Single Malt List

[Curtis McMillan]

If your building or thinking of building a single malt. Email me (we are working on a list) we would in the future like to buy barrels for blending much like the scotch.

Curtis@McMillanDistillery.com

[Wood's]

Curtis,

I'm planning a similar project here in CO. If it isn't too much to ask; Could I get those in CO to include me in the email response?

Thanks

John

KJWDistillers

Northern CO.

[Curtis McMillan]

their is about 4 of us. I will keep you in the loop John

[Ssmiley]

John in CO - I am also in CO and am in the very beginning stages of getting all my ducks in a row for TTB Distilling permit as well as local permits. Once I get this all approved, I do plan on a single malt as my main product focus.

I have a decent sized still on order and hope to be in full "production" by the beginning of 2013. Obviously, I wont have anything aged for some years after that first start of distilling, but if you want to stay in touch, please send me a message on here via my profile.

Thanks!

SS

[clearwaterbrewer]

Located a bit too far (Florida), however wanted to offer... As an accomplished brewer and BJCP beer judge, I am a little confused on the terms of manufacture of 'Single Malt'... reading "§ 5.22 The standards of identity.", I do not see what I assumed would be there, that is, a requirement for only containing a single, individual type of malt... if it is 90% of one type of barley malt, and 10% of another type of barley malt, it is still 'single malt'???

Additionally, I look on here, but see not article on how to choose the manufacturer, type, or specs for ordering new barrels, I guess it is wanting to take a shortcut, as I know if I read a lot of the books that are on my 'must read list', but does anyone have a link to a 'barrel selection for dummies?' ( I know what the sizes, species of oak, regionality of american oak, and toast/char are, but selecting one and selecting a cooper is a bit daunting...

I could cheat and copy what I see Wiki has for Stranahan's, "then aged in 50 gallon heavily charred (#4 char), American white oak whiskey barrels made by World Cooperage in Lebeanon, Missouri." (and oc course when ordering from world cooperage, there is no #4 char to be found... LOL

(I do not have DSP yet, have contract on bulding, expecting to be built out small scale and complete DSP in 2013)

Mike

www.cothermandistilling.com

[nick jones]

Mike,

It is indeed important to note that "single malt" is not considered to be a class or type of whiskey by the Standards of Identity. Examples of recognized "types" in the whiskey "class" are "Scotch Whiskey", "Irish Whiskey", "Canadian Whiskey", and yes, even just plain old "Whiskey".

Since the CFR neglects to say anything about the use of the term "Single Malt", any "type" of whiskey may use that term on its label (so long as it is not "false or untrue" etc. c.f. 27 CFR 5.42). But given the TTB's complete and repeated failure to enforce 27 CFR 5.42, I'd say one could get away with calling pretty much anything "single malt" these days. How about a corn whiskey where a "single" kernel of malt was added to the mash... Single Malt Corn Whiskey...? Why not, we've got "distillers" selling whiskey that they've "made" when then don't even own a still. (Not that all rectifiers indulge themselves in the common practice of misleading the consumer into believing that they actually distill their own whiskey; many don't. But we've all seen examples of those who do).

This issue is yet another example of the unfortunate complexity of the CFR, the inexcusable lack of federal resources allocated to the TTB, and the sudden boom in new distilled spirits products and producers leading to a situation where we producers are forced to police ourselves.

I'd like to advocate that we make an effort to make American "single malt" whiskey parallel it's Scotch cousin in meaningful ways, yet not so much so that it looses its American identity. How about an American single malt:

(1) is a whiskey distilled in the United States

(2) is a whiskey distilled from 100% malted barley

(3) is a whiskey distilled in a batch process on a pot still

(4) is a whiskey distilled at a single distillery

I think that it is important to omit a minimum age requirement, prefering instead that the single malt falls under the general "whiskey" class like all of the other "types".

It is a common misconception that single malt whiskey is distilled from a single type of malt. The "single" actually refers to a single distillery (c.f. UK regulations)

As far as cooperage goes, Independent Stave has some nice new 53 gallon whiskey barrels (World Cooperage is a subsidiary of theirs, I believe). Also consider used cooperage, as is the style in Scotland. If the spirit going into the barrel is good, there is very little that a barrel can do to mess it up. Conversly, there is very little that even the most perfectly selected barrel can do to improve a flawed spirit. I'd recommend you focus on your spirit primarily, and once you've got your spirit where you want it, see what oak works best with your particular spirit.

Nick

[PeteB]

Hi Curtis , who started this thread.

Nick, If you managed to get an official definition of "American Single Malt", but don't use the word "whiskey" I assume you would have the option to age in re-use barrels.

If you do manage to get it defined, be careful you don't wipe out "single malt rye" as a "type?"

[ViolentBlue]

single malt will be high on our list once we get the distillery going here. but considering its meant to be more of a working showroom than production distillery our volumes will be low.

but we could probably set a cask or two aside for blenders like yourself.

[TeelingWhiskeyCo]

I am a little confused on the terms of manufacture of 'Single Malt'... reading "§ 5.22 The standards of identity.", I do not see what I assumed would be there, that is, a requirement for only containing a single, individual type of malt... if it is 90% of one type of barley malt, and 10% of another type of barley malt, it is still 'single malt'???

You can use any type of malt you want in any %. Single is a reference to the distillery. As in from a single distillery and not two. So any % of 2-row or 6-row malt from one distillery is a single malt. Also any % of specialty malt would be single.

[Tom's Foolery]

As Nick posted back in September, there is no "single malt" category in the TTB standards of identity, unlike in Scotland, where the term "single" identifies that the whiskey was produced at one distillery. I wish that we did define "single" that way in the US, but unfortunately the terms "single", "pot distilled", and even "made by" will tell the consumer very little about what product is in the bottle and who actually distilled it. If a distiller wants to make it clear that his Malt Whiskey was produced at a single distillery, the term "bottled-in-bond" would convey that meaning, however bonded whiskey also must be 4+ yrs old and 100 proof, which is a long time to wait for a new distillery.

If pressed, the TTB would probably not allow a distiller to even call a US product a "single malt," as that would suggest a category exists where one does not. A similar problem has occurred with "white whiskey," and some distillers have not been permitted to use that term on their label for this very reason. But as many of us know the TTB is swamped and a lot of mistakes get though the COLA process.

[miller]

Starting in 2013 we will be offering "single malts" plus "grain whiskey" in the Scottish style. For details write lakedistilling@gmail.com

[nick jones]

Wow, Curtis, this thread just blew up. How exciting to have such a heavy hitter as Lake Distilling joining us malt distillers. With their production capacity, American malt whiskey might finally become more than a footnote in the whiskey world.

Really looking forward to trying the product! I love Lake Distilling's philosophy and I imagine that I'll love their whiskey too.

Nick

[Mash]

I am making a corn whisky, from malted corn, smoked,and dried, mashed with peated malt. What does that make it? It is a lovely spirit even in it's non aged form.

[bioviper]

If your building or thinking of building a single malt. Email me (we are working on a list) we would in the future like to buy barrels for blending much like the scotch.

Curtis@McMillanDistillery.com

i dont know if your still looking for single malt barrels but we just dumped 5 ten gal barrels and 15 5 gal barrels . parliament distillery sumner WA

[nick jones]

I am making a corn whisky, from malted corn, smoked,and dried, mashed with peated malt. What does that make it? It is a lovely spirit even in it's non aged form.

Sounds delicious; I'd love to try it. I'll be sure to swing by next time I'm in your neck of the woods.

In Scotland, you'd qualify as a "grain whisky" so long as you only used endogenous enzymes (e.g. malt) to saccharify your mash. But on this side of the pond, it's a different story.

You're only making a "corn whiskey" if your mash consists of at least 80% corn. If your mash is between 51% and 79% corn (and you're aging in new charred barrels), you're making bourbon. If your mash consists of not less than 51% malt, and you age in new charred oak, you're making "malt whiskey". But if your mash consists of not less than 51% malt and you age in used oak, you're making "Whiskey distilled from malt mash". Now what if your mash is 50% malt and 50% corn? You are making a spirit that is not addressed in the Code of Federal Regulations, and the TTB has no choice but to default your spirit into the generic category "whiskey".

It's hard to stop laughing after having written that down. I don't think that it would be possible to make laws more difficult to understand for consumers and producers alike than the current incarnation of the Standards of Identity. The TTB hides behind consumer protection, but I would be surprised of more than 0.000001% of consumers knew that the only difference between malt whiskey and whiskey distilled from malt mash was that one was aged in new barrels and one in used. Especially given that 99.999999% of the malt whiskey produced on this planet is aged in used barrels. Also, 97% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

Nick

P.S. since the Standards self-referentially define whiskey to be something that "possesses the... characteristics generally attributed to whiskey" all one needs to do is take a poll of the general population to find the true, legal definition of whiskey: it's brown and it gets you messed up ;-)