2023 Q2 Spirited VA - 9

FEATURED SPIRIT
American Single Malts
This cousin of Scotch is on the rise.
T
here's a new whiskey in town: American
Single Malt. According to IWSR Drinks
Market Analysis, this spirits category has
increased almost 75% over the previous
five years. There's even a grassroots
movement that hopes to clarify its beverage
classification. The American Single Malt
Whiskey Commission, founded in 2016, is
fighting for the following definition: it must
be produced from 100% malted barley at a
single location; mashed, distilled and aged
in the US; made in oak barrels of 700 liters or
less; distilled at no more than 160 proof and
bottled at 80 proof or more.
What does American Single Malt taste
like? They're all different, but essentially
it's the American cousin of Scotch whisky-
smoky, peaty, nutty and/or briny. Try one of
the following bottles and see for yourself.
Balcones " 1 " Texas Single Malt Whisky
750 ml, $69.99
From Balcones Distilling in Waco, Texas, this
product is a straight malt whisky aged for
two years and bottled at 106 proof. Chip Tate
founded the company in 2008 and built his
own stills. The whisky is made from 100%
malted barley and tastes like dark cherries,
oak, winter spices and cocoa.
Caiseal Single Malt Whiskey
750 ml, $56.59
From Caiseal Beer & Spirits in Hampton, this
whiskey is made in a 100-liter copper pot still
and aged in ex-bourbon casks. The flavor
profile includes warmed caramel, vanilla and
a hint of clove.
Copper Fox Original Single Malt Whisky
750 ml, $49.99
From Sperryville, this spirit is non-chill filtered,
distilled from 100% malt mash and finished
with toasted applewood and oak. The taste
is salty, malty and smoky with a touch of
anise in the finish.
Copper Fox Peachwood American Single Malt
750 ml, $49.99
Peachwood is used in both the kiln-drying
and aging processes to lend a fruity and lightly
floral taste to this single malt. It has a striking
auburn color and a medium-bodied taste of
nectarine, cinnamon, marzipan and orange
rind. There's a hearty mouthfeel and a bit of
smoke in the finish.
Courage & Conviction American Single Malt
Whisky
750 ml, $74.99
This award-winning spirit is made from
a blend of whiskys aged in three types of
barrels: sherry, cuvee and bourbon. The flavor
is creamy, complex and semi-sweet with notes
of blackcurrant, nutmeg, fruit cake and milk
chocolate.
Kopper Kettle Straight Malted Whiskey
750 ml, $34.99
From Belmont Farms in Culpeper, this is a
triple-distilled single malt. It's made in a
3,000-gallon copper still with purified mineral
water before aging for three years. The whiskey
tastes like baked bread, sugar cane, fresh
milled barley and stone fruit.
VHW Port Cask Finished Whisky
750 ml, $49.99
This is an award-winning tipple from the
Virginia Distilling Co. in the central Virginia
town of Lovingston. They take scotch malt
whisky and blend it with their own American
single malt, which finishes in port barrels
for at least one year. The complex flavor is
comprised of oak, cocoa and butterscotch.
Westland American Single Malt Whiskey
750 ml, $69.99
Produced from a five-malt barley mash in
Washington state, Westland's single malt is
non-chill filtered and barreled in new charred
oak. It ages for three years or more, which
leads to a robust, well-balanced taste and
a clean finish.
Woodford Reserve Malt Whiskey
750 ml, $38.99
This is a straight malt whiskey from Versailles,
Kentucky that was first released in the summer
of 2018. The flavor is a mix of chocolate, brown
sugar, fresh-baked cookies and honey with a
dash of heat and a long finish.
-Andrew Madigan
SPIRITED VIRGINIA | APRIL | MAY | JUNE 2023 9
2023 Q2 Spirited VA

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