Unraveling the American Single Malt Mystery
American Single Malt…where to even start with this emerging spirit category?!
Let’s look at the facts!
Below are some questions (and answers) to ensure you know what to expect.
What is Malt?
Malt is absolutely deserving of its own informational deep dive but in an effort to maintain your interest through to the next question please find the distilled definition below.
Malting is a process in which grain undergoes steeping, germination, and kilning to transform it into a fermentation facilitator and flavor source. Many types of grain can be malted but the majority of malt used for distillation is malted barley. Malted barley is the defining raw material when it comes to Single Malt.
What is Single Malt Whisky?
Wait! Is that Whiskey missing an E? Well, Whisky vs Whiskey mostly alludes to the spirit’s origin and regulation. In Ireland and the United States, it’s whiskey while in Scotland, India, Japan and Canada it’s whisky.
Historically the United Kingdom’s definition of Single Malt Whisky has been the universal standard.
100% Malted Barely
Distilled via Pot Still
Distilled at a Single Distillery
Aged a minimum of 3 years
Matured in Oak containers not exceeding 700L (180gals)
What is American Single Malt Whiskey?
It’s brand new! In 2022 several groups including the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission (of which Redwood Empire is a member) successfully petitioned the TTB (the Alcohol Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau aka our federal overlords regulators) to define American Single Malt as:
100% Malted Barley
Distilled at a Single Distillery
Mashed Distilled Matured in the United States
Matured in Oak containers not exceeding 180gals
Distilled to no more that 160 proof
Bottled at a minimum of 80 proof
This definition diverts from the UK’s in that there is no age requirement nor still requirement. These looser requirements allow for innovation and creativity and contribute significantly to flavor variation between brands.
What is Redwood Empire American Single Malt?
Foggy Burl is our American Single Malt expression and the epitome of Redwood Empire’s explorative spirit. Our Single Malt recipes are rarely repeated and use an array of malted barleys. We play heavily with specialty and darker malts to produce a rich, robust, grain forward flavor profile. As a result of our experimentation, each year will be a unique release but will follow the below guidelines.
100% Malted Barley
Distilled via a column/continuous still
Aged a minimum of 4 years
Matured in New American Oak 53gal barrels
Bottled at 94 proof
Cheers!