reflect the hand of the distiller far more than the local terroir. Which might not be a bad thing.
“American Single Malt is a bright, shiny world to play around,” acknowledges New Riff’s Erisman. “If you look closely enough, there’s something for everyone.”
It’s Not Easy (or Cheap)
Distillers will gladly tell you: There’s no such thing as cheap single malt. It’s a startling pronouncement—but in Wine Enthusiast’s most recent reviews of the category, almost every bottling was priced above $50, and nearly half were priced at $100 or higher.
“The main reason is the malted barley,” explains Westward’s Munroe. Barley is harder to grow than corn, and the malting process takes time and expertise: The barley seed is harvested from the grass, then hydrated, dried and rehydrated to trick it into sprouting, a process designed to convert the grain’s starch into fermentable sugar. It’s then heated in kilns, which halts the germination process and effectively locks the sugar in place.
“It’s laborious,” Munroe notes. “It takes a lot of time and an expert hand to make the malted barley, especially to the high degree that American Single Malt makers demand.” But this process provides extra flavor and complexity, to the point where consumers are willing to pay those premium prices.
However, the category continues to grow, even at this price point. And in another sign that the category is moving to the next level, some of the biggest names in bourbon, rye and Tennessee whiskey have jumped on the bandwagon: Jim Beam released its Clermont Steep American Single Malt in 2023, while Jack Daniel’s rolled out an Oloroso Sherry cask-finished version. Earlier this year, Bulleit too brought out an American Single Malt.
While American Single Malt has surely come a long way since its inception nearly three decades ago, it’s still a mere drop in the whiskey bucket compared to the single malt industry in Scotland or Japan, or America’s flourishing bourbon industry.
Distillers are undaunted by that, leaning into growth to come.
“There’s so much room for creativity, in terms of sustainability and unique flavors,” says Amanda Beckwith, lead blender at Virginia Distillery. Still, many people aren’t yet familiar with the category. That may change as distilleries continue to forge ahead.
We’re betting by the time you read this, American Single Malt won’t yet be approved by the TTB as a new category. That’s okay. (It’s not bothering the producers and shouldn’t bother you.) In the words of ASWMC president Steve Hawley, in his letter urging the TTB to move ahead, “American Single Malt promises to be the next big thing in whiskey globally.”
At least one thing is certain: This rebellious category, a melting pot (or shall we say, pot still) of global and local influences, will continue pushing forward. And that’s about as American as any story gets.
It takes a lot of time and an expert hand to make the malted barley, especially to the high degree that American Single Malt makers demandMILES MUNROE, MASTER BLENDER FOR WESTWARD WHISKEY
7 Top-Rated American Single Malts to Pour
QuintEssential Portside American Single Malt Whiskey
Ruby port-cask finishing goes a long way in this limited edition. Pecan pie and maple evolve into dried dates and figs and finish with hints of orange peel and cinnamon tingle. Would be a dynamite dessert pairing. From Cedar Ridge Distillery in Swisher, Iowa. 97 Points.
Lost Lantern Balcones Distilling Texas Single Malt Whiskey
Independent bottler Lost Lantern knows how to pick ’em. So don’t sleep on this cask picked from Texas distiller Balcones, a complex kaleidoscope of sarsaparilla, allspice, clove and espresso. 96 Points.
Westward Whiskey Cask Strength American Single Malt
This Seattle distiller focuses on harnessing the flavors of the Pacific Northwest. Made with local barley and bottled at cask strength, this explodes with toffee and spice, layered with hints of orange peel and hops. 96 Points.
Wolves Whiskey 11 Year Old California Single Malt Whiskey
You won’t find many American Single Malts this old; this luxe bottling incorporates a blend of nine different barrels. Mocha and hops meld with mouthwatering hints of red fruit and plum skin, flowing into a long finish enlivened by lemon peel and ginger. 96 Points.
Courage & Conviction Cuvée Cask American Single Malt Whisky
From Virginia Distillery Co., this silky single malt is matured in specialty cuvée red wine casks. The end result is a flurry of allspice and cocoa, finishing with hints of cola and leather. 95 Points.
New Riff Sour Mash Kentucky Single Malt Whiskey
Made with at least 11 different malted barley varieties and aged at least seven years, look for cocoa and dried cherry. The drying finish includes nutmeg, hops and clove. Share with a favorite beer lover. 93 Points.
Hillrock Single Malt Whiskey Exceptional Cask #2
From upstate New York, this peatsmoked whiskey is aged just over seven years and finishes in casks that previously held Oloroso and PX Sherry. All this yields bold dried cherry and smoky, savory spices. Packaged in a square-shouldered, gift-worthy bottle. 91 Points.