The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) today issued its final rule establishing a new American Single Malt Whiskey category, a move that will help protect and promote this growing category, according to the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission (ASMWC) and the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS).
“This is a landmark ruling from the TTB that further cements our standing on the global stage in whiskey,” said ASMWC President Steve Hawley. “We applaud TTB for hearing the call from distillers, purveyors and fans of American Single Malt, and formalizing a definition that supports and protects our producers both here and abroad. It’s a momentous day for American Single Malt Whiskey, and this is just the beginning of a bright future for the category.”
“We want to thank the TTB for listening to the needs of U.S. distillers and working with the industry to provide an official standard for the American Single Malt Whiskey category,” said DISCUS President & CEO Chris Swonger. “This is great news for America’s distillers and spirits consumers. Having this formal definition is going to protect the integrity of American Single Malt Whiskey and drive experimentation, creativity and innovation in this popular category.”
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Key provisions of the American Single Malt Whiskey Standard include:
- 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. The final rule is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, Dec. 18, and the effective date is Jan. 19, 2025.
ASMWC and DISCUS have worked in close partnership over the past several years to urge the TTB to finalize the standard.
Earlier this year, the two groups spearheaded a grassroots effort, powered by DISCUS’ Spirits United, that generated more than 1,000 letters to TTB Administrator Mary Ryan urging immediate action to finalize the official standard for the American Single Malt Whiskey category. The campaign kicked-off following a joint letter that was sent by DISCUS and the ASMWC to TTB on the issue.
DISCUS and ASMWC submitted official joint comments to TTB in September 2022 in support of establishing a standard of identity for American Single Malt Whiskey as part of the bureau’s 2022 notice of proposed rulemaking process and also in June 2019 as part of the bureau’s 2018 rulemaking to modernize the labeling and advertising regulations for distilled spirits, wine and malt beverages.
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– TTB Proposes Standard of Identity for ‘American Single Malt Whiskey’ – Commenting Period Now Open
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