Announcing American Single Malt Whiskey!
American Single Malt Whiskey is now its own unique and regulated category.
By Tim Powers
The TTB, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, recently announced their final rule on Dec 13th, establishing American Single Malt Whiskey as its own unique and regulated category, joining the likes of Bourbon and Rye Whiskies. Now, while that may not be ground breaking for some, especially those not familiar with either whiskey or spirits in general, this recognition is a vital step in the growth and continuation of whiskey producers around the country.
Before we dive into the nuts and bolts of the ruling, and explore how it will affect American Whiskey writ large, let’s review the basics. Whiskey (also spelled Whisky in certain countries), is a distilled spirit made from the raw material of grains. This means that the grains have to be converted into a sugary liquid, fermented with yeast into an alcoholic liquid, and then distilled to a significantly higher abv level. After distillation, whisk(e)y needs to be aged in oak barrels; the type, quality, and age (new/old) of which, and length of maturation is determined by the local rules and regulations where the whisk(e)y is being produced. For example, Bourbon whiskey must be aged in new charred barrels, and Scotch whisky must be aged for 3 years (or 3 years and a day if you ask the Scots).
Since this ruling is regarding Single Malt American whiskey however, we will focus on the grains aspect of this creation process. Grains are, very broadly, the seed of the cereal plant. These plants, such as corn, wheat, rye, and barley, produce a grain which contains a tiny embryo, called the germ, which, instead of getting you sick, will grow into a new cereal plant if the conditions are right. In order to grow into a new plant however, the germ requires a lot of energy as it begins its journey, so the plant packs a large amount of starch into the grain with the germ (called the endosperm). This starch is what eventually will be used to create the sugary liquid that will, eventually, become whisk(e)y. However there is a bit of a problem here. Because the cereal wants to include as much energy into the grain as possible, it packs the sugars into the grain in incredibly tight formation, which means that starch is a complex sugar (or carbohydrate), and yeast can only ferment simple sugars into ethyl alcohol. So, how do we convert the complex carbohydrates into simple fermentable sugars? The answer is malting.
During malting, grains are tricked into thinking they are in ideal growing conditions, by soaking them in water and then heating them periodically. As it falls for this trickery, the germ begins to release enzymes to convert the starch into simple sugars and starts to sprout. Once sprouted, the grains will be cooked to kill the sprouting plant, and then dried over a period of days prior to Milling, or grinding, the grains into a grist.
At this point, the grist is mixed with hot water to encourage the enzymes to convert the complex carbohydrate (starch) into the simple fermentable sugars. This is known as Mashing, and, once this process is complete, we have our sugary liquid which can then be fermented, distilled, and aged to create whisk(e)y.
Of course this sugary liquid, once fermented, goes by another name that many of us know and love, namely BEER! If you want to learn more about this process, and all other aspects of beer production, styles, and tasting, we highly recommend you take our WSET Level 2 Award in Beer! No previous beer knowledge needed, just a desire to learn and taste.
This is a simplified explanation of the process of converting grains into a sugary liquid (if you would like to learn more you can register for our WSET Level 2 Award in Spirits course!), however there are a few important points to note. First is that of all of the grains previously listed as grains (corn, wheat, rye, and barley), barley is the grain most often malted. The enzymes produced in the malted barley are then used to convert the starch in unmalted versions of the other grains in the blend being used as the raw material (also called the mash bill). Second is that each specific grain used to produce whisk(e)y adds distinct aromas, flavors, and textures to the resulting spirit depending on its percentage in the mash bill.
Corn for example adds aromas and flavors of sweet corn, popcorn, and cornbread (perhaps obviously), but also adds treacle, toffee and menthol notes, as well as smooth and rounded textures to a spirit. This is most commonly seen in the American whiskey Bourbon, which by law must contain at least 51% corn in its mash bill. Rye adds spicier aromas and flavors, including peppercorn, gingerbread, and lemon zest, adds fiery and mouth warming textures, and is best exemplified in American Rye Whiskey, which by law must contain 51% Rye. Wheat adds softness and subtlety to a spirit, and will lighten the intensity of a spirit with soft aromas and flavors of wheat, dough, and bread. Finally, barley brings husk, porridge, and additional notes from the malting process (such as smoke, if peat was included when cooking the sprouted grain) to the resulting spirit, and can show a fiery or round texture depending on how it is distilled and aged. All of this means that choosing the grain from which to make your whisk(e)y is incredibly important, and explains why the TTB’s ruling carries such weight.
If you’re a fan of Scotch Whisky, that is to say, whisky from Scotland, you may be familiar with the labeling term ‘Single Malt’ already. Made by producers through the Highlands, Lowlands, Speyside, Campbelltown, and Isles (including Islay, Jura, Skye, and more), these spirits by law must contain only malted barley in their mash bill (note that mash bill is a distinctly American term, so I hope my Scottish friends and colleagues aren’t offended). Furthermore these spirits must be distilled in a pot still, aged in Scotland for at least 3 years, and be produced, from mashing to aging, by a single distillery. Although these rules may seem restrictive in that they limit so many aspects of the production process, in reality Scottish Single Malt producers have an incredible number of options, including still design/height, condenser type, fermentation length, and innumerable oak aging options, which results in a wide array of styles and flavors.
So what does this all mean for American Single Malt Whiskey? Prior to December 13 the United States federally recognized and regulated Bourbon and Rye whiskies, but there were no federal regulations for the labeling term ‘Single Malt’, meaning that there was no protection or oversight in terms of style, typicity, or any sort of guarantee of what was in the bottle. Since the TTB is the federal regulatory body for all alcoholic beverages above 7% abv, this recognition on a national level legitimizes and protects the large number of producers across the country who have been striving to produce American Single Malt whiskies for decades. Furthermore, it encourages other producers to make American Single Malt Whiskies of their own, further broadening, popularizing, and elevating this spirit category.
The regulations set by the TTB are very similar to those of Scotch Single Malt whisky, in that the mash bill must be 100% malted barley, and only water and caramel coloring can be added to the spirit post-distillation (meaning no sugar or other sweetening agents can be added). The similarities stop there. Although no neutral spirits (spirits distilled to 95/96% abv) can be used in the creation of either Scotch or American Single Malt whiskies, there is no requirement that American producers use a pot still for distillation. This greater flexibility is to account for American producers who only have column stills available to them, which is true of most American Bourbon distilleries. Additionally, whereas Single Malt Scotch must be aged for at least 3 years in an oak vessel (max size 700L), American single malt Scotch must be aged in an oak vessel (with similar restrictions to the barrel requirements) for only a minimum of 2 years. This 2 year delineation reflects the current federally regulated American labeling term ‘Straight’, which means that an American Whiskey has been aged for at least 2 years (among other restrictions). In all, these regulations reflect a strong balance between Scotch Single Malt whisky laws, and the history and culture of American Whiskey production.
As for immediate action, this ruling will not go into effect until January 18, 2025, so, although there have been many producers already making single malt whiskies, it will take time for those producers to have their new labels approved by the TTB. So, while you might not see a flood of ‘official’ American single malts on the shelves of your favorite spirits store quite just yet, it’s exciting to imagine the future that the protection and promotion of this category of American Whiskey will create.
With that, I hope you raise a dram of your favorite American Single Malt Whiskey to all those who have worked to create and advocate for this spirit, and give a toast to the bright future ahead! Cheers!