Tenmile Distillery was originally a dairy farm which was bought in 2017 by owner John Dyson. It was then converted into the distillery that the team have today and commissioned by Forsyths in December 2019.
American Whiskey: When did your involvement with the ASWMC begin?
Tenmile Distillery: We joined the ASWMC around 2022 but we were already producing our single malt from 2020 to the same rules as I did in Scotland.
AM: How did the distillery’s journey into creating American single malt begin? Was creating ASMW in the plans from the beginning?
TD: The journey started by, firstly, John Dyson employing me to build out the distillery and get it up and running to produce an American single malt whiskey with a slight Scottish style to the flavor. We use all locally grown malt from New York and it is all malted at Hudson Valley Malt which is around 40 miles from our distillery. Yes, from the very start we wanted to create an American single malt whiskey.
AW: Could you talk us through your process of creation?
TD: We set up the distillery to be very traditional to our Scottish roots and decided to have Forsyths equipment imported so we could produce the finest whisky possible. We designed the process so we have week-long fermentations which give us a lovely wash at the end full of fruity and cereal notes which are carried over into the new make. We designed the still to create maximum reflux with boil balls on each still and upwardleaning Lye pipes to our condensers. The stills are run very slowly to get a gentle spirit and maximise copper interaction. We also allow overnight air rest to allow the copper to rejuvenate so that it is ready for the next day’s distillation.
AW: What would you say is the key differentiator for your American single malts in the market?
TD: Our whisky differs because of the Scottish style we have created using only used barrels coming from European oak — ex-Pinot Noir casks and ex-bourbon barrels — along with the gentle new make. The character of the new make is still present in the flavors of our American single malt but with some chocolate, cinnamon spice, and vanilla from the casks.
AW: How has the recent ratification of ASMW impacted your distillery?
TD: It hasn’t impacted us as we were doing everything that is in the rules of the new act.
AW: Have you noticed an uptake in interest in ASMW since the ratification was announced?
TD: We have noticed that more people are talking about it and are very interested in what we have to say regarding ASMW and we are very excited to share our story with them.
