By Richard Thomas
(Credit score: Richard Thomas)
On December 13, the US Alcohol Tax and Commerce Bureau (TTB) made an announcement that had been years within the making, and lengthy awaited amongst many craft distillers: the American Single Malt was created as an official alcohol class.
The Particulars
The American Single Malt Whiskey Fee (ASMWC), a commerce group based to push for this achievement, has heretofore been the one physique stipulating what an American Single Malt truly was, and their guidelines have been: created from 100% malted barley; made at a single distillery; distilled and matured within the US; matured in oak casks (new or used) not exceeding 700 liters capability; distilled to not increased than 160 proof; and bottled at or increased than 80 proof. This represented a mix of American and wider malt whiskey practices (i.e. Eire, Scotland, Japan), and was distinct from the already current class of American Malt Whiskey. The latter is greatest represented by merchandise like Woodford Reserve Straight Malt, which is created from a mash of largely malted barley, but additionally corn and rye, and matured as required in new oak barrels.
The TTB’s new class for American Single Malt provides the makers of such whiskeys all the things on the ASMWC’s record after which some, as a result of it additionally permits for the addition of caramel coloring. This coloring has lengthy been utilized in Eire, Scotland and people nations which have borrowed from their manufacturing mannequin. It alters the flavour profile both minutely or under no circumstances, and is often added to make what would in any other case be a pale, white gold coloured whisky extra enticing.
OK, However What Does That Imply To Customers?
(Credit score: Richard Thomas)
One may argue that the beginning of the American Single Malt as an official class has been ready ever since St. George’s Spirits launched Lot 1 of their single malt twenty 4 years in the past. Or maybe since Stranahan’s bottled their first Colorado Single Malt within the center 2000s. Reaching all the way in which again into the interval I seek advice from as “craft whiskey earlier than there was craft whiskey,” this second has been a very long time in coming. Extra not too long ago, the trade has been ready for the TTB to rule on this situation since no less than 2022.
However as for what it means to each customers and to individuals who make the whiskey within the close to time period, after the hoopla and toasts die down, I might argue not a lot. The significance of this making this step ahead is one that can yield dividends within the center time period, and a quick story concerning the final time an American whiskey-maker lobbied for his product to obtain its personal class reveals why.
Reagor Motlow, the grand-nephew of Jack Daniel’s, was the primary from that firm to foyer to US authorities to acknowledge Tennessee Whiskey as a novel class, pointing to their use of the Lincoln County Course of as making them distinct from bourbon and different types of whiskey. The Federal authorities agreed in 1941 they have been particular, however not in the way in which Motlow hoped for. After I learn the paperwork, my tackle the wording is that it’s so impartial as to be nearly back-handed. But Motlow’s successors continued to construct up the thought of “Tennessee Whiskey” as a novel class of their advertising, and eventually achieved their ambitions via a patchwork of commerce agreements, advertising and training, and eventually a Tennessee state regulation in 2013. Right this moment, that seventy years of labor has turned Lincoln County Course of is a essential a part of the identification of not simply Jack Daniel’s, however Tennessee Whiskey made by different distilleries.
(Credit score: Richard Thomas)
Stipulations and particular classes add worth to the merchandise made underneath them, in a lot the identical manner that DOCs do for wine and regional protections do for specific cheeses and cured meats. That’s what official recognition does for the American Single Malt, in confirming the work already begun by the ASMWC and others. Simply as Tennessee’s state stage regulation was the ultimate girder in a authorized framework defining and defending Tennessee Whiskey, Federal recognition defines and protects American Single Malts.
Now these making American Single Malts have a leg up of their work of teaching the general public as to what a single malt made in America is, how that makes it each cousins to the acquainted Irish, Scottish, Japanese and different single malts made overseas, but additionally how they’re particular in their very own proper. Once more, these distinctions matter: simply take into consideration the way in which fans already benefit from the nerdy particulars of bourbon or Scotch. Selling the small print of the brand new class can solely enrich the expertise of American single malts, American whiskey and single malts typically.
I say it doesn’t matter a lot within the close to time period within the sense that I don’t count on the information to vary something in 2025. The second Trump Commerce Conflict, for instance, will matter way more to the makers of American single malts in coming yr than this victory with the TTB. For the right here and now, this announcement is large information for people who pay shut consideration to the whiskey enterprise as a enterprise, not the buyer.
(Credit score: Richard Thomas)
However within the center time period, I count on the announcement will matter in two necessary methods. The primary has already been described: affirmation of the class bolsters efforts to tell apart it and the story behind its whiskeys. The opposite is that it indicators America’s main distilling corporations that investing within the growth of American Single Malt manufacturers is a secure diversification of their line-ups. Some main corporations had already moved on this route, however merchandise like Jack Daniel’s Single Malt or Beam’s Clermont Steep Single Malt could now obtain larger advertising pushes.
Heretofore, the craft and mid-sized distillers that entered the American Malt house did so exactly as a result of it was an space the Massive Distillers weren’t. That had its blessings, but additionally its negatives, and one of many negatives was that this assortment of small corporations needed to do all of the heavy lifting on advertising not simply their very own merchandise, however the class as a complete. It’s simple to think about that if Brown-Forman or Suntory International determined to place some actual assets into pushing their very own American single malts, that push would rival the mixed efforts of the ASMWC. And simply because the Tennessee Whiskey class has been good for everybody making it, even when it was nearly totally Jack Daniel’s/Brown-Forman pushing it ahead all these years, it’s guess that having the massive gamers take the class extra significantly could be a tide that raises all boats.
