引领美国单一麦芽威士忌的革命品牌

资料来源：此篇撷取自Cynthia Mersten于2024年12月19日发表于Bottle Raiders的文章
https://bottleraiders.com/whiskey/american-single-malt/8-essential-american-single-malt-brands/

        美国单一麦芽威士忌无疑是当前市场上最受瞩目的威士忌类别。根据国际葡萄酒及烈酒研究机构（IWSR）于2024年4月发布一项数据，预测该类别在2022年至2027年间以每年9％的速度持续增长。
        美国单一麦芽威士忌尚处于起步阶段，且仍在探索其本身的定位，因此美国单一麦芽威士忌领域内存在着丰富的多样性。随着需求激增及全美范围内的快速发展，制造商们呼吁制定相关准则，以确保这些独具美国特色的威士忌在生产过程中能够得到保护和透明度。
        自2022年以来，美国单一麦芽威士忌委员会（ASMWC）一直敦促美国政府的酒类与烟草税务贸易局（TTB）制定明确的规范，界定何谓美国单一麦芽威士忌。就在几周前，美国酒类与烟草税务贸易局（TTB）正式批准了该威士忌类别的标准。
        此消息一出，全美各地的酒厂纷纷表示庆祝，许多品牌也因为终于有规范来保护这个新兴的威士忌类别而松了一口气。为了向美国这个最酷且最新的威士忌类别致敬，我们特别挑选了几个喜爱的酒款，这些酒款来自那些努力不懈推动美国单一麦芽威士忌发展的核心品牌，其中一些早在这个类别崛起前，就已开始引领潮流。

        美国WESTWARD威盖堡单一麦芽威士忌起源于奥勒冈州的波特兰市，其威士忌以当地大麦麦芽及爱尔（Ale）啤酒酵母酿制。威盖堡已有20年的历史，并从美国西北部的原始之美中汲取灵感，融入其品牌威士忌中。
        威盖堡品牌团队成员背景多元，包括曾于餐饮与服务业工作的专业人士，如啤酒酿造师、葡萄酒酿酒师，甚至厨师等。 威盖堡以手工酿造的美式爱尔（Ale）啤酒为基底，接着像传统单一麦芽威士忌一样进行蒸馏，再像波本威士忌一样陈年。所有威盖堡的威士忌都在一个特制的蒸馏器中进行两次蒸馏，并且全部陈年于全新、重度烘烤、轻微炙烧过的美国橡木桶中陈年。

        美国威盖堡单一麦芽威士忌原味桶原酒以62.5%酒精度装瓶。 《Breaking Bourbon》在其评价中对这款威士忌赞誉有加，香气中散发凤梨与杏桃的气息，口感则呈现桃子派、橙皮以及全麦饼干的多层次风味。这款风味丰富、结构优美的威士忌是品味威盖堡的绝佳选择。以原酒强度呈现，完整保留了纯粹的蒸馏酒体与橡木风味。

        The American single malt is arguably the hottest whiskey category in the marketplace. IWSR data published in April 2024 suggested the category was expected to grow by a rate of 9% annually from 2022 to 2027.
        This whiskey category is so young, and it is still finding its identity, so there is plenty of diversity within the realm of American Single Malts. With rampant demand and an explosion all over the U.S., producers have pushed for some kind of guidelines ensuring the protection and transparency involving the production process of these distinctively American drams.
        Since 2022, The American Single Malt Commission has urged the U.S. Government’s Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to cement regulations as to what exactly makes an American Single Malt. Just last week, the TTB ratified the whiskey category.
        Distilleries all over the U.S. celebrated the news, and some brands breathed a sigh of relief now that there are finally guidelines in place to protect this fledgling whiskey category. To raise a glass to America’s coolest and newest whiskey, we’ve gone ahead and collated some of our favorite bottles from essential American single malt brands that tirelessly lead the American Single Malt charge — and some way before the category took off.

        Westward Whiskey hails from Portland, Oregon, and its whiskeys are made from locally malted barley and ale yeast. The brand has been around for 20 years, and it uses the beauty of the American Northwest as inspiration for all its whiskeys. The brand’s team is an eclectic mixture of former hospitality professionals, including brewers, winemakers and even chefs.
        Westward brews the base of its whiskeys like an American ale from scratch, then distills it like a single malt and ages it like a bourbon. All of Westward’s whiskeys are twice distilled in custom-made pot stills and are all aged in new, heavily toasted American oak barrels with a light char.

        Westward’s cask-strength American Single Malt is bottled at 125 proof. Breaking Bourbon was quite partial to this whiskey in its review, with its aromas of pineapple and apricot that segue into peach pie, orange zest and graham cracker on the palate. This beautifully complex pour is the perfect way to taste Westward. With no water diluting it, it’s pure distillate and oak.