As a 7th Generation Master Distiller, I’ve been around and making whiskey my entire life, but until now, I’ve never done it like this before.
On January 19, 2025, the rules of the whiskey game in the United States changed, and our entire industry stands to come out as a winner. American Single Malt Whiskey now has an official designation from the US government – giving us a new product to sell to new markets – right when we could really use both.
To understand why American Single Malt Whiskey’s new status is important, it’s helpful to look to bourbon. Even casual bourbon drinkers know there are “Rules” about what kind of whiskey can officially be called a bourbon. Most would struggle to list them and even fewer could explain exactly who makes the rules in the first place. But knowing that bourbon must meet an established standard is a big part of its popularity.
Until now, American Single Malt Whiskey hasn’t had a standard like that in place. Lots of distillers, especially smaller craft operations, have made whiskies entirely from malted barley for several years. We even made one when I was at Heaven Hill. But those could vary so widely that the term didn’t have much real meaning. That changed this year when the Federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, what we usually call the TTB, amended its “Distilled Spirits Standards of Identity” to include American Single Malt Whiskey.
What is American Single Malt Whiskey?
To be called American Single Malt Whiskey, a whiskey must follow all these rules.
- Fermented mash of 100% malted barley produced in the United States;
- Distillation proof of 160 or less, distilled at the same distillery in the United States;
- Stored in used, charred new, or uncharred new oak barrels, with a 700 liter maximum capacity and only stored in the United States;
- No neutral spirits permitted; and
- No allowable coloring, flavoring, or blending materials permitted, except for caramel coloring that is disclosed on the label.
The final rule also adopted a standard for the Straight American Single Malt Whiskey, requiring that it be aged for a minimum of 2 years.
All of that means that American Single Malt Whiskey is now an official category in the marketplace, so we can go head-to-head with single malts from Scotland and Japan, where these have been big for years. It’s good timing for our industry, since all the product that’s been put up since the beginning of the bourbon boom is now hitting the market, and the new tariffs are rocking the boat overseas.
Bourbon producers may be in the best spot to take advantage of the buzz around American Single Malt Whiskey because the production process is similar to what we’ve been doing for years. At Jackson Purchase Distillery in Hickman, Kentucky, we’re already feeling the impact.
Jackson Purchase Distillery produces whiskey for investors and the contract market, and our customers have been asking about American Single Malt Whiskey for a while now. We started our first run of American Single Malt Whiskey in late March, and it will produce 1,000 to 1,200 barrels. All of those were sold before we even finished the run.
From the start, we wanted it to be better than Scotch. So, my friend – and Assistant Master Distiller – Terry Ballard and I put our heads together with the malt experts and carefully picked out two different strains of malted barley to blend together. We wanted to get a lot more flavor from the mash – some caramel, a little more chocolate. I don’t like anything peated, so this will be different. But I think it will still appeal to Scotch lovers, while someone who considers themselves a bourbon drinker should love it as well.
Unrinsed Used Bourbon Barrels
We also want to make our ASM different from others in the American marketplace. First, we wanted to take advantage of the freedom to age it in used barrels, unlike bourbon. So, I called my friends over at Heaven Hill, where I worked as Master Distiller, just like my father, Parker and my Grandfather, Earl.
I’ll let Terry explain why their barrels were the perfect choice.
“Heaven Hill stands out because they don’t rinse their barrels after they empty them like other distilleries do. That means there’s still a lot of flavor they can pass to the next whiskey,” he said. “I think there’s going to be a little smoke, and a lot of bread and earth flavors.”
The Hickman, Kentucky Advantage
Our climate down here in Western Kentucky is another thing that will make our single malt stand out from Scotch – and other American whiskeys. It’s cold and wet in Scotland, so aging takes longer. But in America, the single malts should be ready for drinking in 6 to 8 years. And in Hickman – as far West as you can go in Kentucky – it’s usually around 5 degrees warmer than back home in Central Kentucky. We’ve already seen that make a huge difference with our bourbons. The flavor and the color have developed far faster than we expected – and they’re already drinking like a much older bourbon.
With that advantage, we expect our single malts could be ready for the glass in as little as 5 years. And with the combination of the Heaven Hill barrels, the calcium-rich water from our aquifer, and the mash bill Terry and I developed, we think it’ll be something really special.
As Terry says, it can’t come along soon enough.
“Our buyers have been going crazy when we tell them we’re doing American Single Malt Whiskey,” he reminded me. “Every customer we have has wanted to buy some.”
Learn More About
Jackson Purchase Distillery
Contract Distilling Opportunities
Call 270-838-2198
Email Info@JacksonPurchaseDistillery.com
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