The Tax & Trade Bureau’s official definition of American Single Malt Whiskey goes into effect on January 19, 2025—just one week from today. As most whiskey people already know, the category’s ratification was announced in December. It marks the first new American whiskey category defined by the TTB in more than half a century.

For ASMW distillers, this ruling is monumental. It marks a coming of age, placing American single malt whiskeys at the proverbial table alongside the long-established categories of bourbon and rye.

The ruling is equally important for American Single Malt Whiskey enthusiasts. The publicity, momentum, and legitimacy made possible through this ruling is expected to increase interest, access, and production of ASMW across the country and the world.

A rising tide lifts all boats, as they say.

I am excited to see where the ASMW category goes in the coming months and years. The distillers who pioneered and defined this category are already known for their innovation and their grit. Despite being an underrated, unofficial, and largely unknown category for decades, ASMW distillers have persevered to craft incredible spirits out of equal parts barley malt and passion.

To celebrate the elevation of ASMW to official status, I’m counting down to January 19 in the best way possible: with whiskey. Today kicks off a brief series I’m calling Seven Days of American Single Malt Whiskeys. Over the next week, I”ll be opening, drinking, and enjoying a different ASMW every single day.

As a note, these are all whiskeys currently residing in my liquor cabinet. A couple of the bottles are already open, known, and loved. Several, however, are not yet familiar. They were purchased but not yet uncorked and explored.

Today’s selection falls in the former category, as a whiskey that has become a near-daily drinker over the last several months: Stryker Texas Smoked Single Malt Whiskey from Andalusia Whiskey Co.

I received my first bottle of Stryker a little over a year ago as a thank you gift for dog sitting. It took me several months to open it (largely due to my cross-country move). The bottle’s contents have steadily dwindled, doled out into regular drams, since then.

I absolutely love this whiskey.

Stryker is produced in Blanco, Texas, a small town in the state’s picturesque Hill Country. I spent my 20s in the nearby city of Austin, and so I felt a connection to this whiskey before even pouring it into the glass. The distillery opened a year after I left Texas, and so the connection is definitely not direct, but sentimentality is real, y’all.

If there’s anything Texas knows, it’s flavor. The state is renowned for its barbecue, with an emphasis on smoked meats and brisket so juicy it melts in your mouth. Even this mostly-vegetarian was known to pick at a pile of BBQ’d meats back in the day.

Stryker draws on this tradition, kilning its malted barley over a fire of oak, apple, and mesquite woods to produce a unique flavor profile rich with the terroir and culinary traditions of Central Texas.

The resulting spirit is double-distilled and aged for three years in charred oak casks, which impart a sweetness to balance and introduce the heavy smoke flavor. It stands up at a respectable 50% ABV in the bottle, with a rich mahogany color.

For me, every sip is transportation, taking me back to late nights in the honky tonk bars of Austin. That city is where I learned to love whiskey and to two-step, tripping over a pair of boot-clad left feet while the smoke of an outdoor barbecue lingered in the air.

My nostalgia aside, the whiskey is well respected in its own regard. In 2021, Whiskey Advocate awarded the whiskey an enviable score of 93 points, placing it near the top of a pile of incredible American single malt whiskeys.

Stryker has quickly become one of my favorite whiskeys. It’s also one of the first options I offer to ASMW-curious friends when they visit my home and whiskey cabinet. Unfortunately, that means that my bottle is now just a quarter full, and the end is looming.

Because I’ve put myself on a whiskey-buying diet in 2025, I can’t replace the bottle just yet.

Anybody need a dog sitter?

In the Glass

Stryker Texas Smoked Single Malt Whiskey

Andalusia Whiskey Co. (Blanco, Texas)

50% ABV; 3 Years Old

American Single Malt Whiskey

On the Table

1962 Smith Corona Skyriter Manual Typewriter

Made in England