WHAT MAKES WHISKY A “SINGLE MALT?”
Malted barley was the original whiskey grain, ideally suited due to its high amylase enzyme content. The malting process uses heat and water to initiate and then stop germination, preferably just at the point where the amylase allows maximum conversion of internal starch to sugar. More efficient sugar conversion benefits fermentation and ultimately allows distillation at lower temperatures. The resultant malt whiskey, or just “malt,” is generally more intensely flavorful than grain whiskey, but due to lower yield and longer distillation, also more costly to produce.
The requirements for using “malt” in a whiskey’s name varies by national origin. In Scotland and Ireland, a whiskey must be of 100% malted barley to bear the name “malt.” In the USA, 51% is sufficient. Likewise, using the term “single” is regulated by both Scottish and Irish law. Bottles labeled “single malt” must contain only malts sourced from a “single” distillery.
American whiskey don’t have such a law, mainly due to late entry into malt whiskey production. First produced in the 1990s, it wasn’t until the 2010s that the American malt marketplace emerged in a meaningful way. Today, with over 100 self-described “single malts,” many distillers formed a member organization, the “American Single Malt Commission,” to set up voluntary standards. By joining, the members vow to honor the intention and spirit of the Scotch and Irish rules. To use the term “single malt,” the whiskey must be:
- Made from 100% malted barley
- Produced at one distillery
- Mashed, distilled and matured in the USA
- Matured in 700-liter or smaller oak casks
- Distilled to no more than 160 proof (80% alcohol by volume)
- Bottled at 80 proof or more (40% alcohol by volume)
While efforts to codify single-malt rules percolate, analysts predict that the category will grow as much as 500% over the next five years. If predictions unfold, American Single Malt whiskey, already surpassing Japanese whiskey in volume, if not quality, will catapult into direct competition with great-grandads Scotch and Irish whiskeys. And barring any gross abuse of the term “single-malt,” we will start winning head-to-head ratings comparisons, too!