Within the liquor and alcohol industry, there are many different types of organizations, associations, and commissions that can help to provide you with more opportunities and useful resources for your business. With that being said, not all of these organizations are going to be relevant to your particular business, so you need to know more about them before you pay to become a member. If you have or are interested in having a single malt whiskey business, you should look into the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission.

Who Are The American Single Malt Whiskey Commission?

The American Single Malt Whiskey Commission is an organization that was assembled to help promote and protect the liquor category of single malt whiskey in the United States.

The ASMWC has grown in size since its inception and now welcomes members from all over the country to help ensure that standards are upheld within the industry and that the single malt whiskey industry in the United States is producing some of the best products in the world.

The commission was founded by 9 companies from across the country who wanted to ensure that single malt whiskey was recognized as its own category of distilled spirits. There are currently around 96 publicly named member businesses in addition to the founding members.

The American Single Malt Whiskey Commission also works with 7 partners all from the malt whiskey industry.

What Do The American Single Malt Whiskey Commission Do?

Before you dive into membership with a commission or other organization, it is important to make sure that you understand what the commission does and what it stands for.

The mission statement of the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission is that it serves to establish, promote, and protect the category of single malt whiskey in the United States.

The category of single malt whiskey in the US was not clearly defined until the commission was founded. Since then, the commission has publicly shared its vision for what the category should be and what should be produced within it.

The commission is also focused on ensuring that consumers are well-educated and informed about the category of single malt whiskey. The commission feels that the more educated consumers are about single malt whiskey, the higher the quality of the product they will expect from producers.

Finally, the commission is passionate about protecting distilleries and businesses from working with parties that do not have the best interests of the category and product at heart. This helps to improve the overall category of single malt whiskey throughout the country.

History Of The American Single Malt Whiskey Commission

The American Single Malt Whiskey Commission was founded in 2016. By the 9 original founding members. The founding members are made up of 9 distillery businesses that are spread out across the country.

The goal of the original member was to get single malt whiskey recognized as its own category in order to help establish an industry standard and to get the best possible protection and promotion for members of the commission.

At the founding of the commission, there were some basic requirements that were set to ensure that the category of single malt whiskey in the US is clearly defined.

Those requirements include the drink being made from 100% malted barley, the whiskey being distilled exclusively from one distillery, and the entire process must take place in the United States.

The single malt whiskey should also be matured in casks made from oak with a capacity of no more than 700 liters. The liquor should be distilled to no more than 160 proof or 80% alcohol volume. It should be bottled at no less than 80 proof or 40% alcohol by volume.

The commission has continued to grow since its inception and now members are regularly winning awards for their whiskey and competing in national competitions and coming out on top year after year.

American Single Malt Whiskey Commission Members

There is very little information available online about the different memberships that you can purchase for the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission. There are multiple levels of membership that you can sign up for, however, we have no pricing information available for this article.

There are four different levels of membership that you can sign up for through the ASMWC website. These levels include:

1. A Member Producer is a maker of single male whiskey in America that adheres to the definition we’ve set forth for the category. Cost is $250 per year.
2. Premier Associate Member. This is a person or company in the trade that wants to sponsor the Commission at the highest level. Cost is $1,500 per year.
3. Basic Associate Member. This is a person or company in the trade that wants to sponsor the Commission at a lower level. Cost is $500 per year.
4. General Supporter. This can be anyone in the world that wants to lend their support and voice to the cause. There is no fee to be included pin our mailing list. This is the lowest membership tier. This will be the least expensive membership and will offer basic benefits and access to the commission. This is a membership that is open to anyone who has an interest in American single malt whiskey. You do not have to produce whiskey, sell whiskey, or even work with whiskey to purchase this membership.

These are the three types of membership that you can purchase from the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission. In order to find out the prices of the memberships, you need to fill in the form on the Commission’s website to enquire about memberships.

American Single Malt Whiskey Commission And The Law

The American Single Malt Whiskey Commission covers the entirety of the United States and has started to branch out internationally. Their main goal is to maintain a standard of quality and excellence throughout the category of single malt whiskey, particularly in the US.

However, the commission doesn’t have any legal standing in any state in the US, nor do they have any legal standing outside of the US. The commission can simply set industry standards and help to campaign for or against legislation to help promote the category of single malt whiskey.

Final Thoughts

The American Single Malt Whiskey Commission is a great organization that can give you access to many benefits and resources if you have a business that revolves around the production or trade of single malt whiskey.

Logo in this post has been provided by Steve Hawley of ASMWC