New World, New Whiskey Game
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Stoic eagles. Marilyn Monroe. Cracker Jacks at a baseball game. Weโre talkinโ aboutย โMurica, of course. Now, cue up the "Star Spangled Banner," because weโre about to add one more thing to that list:ย Single Malt Whiskey.
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Thatโs right.ย What was once a Scottish tradition is now Americaโs game. Today, this Spirit is a new force to be reckoned with, as it uses distilling methods similar to the Scottish, but adds a dash of that American gumption with innovative techniques.
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Turns out, when it comes to U.S. Single Malt Whiskey,ย there are no hard and fast rules. Yet.
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Life, liberty and the pursuit of Single Malt Whiskey. Such a noble venture. Just donโt look to the nationโs major distillers for it.ย Itโs the small American craftersย that are producing these maverick Single Malts. And theyโre paying homage to Scotland by usingย similar distilling techniquesย and the same base ingredient:ย barley. So then what exactly makes it so gosh darn American? Local ingredients, friends. And gives their Whiskey some rootinโ tootinโ homegrown flavor.
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The Scots have peat to make their Whisky taste smoky, but New Mexicoโs Santa Fe Spirits hasย smoked mesquiteย to create its smooth Colkegan Single Malt Whiskey. Taking a cue from the Scots, Sante Fe went for what they had readily accessible locally. And mesquite just so happened to fill the bill.ย
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And speaking of smoked, FEW Spirits makes its FEW Single Malt Whiskyย by air drying most of the malted barley naturally and smoking the rest over cherry wood.ย That's where the "earthy" notes come from.
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As for Westward American Single Malt, they use Pacific Northwestย two-row barley in their mashย and then age it like Bourbon in new American Oak after itโs been twice-distilled in copper pot stills.ย ย
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Another common attribute with this new American Spirit? Itโs aged in new charred-oak barrels, cutting down the aging process fromย ten years to two.ย
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Because Americansย donโt wait for nothing. Including a reason to drink.ย
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Bottoms up,ย yaโll.
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Smartass Corner
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1) The American Single Malt Whiskey Commission doesnโt want you to think U.S. Single Malt is a total free-for-all โ even for the land of the free. U.S. Single Malts need to be "made from 100% malted barley," "mashed, distilled (at least 160 proof), and matured" in oak casks no greater than 700 liters in America, and "bottled at 80 proof or more."
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2) Sales for Scotch Single Malts continue to skyrocket today, especially in good olโ 'Murica. The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States says sales practically tripled from 2002-2015.ย
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3) Hot and humid temps amp up the aging process much faster than those in colder and drier air. And because there is so much variation of climate within the U.S., that will vary a lot in different parts of the country โ more so than in Scotland.
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4) Today, there are more than 1,315 craft distillers in America. Meaning, youโll find one in every state. Someone say, road trip?
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5) Back in 2012, Balcones Distilling won the five-year Best in Glass Competition for its U.S. Single Malt, making it the first American Whiskey to nab the award. Those Scots got nothing on us.
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6) Marrying the worlds of craft Beer and American Whiskey, the crew behind House Spirits Distilleryโs Westward American Single Malt Whiskey ferments their barley with American Ale yeast. Thatโs a brew-tiful combo, right there.
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7) Letโs dispel a little rumor shall we? People tend to think that Single Malt Whiskies arenโt blends. But guess what? They are. Single Malt Whiskies are the result of many barrels blended to create a Whisky. They just happen to come from a single distillery.
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