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Coalition seeks final American single malt ruling

A letter sent to the TTB is urging for American single malt to be formally defined after nearly two years of governmental review.

Virginia Distillery Co is one of the founding members of the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission, which along with Discus, issued a letter to the TTB seeking a formal category definition

A coalition of more than 100 American single malt whiskey producers has sent a letter to the Treasury department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) urging the agency to reach a final ruling on the official definition of the category after guidelines were submitted in July 2022. The letter was sent on behalf of the Distilled Spirits Council of the US (Discus) and the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission (ASMWC).

“In the two years since the Bureau issued its notice, the need for a formal standard has grown ever-more urgent. From the largest multinational spirits companies to smallest regional craft distilleries, a significant amount of investment has been poured into American single malt whiskey,” the letter states. “This highlights the desirability of the category but also brings into stark focus the risks posed by the lack of a standard.”

Beyond producers like Seattle’s Westland Distillery and Colorado-based Stranahan’s, which have each been committed to making American single malt for a decade-plus, traditional whiskey houses like Jim Beam, Jack Daniel’s, and Bulleit have all released single malts within the past year, illustrating the category’s growth potential.

The proposed guidelines, which have been under review since September 2022, specify that to be labelled American single malt, a whiskey must be made from 100% malted barley; distilled entirely at one distillery; mashed, distilled, and matured in the US; matured in oak casks of a capacity not exceeding 700 litres; distilled to no more than 80% ABV; and bottled at 40% ABV or higher.

There are no guidelines pertaining to maturation length as with Scotch whisky, or barrel specifications, as with Bourbon.

“This new standard will establish trust in the category, clarify label declarations, and equip consumers with the necessary information to make informed purchasing decisions,” the letter reads. “The formal establishment will also signal to the world that we recognise American single malt whiskey as a unique category, like Bourbon, that deserves to be defined, recognised and protected.”

In April, The Spirits Business spoke to several American single malt producers about how they and other members of the ASMWC are feeling about the time it has taken the TTB to finalise their proposed guidelines. At the time, Westland master distiller Tyler Perderson said: “We’re going to start poking the TTB with campaigns that are a little more provocative to remind them, hey, this is still an issue.” Pederson also noted that he and other members of the Commission would like to see a decision made ahead of November’s presidential election.

“If it’s already been this challenging to get over that last final mile, under the conditions that we’ve had, the election year is only going to create more distractions for the TTB,” he said.

Gareth Moore, CEO at Lovingston’s Virginia Distillery Co, said that there is the perception of controversy because an official ruling has not yet been made. “We’re kind of left in this purgatory of having no idea if it’s going to happen, but the public perception is that it’s not simply because of the long time that it’s been taking,” he said.

TTB liaison Tom Hogue said that they anticipate a final ruling coming later this year. “We recognise there is significant interest in this rulemaking, and are actively working on the issue,” he said. “The rulemaking process is, by its nature, deliberative, not fast. I would not read further into it.”

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