You might very well read the title and think that it’s an egregious typo. American whiskey equals Bourbon, or maybe Tennessee Whiskey.
Nope.
There is indeed an American Single Malt category. We think it’s here to stay.
A Star is Born
Now, one might be forgiven for not having heard of American Single Malt Whiskey (note the “e”), mainly because it is so new, and because one can easily confuse it with Rye, Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey.
The first distilleries of this movement popped up less than two decades ago, and even today, there are (this is hard to verify) a dozen or so distilleries that have a finished product on shelves as of this writing. We can, naturally, split hairs about which was first, when do we start counting, and so on.
What is not in doubt is that the category is new. Compare and contrast Scotch, which started in the late 18th Century (or earlier than 1495, if you’re counting the earliest known mention). There are presently about 128 Scottish distilleries in operation, with scores of closed, mothballed, or forgotten distilleries littered around the country.
Well, there are 143 distilleries registered with the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission as of October 2019. They’re not concentrated in any one state, and from East to West, North to South, we can find distilleries. We can expect their whiskies to hit the shelf soon, though mostly in the U.S for a start. From what we know, about 40 producers are product- ready, with only 4 or 5 looking at export at the moment.
Also compare it to bourbon, which has 1,400 distilleries, though the vast majority of these are boutique, small-volume players.
Okay, so what exactly is American Single Malt Whiskey?
Now, to be perfectly clear, there is no official definition of an American Single Malt, nor are there laws to protect the term- at least not yet.
Theoretically, that means that anyone can use the term American Single Malt- we could conceivably (but not in good faith) sell kale juice as American Single Malt.
However, an extreme scenario like that seems unlikely. We can look at the rum category for examples. Most of the spirit being sold as rum is indeed made from sugarcane. What does occur there is that, with no restriction on additives, we’re likely to find added colouring or flavouring, or varying flavour profiles from different production methods. That is, not, however, to say that the producers of American Single Malt even do this.
On the contrary, the community of distillers making American Single Malt are interested in the furtherance and confidence in the category. They have banded together, and formed a commission. Certain guidelines have been drawn out to define the category. Namely, American Single Malt Whiskey must be:
- Made from 100% malted barley
- Distilled entirely at one distillery
- Mashed, distilled and matured in the USA
- Matured in oak casks of a capacity not exceeding 700 liters
- Distilled to no more than 160 U.S proof
- Bottled at at 80 U.S proof or more
This makes it distinct from the other major styles of American Whiskey, which must be made from corn or rye.
Notice also that there are very clear similarities to the Scottish definitions of single malts, but there are some notable differences (other than the country of origin). Notably, American Single Malts:
- No requirement to be made in copper pot stills
- No rules on the type of casks used to finish whisky (wine, beer/ale or spirits)
- No minimum aging requirement
- No requirement to have bottled the whisky in the U.S
- It doesn’t have to have traditional colour, taste and aroma characteristics of Scotch Whisky
Also note there are no definitions on where the barley comes from, nor what an American Blended Whisky is. Bear in mind the lack of restriction on Japanese Whisky, which doesn’t even need to be made in Japan. People like that already, and American Single Malts are no worse off!
Even if the self-regulated (at this point) definitions are adhered to, we can see that there’s plenty of room to wiggle in production. One could conceivably explore varying the barley used, the aging, the finishing of the casks, the stills used, and so on.
This is not necessarily bad, of course, and in fact can be a good thing. Going back to rum, we see a lot of variety precisely because of the lack of restriction.
One simply needs to keep the eyes open, and perhaps do a bit of research before buying.
North by Northwest
Now, we haven’t tried all that many American Single Malts yet- and we sense that it might be futile to pin down a strict definition of a rapidly growing category. In our view, America’s diversity in terms of cultures, cuisines and history are a great part of what makes it so interesting.
That being said, we did get to try a few different whiskies from the Northwest U.S, which are available in Singapore.
Matthew Hofmann, Master Distiller and co founder at Westland Distillery, notes wryly that the distance from Kentucky to Seattle is about two thousand miles, same as that from the UK to Istanbul (depending on how you count, of course, but nonetheless true in essence).
“We work to create whiskies with a real sense of place,” says Hofmann. “Whiskies that reflect the distinct qualities of both the land and the culture of the Pacific Northwest.”
As if to emphasise the difference, we were told that the choice of grain is no coincidence; while the rugged weather in the Northeast favours the cultivation of rye, and the South lends itself to corn, barley has always been grown in the Northwestern states.
All the same, Christian Krogstad, Founder and Master Distiller at Westward Whiskey, which is based in Oregon, was adamant that they were doing their own thing, not trying to be Scotch. Hofmann, of Westland, was emphatic about this point as well. “We”re not trying to make Scotch in Seattle,” he declares.
At this stage, drinkers might not understand how whisky’s maturation is shaped by the climate of the Pacific Northwest (which has excellent beer, wine and now, it seems whisky). The weather is mostly cool and rainy in their coastal areas, much like a certain island off the European continent, but can be surprisingly diverse in some areas thanks to the presence of mountains in both states.
Yet, we may find that some very good whiskey can be matured in the region. As Christian of Westward comments, “Aging in Portland, the heart of the American Northwest, provides hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters – the ideal environment to raise a world class single malt whiskey. The climate in Portland is very different than the climate in Central/Eastern Oregon, and also different from the coast. This climate results in a smaller than normal Angel’s Share, and a slight increase in ABV over the years.”
(North)West Side Story
Other than their names, the two distilleries express similarities in broad goals to and a desire to make a provenance based whisky, highlighting the land and cultures of their respective states.
Part of that cultural heritage is the craft beer movement, which started in the 1970s. Brewers in Oregon and Washington state, as well as British Columbia, moved away from the traditional light American beers and ignited a whole new trend of using local ingredients to make high-quality beer.
Both distilleries draw from that rich well of knowledge and influence. Krogstad, of Westward, was a brewer himself before moving to whiskey. To make his whisky, he brews an American pale ale from scratch with locally malted barley, ale yeast, and a slow, low temperature fermentation.
Westland’s Hofmann, having studied brewing and distilling, uses many of Craft Beer’s ideas and techniques. The whisky he makes is not made from only malted barley, and includes roasted barley, a technique used in stout production. Brewer’s, not distiller’s, yeast is used to produce the alcohol.
The grain is of particular importance. Almost all of the barley is grown in the USA. In Westland’s case, 80% of the malt comes from Washington State, and in Westward’s case, all of the malt was local two-row pale malted barley from Portland. This makes it distinct from Scotch, where much (but not all) of the grain is imported from across both regional and country lines.
It’s not just about the place of origin, however, but in the treatment of the grains in the process. Westland uses their unique “5-Malt Mash Bill”, a combination of five different malts (pale malt, munich malt, extra-special pale malt, brown malt and pure chocolate malt) to achieve the flavour they want. Westward, too, has experimented with various malts (higher kiln temp, roasted, 6-row, wheat and rye) and yeast strains (Belgian, Bavarian, even levain), and continues to do so.
In focusing on the grain, these American distilleries take a different direction from the Scotch whisky makers, who have, for good or ill, put a lot of emphasis on casks in recent years. Implicit in leaning on the grain so heavily is a statement that the distillate has a flavour of its own- and that flavour deserves centerstage.
That’s all well and good, but do these processes and fussing over grains actually make a difference?
We think they do. Having tasted the whiskies, we found them distinct from both Scotch and Bourbon.
West Side Story: Westland
Westland makes a few different whiskeys, with different styles that express their own take on American whiskey, as well as styles reminiscent of Scotch (sherry and peat). We’ve tasted three of them.
Westland American Oak
Nose: There’s some lemon and a bit of orange chocolate. The citrus aromas evolve into coco crunch, cocoa nibs and vanilla. We then find some dried fruits and cherries.
Palate: An initial blast of malty chocolate. A powerful fruity note emerges after the initial chocolate- we get orange peel, stewed red apples.
Finish: There’s a good finish of spice- cinnamon and clove, as well as milky cocoa.
The casks used were virgin American Oak made in the US by a US cooperage, and the liquid inside is a blend of a small quantity of 6 year old whiskies and the rest being 3-5 year old whiskies. The overall result is quite pleasant; quite unlike many other whiskies we’ve tasted, this has a dominant profile of chocolate and cream- much like a good stout.
Westland Sherry Oak
Nose: Like its sibling, it has a strong chocolate and malty caramel aroma. We also find plummy and red fruit notes, along with apricot, overripe yellow peach and even a little mango.
Palate: Fairly sweet. We get honey and chocolate, along with a heavy serving of raisins and nut. There’s some red apples, too. The texture is fairly light.
Finish: A spicy flavour with the same chocolate aftertaste
The style that resembles the Scottish sherry-casked whiskies. In this case, Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez casks were used. The flavours are quite pleasant. Almost like having an apple-and-chocolate pastry, though it leans much more heavily into the fruit flavours.
Westland Peated
Nose: Yes, there’s some peat, but it’s hardly overpowering. It’s almost like an accent. We still get mostly chocolate and vanilla, but this time tempered with some green flavours and pine. There’s a bit of the red fruit, as well. a Time left in the glass allows fruity notes to emerge.
Palate: Yes, it’s still fairly sweet. We taste honey, and a dried grassy note. Roasted nuts, perhaps, and a little herb. There’s smoke and lemon, and a tiny trace of orange and apple. Still fairly fruity overall.
Finish: A good length Smoke, spice and chocolate.
This American take on a peated whiskey uses a combination of peated and unpeated grain, and as one might guess, the result is softer than most Islays. We do like that the flavours of the peat are nicely balanced with the grain, but we’re not sure that people will be all that enthused, to be honest. It is a perfectly good whiskey, but we sense that the peat-loving population would favour a peat-bomb.
Overall, all three drams turned out quite well, considering the relative youth of both the industry and the whiskies. The Westland signature seems to be focused on fruit and chocolate, brought about, we think, by the roasting (not peat malting!) of the barley used in production. A fresh take, with more emphasis on the treatment and use of the grain.
West Side Story: Westward
Westward has been around since 2004, and is one of the larger distillers of American Single Malt. It, too, uses brewers’ yeast, and a pale ale is made as part of the whisky production process.
The physical set-up of the distillery is quite unusual: a stainless steel pot still with a copper line arm is used. Stainless steel is commonly used due to its ease of maintenance, and copper for its ability to remove sulphuric compounds. The two are usually used separately, or in reverse; a copper pot with a stainless steel line arm. Westward intended to get the best of both worlds by combining the two metals in this manner.
The peculiarities continue. The distillery uses short, open heads for their stills to produce a distillate that is robust and rich in congeners. They use charred virgin American White Oak for maturation, but warehouse them upright. We were told that this results in no significant flavour difference, but less whiskey is given up to the angels.
Westward Single Malt
Nose: Coconut, pine, wood. There’s walnut in here, for sure. We get a very light jasmine note, which quickly moves into light chocolate, palm sugar and a bit of grassiness. It tails off with a cocoa aroma.
Palate: The flavours start with honey, grain and cocoa, with a good helping of cream. It then gets quite fruity indeed, even more so than the Westland whiskies. This has lemon and sweet orange, with fresh apples coming up also. It shows its roots towards the end, with pine nut and green flavours emerging.
Finish: A good length. Bit of spice and cocoa, with wood as well.
Overall, we like it. There’s a robustness here, but also a nice interplay of different flavour profiles. The description alone might make it sound similar to a Scotch, and indeed, the resemblances are clear.
Where we find the differences are the emphases on the cocoa and the heavy fruitiness. While there isn’t an age requirement, we were told the whisky has been aged between 4-6 years.
From Here to Eternity
After having tried the whiskies, we find that they veer off quite sharply from the direction that Scotch and even most world whiskies are going.
There’s been an obsession with cask maturation in recent years, for good or ill, and very little talk about provenance- with one notable exception being Bruichladdich and its Islay Barley.
These American malts, on the other hand, have gone their own way.
It is very clear that the barley used and its treatment have played a huge part in shaping the flavour of the whiskey. Perhaps this has much to do with the brewing background of these two producers.
The results have played out well so far at home. According to Christian, Americans have had a positive reaction to the American Single Malt Whiskey, appreciating the richer, more robust flavours and textures from a pot-distilled whisky while enjoying a familiarity to the virgin-American-oaked whiskey. The American market is receptive to innovation, and even some of the more experimental products are going over well.
If the industry wants to play around with casks, there’s plenty of room. Westland has experimented with a native Northwestern American white oak, called the Garryana. We didn’t get to taste the result, but we were told that it gives a barbecue-like flavour. Cherrywood, applewood and actual mesquite are also being experimented with across various distilleries.
Perhaps the most exciting part about this new category is that there’s a still a lot of room to explore that doesn’t involve wood. Combinations of malts, yeasts and -with no restriction on stills- production process.
To Sum It All Up
We have a thought on culture that might prove controversial. From our conversations with both Master Distillers, we have picked up a sense of pride in finding their own identity and breaking away from Scotch and Bourbon.
Is it a stretch to suggest that this very American spirit of creativity and independence might translate to the rest of the nascent American Single Malt Whiskey category? We are eager to delve deeper as the industry matures and more producers start to export their new American Single Malts.
The question will always exist whether to focus on innovation, or to focus on making a good product. We think, based on what we have tasted, that we might just be lucky enough to get both.
Westland is now available at selected bars in Singapore, including La Maison Du Whisky, Neon Pigeon, The Secret Mermaid, Manhattan. It retails for SGD 135 for the American Oak and SGD 150 for the Sherry Wood and Peated. Westward Whiskey can be found at top restaurants and bars in Singapore, including Manhattan, Six Senses Maxwell and Bar Stories. The product is also available at www.dyspatchr.com.
