AMERICAN SINGLE MALTWHISKEY COMMMISSION
DEFINING A WHISKY MOVEMENT
Balcones was born out of its founders' love for Single Malt Whisky. From day one, the vision of starting our distillery and making whisky in the heart of Texas was firmly centered around the Single Malt category, which has seen rapid growth since 2009.
As founding members of the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission (ASMWC), we are proud to work and create whisky at the forefront of the American Single Malt movement. Jared Himstedt, head distiller and co-founder of Balcones, serves as VP of the commission, working closely with ASMWC President, Steve Hawley.
Through our work with the ASMWC, we endeavor to make meaningful contributions to the category in advocacy and education, and to the industry landscape as a whole by connecting whisky lovers to exceptional American Single Malts. We continue to support this vibrant community and drive the quality and visibility of the category forward.
ABOUT THE ASMWC
The American Single Malt Whiskey Commission was founded in 2016 to address the growing need for American-based producers to define the American Single Malt category—both domestically and internationally—in order to protect, educate, promote and ultimately grow it.
As of January 19th, 2025, following a years-long campaign by the ASMWC, American Single Malt was officially recognized as a whisky category by the U.S. Government's Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau (TBB).
This ratification established the six characteristics the ASMWC has outlined as necessary in the whisky-making process to qualify a spirit as American Single Malt.
- Made from 100% malted barley
- Distilled entirely at one distillery
- Mashed, distilled and matured in the U.S.
- Matured in oak casks of a capacity not exceeding 700 liters
- Distilled to no more than 160 (U.S.) proof (80% alcohol by volume)
- Bottled at 80 (U.S.) proof or more (40% Alcohol by volume)
AN OFFICIAL WHISKY CATEGORY
On December 18th, 2024, it was announced that American Single Malt Whisky was to be recognized as an official whisky category. In honor of this, we've marked December 18th as 'Ratification Day' — an annual celebration of this momentous occasion.
The TTB's formalization of these six standards — originally established by the ASMWC — protects the one-of-a-kind character of American Single Malt while inviting distilleries across the country to bring their own creativity to the category. We're eager to explore this new chapter and the inventive whiskies it will lead to.
A true Balcones cheers goes to our Head Distiller Jared Himstedt and his fellow ASMWC founding members, who've spent nearly a decade dedicating endless hours to the mission of achieving this official recognition.
As with all things whisky: it's about time.
Explore Our Whiskies
Check out our selection of year-round classics available anytime. And keep an eye out for our annual releases as well as special bottles that may never be rereleased.
