5 Great American Single Malts from Texas
American Single Malt is a bit of an oddball category. It’s only technically been around since late 2024, when the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) created the category’s standards of identity.
Unofficially, American Single Malt has been around much longer, and several distilleries producing the spirit worked with the TTB to codify the category. The rubber-stamped definition contains several production requirements, including that it must be made from 100% barley, distilled at a single distillery, and matured in oak casks no larger than 700 liters.
It does not contain requirements on where it can be made. It’s a necessary omission, as American Single Malt comes from all over the country. While this means no single state can truly lay claim to being its categorical home, it also provides enough leeway for states to emerge as key players in the burgeoning scene.
One of the more prominent rising states in the category is Texas, which isn’t a surprise. The Lone Star State built a solid reputation for bourbon and rye production during the brown spirits revival. As is the case with bourbon and rye, producing Texas-made American Single Malt presents its own unique set of challenges, such as dealing with the infamous heat and the way it speeds up aging. Those who know how to navigate these hurdles tend to create immensely satisfying spirits worthy of any aficionado’s radar.
Getting into Texas American Single Malt requires a solid entry point, just like any other spirits category. As such, we gathered five bottles of Lone Star single malt for your consideration.
Balcones Texas 1 Single Malt Whisky
There’s a decent chance Balcones was the first Texas whiskey to land on your radar. Eventually, it landed on everyone’s radar, and its impressive growth and collection of awards made it irresistible to Diageo, which added the brand to its portfolio in 2022. The Waco-based distillery’s take on American Single Malt wasn’t the first bottle Balcones produced — that would be the groundbreaking blue corn whiskey Baby Blue — but it’s now arguably the brand’s calling card. The bottle’s numerous awards over the years helped push Texas 1 to the front of the brand’s line; its silky palate entry and gentle notes of butter and marmalade on toast keep it there. While Diageo temporarily paused Balcones’ production last fall, Texas 1 remains widely accessible, making it an easy entry point into the category.
Acre Distilling Co. Texas Smoked Single Malt Whiskey
TTB’s American Single Malt category was codified in a way that gave distillers ample room to experiment with styles and techniques without slipping outside the category. Fort Worth’s Acre Distilling Co. uses this leeway and an independent “Don’t Mess With Texas" spirit to mess with what American Single Malt can be. The distillery utilizes 100% barley as required, but smokes 40% of the Texas-sourced grain over pecan and peach wood prior to distilling. This tactic, combined with aging the spirit in the distillery’s used bourbon barrels, produces a spirit with Scottish influence while being unmistakably Texan. The smoke is present and persistent throughout the tasting journey, but there’s enough vanilla and citrus to prevent it from being a full-fledged Islay-esque bomb.
Andalusia Whiskey Co.’s Andalusia Triple-Distilled Single Malt Whiskey
For decades, the lush, undulating landscape known as Texas Hill Country doubled as Texas Wine Country. It still is, but there’s also been room for distilleries to grow and thrive over the past several years. The Blanco-based Andalusia Whiskey Co. popped up in the region and began carving a niche for itself with a trio of American Single Malt expressions. The distillery’s triple-distilled expression takes advantage of the breathing room afforded within the spirit category, adding an additional copper pot distillation on top of the traditional two. The extra whirl yields a smooth, light golden-hued expression marked by green apple aromatics and sweet, subtly oaky tasting notes.
Swift Single Malt Texas Whiskey
Founded in 2012 by husband-and-wife team Amanda and Nick Swift, this tiny distillery just outside Austin doesn’t produce anything other than American Single Malt. This hyper-focus enables the distilling duo to carefully craft a bottle meant to mimic the vibe of a Speyside Scotch. The distillers take great pains to execute this ultimate form of flattery, from importing two-row barley from Scotland to salting the water to match the salinity of the water used in Speyside production. Their dedication to the craft pays off: The palate’s light, fruity essence points directly to the Scottish region. There’s also a touch of smoke, which enhances the flavors rather than distracting from the overall profile.
Ranger Creek Texas Landmark
Ranger Creek refers to itself as a “brewstillery.” It’s an irreverent if not silly term, but it’s nonetheless legit: The San Antonio brewery and distillery produces both beer and spirits with, according to its website, “lots of love, attention, and Texas attitude.” This tagline naturally suggests a touch of independent spirit in the distillery’s production, and its annual Texas Landmark expression makes good on this assumption. The distillery made its first release in 2024 with 500 pounds of barley lightly hand-smoked in-house with mesquite, a technique that yielded a bold expression marked by smoke and tropical fruit. It 86’ed the mesquite for last year’s release, resulting in a more subdued, elegant bottle. Both are only available at the brewstillery, so make plans for a road trip.