When we launched our year-end Best New American Whiskeys roundup back in 2019, it started with a single list. No categories, just all our favorite new whiskeys piled together. In the half-decade since our annual celebration began, Maxim’s Best New American Whiskeys guide has grown into a compartmentalized exploration of five standout categories: American single malts, ryes, double-barrel finishes, bourbons and a category dedicated to particularly innovative American whiskeys that move a very traditional spirit forward in new and unexpected directions (and flavor profiles).
A standout in each field has selected for each category, followed by our other favorites in 2024. While we tasted more than 100 expressions this year alone, by no means is this list exhaustive. But we can say that any of the fine spirits gathered below will bring some joy and respite to your eager bar shelf. Below we shine a light on American single malts (ASM). Showing some serious serendipity, on December 18 the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) is scheduled to finally officially recognize the American single malt category, a significant milestone for these pioneering distilleries who’ve fought for this recognition for years now. Celebrate the momentous occasion with a dram from one of the seven bottles below.
Best New American Single Malt Whiskey Of 2024: 10th Street Distillery ‘Dragon’ STR Triple Cask’
In the wonderfully varied and untamed world of American single malts, many distilleries quest to find ways to “Americanize” their whiskeys in wildly innovative ways. We mean adding as much terroir as possible into the process, be that by using local peat (as Westland does, using Washington-state peat), utilizing rare American oaks cut from nearby forests to age, or even kilning their barley with American fuel (such as Del Bac and Colkegan do with their mesquite-baked expressions).
Then there are others who aim to create single malts proudly in the Scottish school, and craft with such skill and honor to tradition as to produce whiskeys that could stand side-by-side with their cousins across the pond without flinching. We staunchly respect both schools of thought and have found numerous examples of each worthy of holding to the highest regard.
For San Jose, California’s 10th Street Distillery, consider them firmly among the latter. Their core portfolio of the vintage-leather-jacket-and-sweet-tobacco world will all please scotch single malt fans, but their latest LTO Dragon adds a new prism to their flavor profile by triple casking their core juice. Initially aging their ASM in what they dub STR barrels (for shaved, toasted and re-charred), they then pour the whiskey into French oak Pinot Noir casks from a local vintner, as they did with their 2022 Wine Cask Finish expression. Dragon—named in homage to the Chinese Year of the Dragon—undergoes one more step, however, finishing its aging in port casks. Bottled at 55.6 percent ABV (111.2-proof), the resulting juice captures a Loch Ness-deep profile of flavors yet unachieved in any other ASM we’ve tasted.
Our initial perspectives were recently confirmed when the Whiskies of the World competition this year awarded 10th Street’s STR Triple Cask Dragon the coveted title of “Best in Show, Double Gold,” elevating it above hundreds of whiskeys (and whiskies) from all over the world.
“This is the second time one of our whiskeys has earned the distinguished Best in Show title at a major international competition, firmly establishing American single malts as a force to be reckoned with on the world stage,” 10th Street co-founder and CEO Virag Saksena declared. “This award is more than just recognition; it’s a testament to the passion, dedication, and craftsmanship that goes into every bottle we produce.” $85 SRP
Westward ‘Vienna Malt’ American Single Malt Whiskey
As the story goes, Westward’s grain supplier mistakenly delivered two-row Vienna malted barley to their Portland, Oregon distillery instead of their usual two-row pale barley. This left Master Blender Miles Munroe and his team of brewers-turned-distillers with a conundrum of sorts. Except it really wasn’t—the solution was easy: Brew some of their mash with the Vienna malted barley and see what happens.
“Largely unexplored by whiskey-makers but prized by brewers for its red color and rich, full-bodied character that appears in Oktoberfests and some IPAs, using Vienna malted barley empowered us to create a well-rounded whiskey with notes of biscuit, honeyed malt, and rich caramel,” the Master Blender explains. “Thanks to our roots as craft brewers and our desire to push the boundaries of traditional whiskey-making, we’ve ventured into the unknown and brought back something special.”
So they blended some of their signature Westward Original American single malt in with the “happy accident” Vienna malted barley single malt and created the latest limited-edition offering for their Westward Whiskey Club—the largest and most nationally distributed whiskey club from any craft distillery. Beyond the flavors mentioned by Munroe above, expect other interesting notes like coconut macaroon and banana pudding, with aromas of McIntosh apples and banana bread. Westward Vienna Malt American Single Malt is bottled at 45% ABV (90-proof) available only via their Westward Whiskey Club. $100 SRP
Virginia Distillery Company ‘Brewer’s Coalition Hardywood Gingerbread Stout Cask Finish’ American Single Malt Whiskey
This year Virginia Distillery Company debuted Brewer’s Coalition—a new series of American single alts resulting from collaborations with some of the best craft breweries in America. The first edition worked with Goose Island for a Bourbon County Stout Cask Finish, and the second partnered with fellow Virginians Hardywood Park Craft Brewery. Utilizing 30 barrels that aged Hardywood Park’s Gingerbread Stout beer, the second Brewer’s Coalition took VDC’s award-winning ASM and shot it out of a cannon, spinning out thick flavors of lemon peel, toasted walnuts, vanilla frosting and of course gingerbread cookies to their very traditional single malt.
It is a wild experience, with much credit going to Lead Blender Amanda Beckwith. Like the aforementioned 10th Street above, VDC excels at crafting single malts fiercely loyal to the Scottish tradition, even utilizing copper pot stills hammered by hand in Scotland and imported by VDC founder the late Dr. George Moore. So utilizing second-aging casks with flavors as deep and rich as a Gingerbread Stout opens doors to entirely new wings in the VDC manor.
It’s not shocking that VDC’s Hardywood Gingerbread Stout Cask Finish earned a score of 93 points from Whisky Advocate, finishing as one of their Top 20 Whiskies of 2024. Bottled at 50 percent ABV (100-proof), VDC “Brewer’s Coalition Hardywood Gingerbread Stout Cask Finish” offers a singular taste profile that will appeal to lovers of both craft beer and traditional single malts, while also intriguing those with a curious eye (and palate) for wildly unique whiskeys.
WhistlePig ‘The Badönkådonk’ 25 Year Old Single Malt Whiskey
Following the introduction of their FarmStock Bourbon, then their first foray into the American single malt category with last year’s The Béhôlden, WhistlePig’s goal to quickly expand from a “luxury rye” specialist into an all-out whiskey juggernaut is clear.
For their latest halo offering, WhistlePig unleash The Badönkådonk—the oldest and rarest whiskey the Vermont label has ever released. The WhistlePig “25 Single Malt” was distilled in Canada’s first single malt distillery, then in 2020 moved to the Vermont farm for its final years of aging, including one month of second-finishing in the highly esteemed Napa winery Silver Oak’s Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. So while technically distilled in Canada, the Badönkådonk aged in American wood in America, second-aged with Cali wine barrels, so we’ll let it slide.
“The Silver Oak winemaking team is like-minded in terms of quality standards and forward-looking personality, so our high hopes for the finish came true and more,” WhistlePig Chief Blender Meghan Ireland told Maxim. “Their Alexander Valley Cabernet barrels add incredible notes of stone fruit, such as figs and plums, and a delicious toasted almond finish.” She adds that since those barrels are American oak, they also add an influence of caramel and vanilla.
Bottled as a Single Barrel to capture the individual complexity of each unique cask, WhistlePig “The Badönkådonk” 25 Year Old Single Malt is now available in highly limited quantities. $2,000 SRP
Wyatt Earp ‘Barrel Proof’ American Single Malt Whiskey
The World Whiskey Society has been releasing some interesting bottles since its founding in 2020, collecting great whiskey from around the world, aging them in special casks (if need be) and releasing them for #whiskeyheads everywhere to enjoy.
This year they released their first two American single malts, in Small Batch and Barrel Proof form. Like many of their American whiskey expressions, WWS used the whiskeys as a vehicle to pay homage to iconic figures in the American West—such as their superb Doc Holliday 15-Year-Old Straight Bourbon (as well as a 10-year version), and a Wyatt Earp 13-Year-Old Whiskey so potent (80 percent ABV / 160-proof) they dubbed it the “Hazmat Edition.” As in, the fuel is so flammable you cannot fly with it, as anything over 70 percent ABV is considered a bomb threat.
It is under this Wyatt Earp banner that they also (confusingly) label their new ASM. Earp again gets the honors and delivers a fine ASM—especially in full Barrel Proof glory. As always crafted from 100 percent malted barley, Wyatt Earp Barrel Proof ranges in proof from 120- to 135-proof, while the more affordable Small Batch clocks in at 48 percent ABV/96-proof. Wyatt Earp Barrel Proof: $95.50 SRP, Wyatt Earp Small Batch: $60 SRP
Stranahan’s ‘Mountain Angel 12 Year’ American Single Malt Whiskey
As one of the pillars of the American single malt world, this year Stranahan’s celebrates its 20th anniversary with the oldest straight American single malt ever released: Mountain Angel 12 Year. As far as we can tell, only Oregon’s McCarthy’s and the Bay Area’s St. George can claim to crafting a true ASM before them, so Stranahan’s place in the category’s pantheon is well established (never mind being the best selling label, but that’s another story).
Given this momentous occasion it’s fitting they’ve elevated their beloved annual Mountain Angel 10 Year, now in its fourth year of existence, by another couple years, for the first time offering a 12 Year option. While some ASMs have released with older statements, to qualify as a “straight” whiskey they must be aged in new oak barrels for at least 2 years, which only Mountain Angel 12 Year can claim. Technicalities aside, Mountain Angel 12 Year spends 9 years primary aging at their mile high environment in Virgin American white oak. It’s an uncommon practice in ASM to use virgin wood, but Stranahan’s Head Blender Justin Aden argues since that is the bourbon tradition best recognized in America, they’ll follow the same process.
The single malt then ages another 3 years in ruby port barrels—such a long finishing time that Aden says it may be reduced in future editions of what will be from now on a core offering. The extended time in port wood adds tannins to the mix, and while you can feel some of the heat on the tongue, this inaugural Mountain Angel 12 Year boasts a thick texture, with strong notes of ripe red apple and white grape.
“You might see a 14-year, 17-year, 21-year Mountain Angel someday,” Aden teases, pointing out the distillery’s long heritage allows for near limitless possibilities. “We’ve been making whiskey here for 20 years, but we now are at a point where we have enough 12 year stock to do a nationwide rollout, and to do it for a hundred bucks at 94.6 percent ABV, shich I think is really a watershed moment for craft whiskey, and certainly for American single malts.”
Other notable new offerings from Stranahan’s this year include the 2024 edition of Snowflake dubbed Redcloud Peak—one of their most anticipated yearly LTOs only available at their distillery—and an 11 year-old ASM dubbed Founder’s Release created to honor the label’s unique 20-year heritage. Given Mountain Angel 12 Year is a nationwide, non-allocated release, we’ll give that bottle the nod. $100 SRP
Westland ‘Garryana Edition 9′ American Single Malt Whiskey
Since launching in 2010, Westland Distillery aims to summon the most Pacific Northwest terroir influenced American single malts it can. And no collection does this more than their Outpost Range, which launched in 2016 with the first edition of Garryana. The line focuses on playing with Quercus garryana, a rare indigenous local oak rarely used in whiskey. Since then two more annual verticals have launched—Colere, which focuses on new varieties of barley, and Solum, which does the same for peat.
Each of these makes a fine ASM that represents the Seattle distillery’s Northwest roots, like this year’s Colere 4 using a variety of barley named Fritz derived from Washington State University’s The Bread Lab research center. But our tip of the hat goes to the 9th edition of Garryana—which last year landed as No. 3 in Whisky Advocate’s Top 20 Whiskies of 2023. For Garryana Edition 9, the Westland team continue experimenting with the dynamics between virgin garryana wood, first-fill ex-bourbon barrels and Spanish Sherry, but using first-fill Oloroso casks for the first time instead of ex-PX casks as in previous versions.
“Full-term Oloroso Butts were used and draw an entirely different portrait than the PX of past versions,” explains Westland Master Blender Shane Armstrong. “The dry and oxidized style of Oloroso shows up in a nuanced savory aspect, providing an accentuating conduit for Garry Oak’s direct current. This combination is a first for us and based on how this shaped up—it won’t be the last.” Only 6,600 bottles of Westland ‘Garryana Edition 9′ are out there (50 percent ABV / 100-proof), so grab one if you can find it. $150 SRP
Follow Deputy Editor Nicolas Stecher on Instagram at @nickstecher and @boozeoftheday.
