SEATTLE, December 13th, 2024 – U.S. whiskey drinkers have a new official category to call their own: American Single Malt Whiskey.
For years, single malt has been produced in America but not defined and protected in regulations as it has been in nations around the world, most specifically in Scotland. Following a years-long campaign by the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission and its distiller-members, and a period of public comment, the latest ruling issued by the U.S. Government’s Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau (TTB) now establishes the category’s unique standards of identity.
Per the TTB, American Single Malt Whiskey is now officially defined as:
● Mashed, distilled and aged in the United States
● Distilled entirely at one U.S. distillery
● Distilled to a proof of 160 or less
● Distilled from a fermented mash of 100% malted barley
● Stored in oak barrels (used, uncharred new, or charred new) with a maximum capacity of 700L
● Bottled at not less than 80 proof
The new Standard of Identity for American Single Malt Whiskey will be added to Part 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations effective January 19th, 2025
The American Single Malt Whiskey Commission was founded in 2016 to establish, promote and protect the category of American Single Malt Whiskey. It counts nearly 100 member producers from across the U.S. The TTB’s ruling formalizes the definition of single malt whiskey made in the U.S. and regulates what distillers can and cannot include on labels for the category.