Hinterhaus Distilling was founded by husband-and-wife team Nate and Bonnie Randall in 2020 and has since grown into a thriving family business. Located in the small Sierra Nevada mountain town of Arnold, California (4,000-foot elevation), the distillery aims to produce spirits that embrace a sense of place and reflect the adventurous spirit of the Nevada landscape.

AW: When did your involvement with the ASWMC begin?

NR & BR: As passionate single malt fans, we joined the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission as soon as we opened our doors to the public in 2020.

AW: How did the distillery’s journey into creating American single malt begin? Was creating ASMW in the plans from the beginning?

NR & BR: From the beginning concept stages of Hinterhaus we knew we wanted to make single malt. Being a single malt producer is core to everything we have done, from the type of equipment we procured, to how we would ultimately introduce our various products to our patrons. We knew we wanted to make a single malt that could only be made here: local family farm high quality grains grown and floor malted nearby, fresh Sierra Nevada water from the source, open-air fermentation to allow our local flora and fauna to impart flavor, and ageing at our elevation and climate all contribute to a unique terroir in Hinterhaus American Single Malt.

AW: Could you us me through your process of creation?

NR & BR: Starting with local regenerative family farmed barley, we then have the barley traditionally floor malted. For Hinterhaus American Single Malt Discovery, we rotate mash bills using different varieties of malt to create (discover) unique and new flavors. Then, in the fermentation process we open ferment, meaning the vat does not have a top and we open the bay doors wide in order to let the outside environment marry with the wash. Next, we distill the wash using our copper and stainless pot stills, typically running slowly, and taking careful cuts informed by smell, flavor, time, and temperature. Next on to barreling. We have single malt resting in everything from new charred American oak, to first-fill bourbon, rye, single malt, California brandy, port, and exwine barrels. Lastly, the blending, proofing, and bottling. 

AW: What would you say is the key differentiator for your American single malts in the market?

NR & BR: For us, everything that adds up to the whole impacts the ultimate flavor in your bottle of Hinterhaus American Single Malt Whiskey Discovery: the family farmed barley, floor malting, open-air fermentation, still design, access to high quality fresh barrels, our elevation and climate, and our local Sierra Nevada water all create something special that cannot be replicated.

AW: How has the recent ratification of ASMW impacted your distillery? Have you noticed an uptake in interest in ASMW since the ratification was announced?

NR & BR: We see more interest in learning and tasting what makes American single malt whiskey special. It also gives us a talking point and adds legitimacy when discussing single malt with patrons as well as business owners, pub managers, distributors, and bottle shops.