A singular stamp of approval

In the blizzard of news this winter, you could be forgiven for not noticing that the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau issued an update that could lead you to adjust your liquor cabinet in 2025, formalizing the standards of identity for American single malt whiskey.

The move came after several years of petition by distillers, hundreds of whom make 100-percent malted barley whiskey that, until now, often existed in a sort of regulatory gray area. And it’s being welcomed by them as an opportunity to increase consumer awareness of the style—and sales.