American Single Malt Ratification Day was celebrated on Jan. 19 at The Owl Shop in New Haven by team from Rémy Cointreau and local Scotch fans. The tasting event featured Seattle-based Westland Distillery, with Eddie Sherman, Market Manager CT and RI, Rémy Cointreau, providing brand education and pours of its Westland Flagship American Single Malt Whiskey, Beer Cask Finish Whiskey and Wine Cask Finish Whiskey. The three expressions were also showcased on a cocktail menu collaborated on by Sherman and The Owl Shop’s Bar Supervisor Genna Bestmann to celebrate the day in history recognizing American single malt as a category. Cocktails included a Hot Buttered Whiskey, a Plum Sour, a Stateside Old Fashioned and A Taste of Washington. Eight years ago, a group of American single-malt whiskey distillers formed to develop a model definition for American single-malt whiskey. In 2022, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau proposed a new rule to codify the “Standard of Identity” defined as: made from 100% malted barley; distilled entirely at one distillery; mashed, distilled and matured in the U.S.; matured in oak casks of a capacity not exceeding 700 liters; distilled to no more than 160 proof/80% ABV; and bottled at 80 proof or more than 40% ABV.