Seven Fifty Daily — American Single Malt’s Long Fight for Official Recognition

Read the full article here

During a fierce blizzard at the bitter end of winter in March 2016, nine American distillers gathered at Binny’s Beverage Depot in Chicago to hash out a definition for the nascent category of American single malt whiskey.

“We gave ourselves four hours to discuss what would be figured out in 45 minutes,” laughs Matt Hofmann, the master distiller and cofounder of Westland Distillery, a 100 percent single malt producer in Seattle. To him and his cohorts—who that same day also formed the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission (ASMWC)—it was a no brainer. With the abundant availability of barley (thanks, in part, to the growing craft beer industry), the fascinating potential of regional style and climatic influences, and the global thirst for single malt whiskeys, the notion of officially establishing American single malt seemed a shoo-in.

Continue reading here>>