This Award-Winning Bottle Is the Best American Single Malt, Period

American single malt is the fastest growing category of whiskey in the United States. So, yeah, it’s a pretty big deal—even if the style isn’t formally defined yet. But the landscape was quite a bit different when Stranahan’s first fired up its stills back in 2004. The Denver-based distillery was among the first to widely produce American single malt and remains one of the best. Just ask the expert judges at the Beverage Testing Institute. Last month, the prestigious panel awarded a Platinum Medal to Stranahan’s Mountain Angel 10 Year.

Stranahan’s introduced Mountain Angel in 2020. As a testament to its early adopter status, the liquid became the first ever 10-year age-stated straight American single malt to hit shelves. It’s now an ultra-premium annual expression, matured entirely in new charred American oak like its straight bourbon and straight rye whiskey brethren—only this one is made from 100-percent malted barley.

During a decade-plus of slumber in virgin cooperage, Mountain Angel accumulates an enviable golden amber hue. It surrenders notes of cedar-smoked honey as it pours into a snifter. Upon the palate, it exudes a salty caramel taste with first sip. Repeated exposure reveals dried apricots and a bit of baking spice, reminiscent of nutmeg. Subtle in approach and evolving slowly in the glass, its easy to understand how this liquid was so appealing to the folks at the Beverage Tasting Institute. Indeed, they’re not the only ones to be won over by the expression. Shortly after its initial release, Mountain Angel nabbed a Double Gold at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Cut to proof using Rocky Mountain water, the ABV varies slightly from batch to batch, most recently clocking in at 45.1 percent. But other than that, a $120 bottle of Mountain Angel is intended to be a consistent product year in and year out. And its about to be joined on shelves by an older sibling: Mountain Angel 12 Year is ready for release later this fall.

In the meantime, Stranahan’s and other prominent American single malt producers are busy persuading the government to finally enshrine the category with the same protections afforded to bourbon and rye. Despite the runaway popularity of the style, the Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), which is in charge of liquor labeling laws, has been stubbornly slow to formally define American single malt. As a result, any type of whiskey can technically call itself such, even if it’s not crafted from 100-percent malted barley, distilled at a single location, or even made in America at all.

To combat this, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, along with the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission (yes, that’s a real thing), have spearheaded a grassroots campaign. The two trade groups have collected and sent the government agency over 1,000 letters urging immediate bureaucratic action.

“It’s clear that having an official standard for American single malt is an issue that is important to distillers, large and small,” says Distilled Spirits Council president and CEO Chris Swonger. “Together with our partners at the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission we have sent a very loud and direct message to TTB to make this a priority.”

U.S. drinkers, for their part, have certainly made American single malt a priority for their home bars. And with big name brands like Stranahan’s continuing to collect marquee accolades, the lack of formal recognition is an issue that’s increasingly impossible to ignore. Like we said at the start: American single malt is a big deal. Now let’s all agree on what it actually is.

Related: The Best American Single Malt Whiskeys of 2024