Brother Justus chooses ‘quality over category’
Minneapolis distillery Brother Justus is embracing the American whiskey categorisation after the 2025 Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau ruling deprived the brand of the right to label its products as American single malt.
Brother Justus makes its whiskeys in a way that meets the letter of traditional Irish and Scottish single malt standards, using 100% malted barley, mashing and distilling at a single distillery, and pot distilled at any proof below neutral spirit, with the addition of specifically American innovation and identity.
However, the 2025 ruling definition of what makes an American single malt disqualifies Brother Justus from classifying its products as such.
As such, Brother Justus has rebranded itself as an American whiskey in what it is calling a ‘quality-over-category decision’.
“We won’t change our distillation craft just to be included in a particular category, especially one that turns traditional single malt identity upside down and limits distiller freedom,” said Phil Steger, founder and CEO of Brother Justus.
“Our whiskey – and the spirit with which it’s made – stands on its own, and our sales are growing even as the industry sees declines. We’ll choose quality over category every single day.”
He added: “The quality of Brother Justus whiskey, as a tribute to our namesake, is far more important than what whiskey category we belong to.
“We distil from 100% malted barley because it’s the most flavourful grain. We perform every step of the process ourselves in our facility. We distil with uncommon precision because it best expresses both the pure, incomparable flavour of our ingredients and the character of the land which produces them – our home state of Minnesota.”
The relabelling of the distillery’s whiskeys is joined by a new logo, which directly honours the bootlegging, Prohibition-era Minnesota monk who helped his neighbours survive two Depressions, and inspired the company’s brand and spirit in its pursuit of ‘flawless’ flavour.
The logo depicts a blacksmith’s hammer in front of a simple circle of light, which is said to represent the real Brother Justus (birth name William Trettel) – a Benedictine monk from central Minnesota who built whiskey stills and gave them to farmers on the verge of losing everything. He taught them whiskey craft, which led to a whiskey boom in the region during Prohibition.
Craft manifesto
Additionally, in the spirit of unregulated innovation and the growth of American craft producers, the company has shared a manifesto penned by Steger about the freedom to innovate.
The manifesto deep dives into what it means to create whiskey in the pursuit of flawless flavour, instead of for a category.
It reveals that Brother Justus filed a petition to change the proofing requirement of American single malt whiskey from a 160 proof/80% ABV cap to a cap below 190 proof/95% ABV, and encourages other craft producers to do the same in the name of preventing government overreach in the creation of new products and categories.
“The system favours industrial alcohol, not small, craft producers putting their hearts, souls, and livelihoods on the line for their passion,” said Steger. “The endless obstacles placed in the paths of craft producers should not be anchored by unnecessary government regulations; ironically, a very un-American take on the spirit of innovation that should drive business.”
The manifesto can be read in full here: www.brotherjustus.com/whiskey-makers-manifesto.
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