Copperworks Craft Month American Single Malt Whiskey Review (2026)

 

Photo courtesy of Copperworks Distilling Co

Craft Malt Week highlights the deep, meaningful connection between local agriculture and craft beverages. According to the Craft Maltsters Guild, craft malt is small, local, and independent. Those terms are defined as follows:

• Small: A craft maltster produces between 5 and 10,000 metric tons of malt annually.
• Local: At least 50% of the grain must be sourced within a 500-mile radius of the malthouse. It gives maltsters flexibility in sourcing during bad crop years.
• Independent: The malthouse must be owned by a majority of at least 76%.

 

Jason Parker and Micah Nutt founded Copperworks Distilling Co. in Seattle, Washington, in 2013. Both had backgrounds in craft brewing and wondered what would happen if they distilled high-quality craft beer into spirits. Using traditional, hand-hammered copper stills from Scotland, Copperworks leads the American Single Malt Whiskey movement, driven by innovation, sustainability, and the pursuit of Pacific Northwest flavors.

 

If you’re new to the scene of American Single Malt Whiskey, you may wonder how it differentiates itself from other whiskeys. In January of 2025, it became a legally defined category of whiskey with the following requirements: 

• It must be made from 100% malted barley.
• It must be entirely a product of one distillery.
• It must be mashed, distilled, and aged entirely in the United States.
• It must be aged in either new or vintage, charred or uncharred, oak casks of 700 liters or less.
• It must be distilled at 80% ABV (160°) or less.
• It must be packaged at 40% ABV (80°) or more; and
• The only allowed additive aside from water is caramel coloring, which must be disclosed on the label.

 

Today I’m exploring Craft Malt Week 2026, an American Single Malt released specifically to commemorate its namesake celebration. Bottled at 63.2% ABV (126.4°) from Single Cask No. 448, the whiskey was distilled from Baronesse barley grown at Joseph’s Grainery and malted by LINC Malt in Spokane.

 

Single Cask No. 448 aged for 5 years and 9 months in a former Rye whiskey cask; a first for Copperworks! For every $89.99 700mL bottle sold, Copperworks will donate $10.00 to the Craft Maltsters Guild.

 

Copperworks was kind enough to send me a sample of Craft Malt Week in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review. Let’s #DrinkCurious and discover how it tastes!

 

• Whiskey Type: American Single Malt
• Distiller: Copperworks Distilling
• Age: 5 years and 9 months
• Mashbill: 100% malted Baronesse barley
• Cooperage: Former Rye whiskey cask
• Alcohol Content: 63.2% ABV (126.4°)
• ** Note: ** The label on my sample suggests 50% ABV. I’m assuming that’s an error.
• Price per 700mL: $89.99
• Naturally colored

 

Appearance: I used a Glencairn glass to sample this whiskey neat. It presented as a brilliant yellow gold; a microthin rim released a curtain of tears that crashed back into the pool.  

 

Nose: After about 15 minutes, I was ready to explore the aroma, which included chocolate, orange zest, pineapple, black currants, malt, and almond butter. Inside my mouth, the air tasted of lemon peel.

 

Palate: On my first sip, I encountered a thin, silky texture and a palate shock of stewed apricots. On the second try, I found notes of vanilla, raisins, and apricots on the front, and as the liquid crossed my mid-palate, I discerned rye spice, grilled pineapples, and lemon peel. The back featured oak, clove, and sea salt.  

 

Finish: What remained in my mouth and throat included cocoa, grilled pineapples, lemon peel, rye spice, clove, and apricots. The finish was bold right out the door; it began waning almost immediately, leaving clove, lemon peel, and apricots for the very end. The Energizer Bunny duration ran 2:32, leaving a slight tingle on the inside of my cheeks.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: To reiterate, while my sample’s label suggests 50% ABV, there’s no way in the world that’s accurate. Craft Malt Month drank at its properly stated 126.4°.

 

The Rye cask aging is interesting. I’ve tried Farmsmith (which uses the same mashbill) several times. While Farmsmith is quite enjoyable, Craft Malt Month is a completely different whiskey. I loved the combination of fruit and intense spice notes; they seemed perfectly married. I’ll suggest that Copperworks buy more of these Rye casks; they obviously impart some magic to the distillate.

 

Even at $89.99, the 2026 release of Craft Malt Month is well worth buying. The fact that a portion supports a charitable whiskey organization is just icing on the cake. You should pick up a Bottle; I wish I had more for my whiskey library. Cheers!

 

 

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit, but begs you to do so responsibly.