The Wolves 5 Year Old American Single Malt Whisky

48% ABV (103 Proof), 750 ml

"Bold and inspired, this American Single Malt is a celebration of the American West and its intrepid past. The spirit is aged for 5 years in California wine barrels under Arizona heat before hand-selected barrels are blended and finished in aged Cognac casks. The result is a whiskey layered with notes of ripe red fruit, honey, and spiced oats."

From Forbes Magazine: "Wolves Whiskey is debuting its first flagship American single malt, marking a significant transition for the brand from producing limited editions to offering a year-round product. This new release represents a key moment for the California whiskey maker as it aims to establish itself as a major contender within the emerging American single malt category.

American single malt sales have been on a tear for the last few years, prompting even the biggest of the big American whiskey giants like Jack Daniel’s, Bulleit and High West to release their own single malts. The American single malt whiskey market is currently estimated to be around $300 million, which compared to the overall American whiskey market valued at more than $9.2 billion might seem fractional, but it’s nothing to ignore.

Wolves Whiskey president Jennifer Marks, whose resumé includes experience at Moët Hennessy, Pernod Ricard and AMASS Brands, describes this launch as a natural progression for the brand, which was founded in Los Angeles in 2017.

“The creation of the American single malt category opened a window of opportunity for new, distinct expressions of American whiskey,” Marks tells Forbes. “For us, that meant creating a liquid representative of the American West which, as a region, is a perfect mix of our traditions and innovation. We see our whiskey as appealing to anyone with that same sense of adventure, whether they are a new enthusiast or a traditional whiskey lover.”

American single malt is a whiskey made entirely from malted barley, distilled at a single distillery in the United States, and aged in new or used oak barrels. It must adhere to specific guidelines, including being distilled to no more than 160 proof and bottled at a minimum of 80 proof.

Wolves’s take on American single malt whiskey was aged for five years in California wine barrels in the Arizona heat before being finished in aged Cognac casks.

“The concept of secondary maturation has always fascinated us,” Marks says. “The whiskey industry’s growing embrace of this technique presented an opportunity and a path to create something special in the space. Our paramount concern was to maintain the integrity of the base whiskey, using secondary maturation as a tool to enhance, not mask, its original character.”

The result, she describes, is a richly layered whiskey with flavors like ripe red fruit, honey and spiced oats.

“Ultimately, we chose a Cognac finish. We wanted something that was soft yet bold,” Marks says. “Cognac typically offers notes of dried fruit, caramel, honey and toffee—flavors we believed would complement this blend perfectly.”

The packaging design was also inspired by the rugged beauty of the American West, aiming to give the whiskey a modern, fresh look with a timeless feel.

“We wanted to tell the brand story through packaging and were willing to make bold, unconventional choices to do so, from the deep Pacific label color to the large, vertical wordmark,” Marks says. “As an homage to a wolf's strength in spatial memory, we chose to finish the label with topographical linework that was blind embossed. This is a subtle, but important, design moment that helps us tell a larger story around the diverse landscape of the Western coast, and natural symbols of age, like the rings of a tree trunk.”

Perhaps trying to stay true to its local craft distillery roots, Marks notes that the company planned to share the news of the launch with its allocation list first, ensuring that loyal supporters are the first to know.

"We’re also obsessed with the consumer, having a sincere interest in what else they like to drink, where they go to eat, where they want to go on their next vacation," she explains.

As Wolves Whiskey transitions into offering a year-round product, Marks says the brand will continue to evolve in reflection of consumer trends while maintaining high-end partnerships and limited edition drops. The Wolves Whiskey American Single Malt will be priced at $90 per bottle. By comparison, previous limited edition releases cost between $220 and $305 per bottle.

“We feel that consistency is ultimately the key to our luxury strategy,” Marks says. “We want to build a true luxury brand and to do that requires a sincere commitment to our product, nurturing our brand for the long-term, creative freedom and a lot of time. It’s an investment in discipline, and it’s one we’re happy to make.”"