Federal Ruling Officially Recognizes American Single Malt Category
LOVINGSTON, VA (December 18, 2024) Virginia Distillery Company and members of the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission (ASMWC), an organization designed to define, establish, promote, and protect the category of American Single Malts, are celebrating the announcement by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) that it will now formally define American Single Malt whisky.
To celebrate this momentous event, Virginia Distillery Co. has launched an ASM Day website which is a great resource for learning about this newly defined category.
On December 13, the TTB issued an unpublished rule that is scheduled to be published on Wednesday, December 18. This ruling stipulates that to be labeled American single malt whisky, the product must:
(1) fermented mash of 100% malted barley produced in the United States;
(2) distillation proof of 160 or less, distilled at the same distillery in the United States;
(3) stored in used, charred new, or uncharred new oak barrels, with a 700 liter maximum capacity and only stored in the United States;
(4) no neutral spirits permitted; and
(5) no allowable coloring, flavoring, or blending materials permitted, except for caramel coloring that is disclosed on the label.
Virginia Distillery Company leads the American Single Malt whisky category as the largest privately owned U.S. distillery. Their Courage & Conviction line is the most awarded American Single Malt brand, with over 100 accolades, and was named 2023 Distillery of the Year by the London Spirits Competition. The Virginia Distillery Co. line earned a spot on Whisky Advocate's Top 20 Whiskies in the World 2024 for its Brewer’s Coalition – Hardywood Gingerbread Stout Cask Release. Both lines meet the standards proposed by the American Single Malt Whisky Commission.
“Americans have been distilling whisky for centuries, and I’m so thrilled to see that the TTB has finally announced American Single Malt as an official and protected category of American Whisky,” said Virginia Distillery Company’s CEO Gareth H. Moore and ASMWC Treasurer. “As one of the co-founding members of the ASMWC, this monumental moment is very important to me. The American Single Malt category will further broaden the view of the American whisky consumer and fuel innovation and premiumization across domestic products.”
In 2024, Virginia Distillery Company introduced its ASM Academy, the number one training resource for users to learn about American Single-Malt Whisky. This online portal is available on VDC’s website as a training tool for producers, distributors, accounts, and anyone wanting to learn more about American Single-Malt.
About Virginia Distillery Company
Virginia Distillery Co., 2023 London Spirits Competition’s ‘Distillery of the Year’ is America’s most awarded single malt distillery. Its founder, George G. Moore, had a vision for redefining the heights that a great American whisky could reach. Unfortunately, he passed away while the distillery was being built, but his wife, Angela, and son, Gareth, inherited his vision and built the business to pursue George’s vision.
Staffed by a local Virginia team and mentored by Scottish consultants with decades of experience, Virginia Distillery Company is the largest, independently owned American Single Malt whisky distillery in the U.S. The distillery has an annual production volume of 80,000 4.5L cases and is growing. The distillery can produce over 8,000 casks at full capacity, yielding 350,000 4.5L cases annually. The distillery distills, matures, and bottles everything on-site in Lovingston, VA.
Virginia Distillery Co. produces the most awarded American Single Malt whisky brand, Courage & Conviction, on-site using malted barley from North America and water from Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. In addition, the distillery offers the award-winning VDC American Single Malt whisky series, made with 100% malted barley, aged in ex-bourbon barrels, and then finished in various casks, including port, cider, beer, new toasted oak, and cabernet sauvignon.
On December 13, the TTB issued an unpublished rule that is scheduled to be published on Wednesday, December 18. This ruling stipulates that to be labeled American single malt whisky, the product must:
(1) fermented mash of 100% malted barley produced in the United States;
(2) distillation proof of 160 or less, distilled at the same distillery in the United States;
(3) stored in used, charred new, or uncharred new oak barrels, with a 700 liter maximum capacity and only stored in the United States;
(4) no neutral spirits permitted; and
(5) no allowable coloring, flavoring, or blending materials permitted, except for caramel coloring that is disclosed on the label.
Virginia Distillery Company leads the American Single Malt whisky category as the largest privately owned U.S. distillery. Their Courage & Conviction line is the most awarded American Single Malt brand, with over 100 accolades, and was named 2023 Distillery of the Year by the London Spirits Competition. The Virginia Distillery Co. line earned a spot on Whisky Advocate's Top 20 Whiskies in the World 2024 for its Brewer’s Coalition – Hardywood Gingerbread Stout Cask Release. Both lines meet the standards proposed by the American Single Malt Whisky Commission.
“Americans have been distilling whisky for centuries, and I’m so thrilled to see that the TTB has finally announced American Single Malt as an official and protected category of American Whisky,” said Virginia Distillery Company’s CEO Gareth H. Moore and ASMWC Treasurer. “As one of the co-founding members of the ASMWC, this monumental moment is very important to me. The American Single Malt category will further broaden the view of the American whisky consumer and fuel innovation and premiumization across domestic products.”
In 2024, Virginia Distillery Company introduced its ASM Academy, the number one training resource for users to learn about American Single-Malt Whisky. This online portal is available on VDC’s website as a training tool for producers, distributors, accounts, and anyone wanting to learn more about American Single-Malt.
About Virginia Distillery Company
Virginia Distillery Co., 2023 London Spirits Competition’s ‘Distillery of the Year’ is America’s most awarded single malt distillery. Its founder, George G. Moore, had a vision for redefining the heights that a great American whisky could reach. Unfortunately, he passed away while the distillery was being built, but his wife, Angela, and son, Gareth, inherited his vision and built the business to pursue George’s vision.
Staffed by a local Virginia team and mentored by Scottish consultants with decades of experience, Virginia Distillery Company is the largest, independently owned American Single Malt whisky distillery in the U.S. The distillery has an annual production volume of 80,000 4.5L cases and is growing. The distillery can produce over 8,000 casks at full capacity, yielding 350,000 4.5L cases annually. The distillery distills, matures, and bottles everything on-site in Lovingston, VA.
Virginia Distillery Co. produces the most awarded American Single Malt whisky brand, Courage & Conviction, on-site using malted barley from North America and water from Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. In addition, the distillery offers the award-winning VDC American Single Malt whisky series, made with 100% malted barley, aged in ex-bourbon barrels, and then finished in various casks, including port, cider, beer, new toasted oak, and cabernet sauvignon.
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