Whisky maturation is both a simple and, yet, incredibly complex process. Let’s look at the subject in detail; explore what the distilleries are doing; address a few myths; and explain all the beautiful things that happen when we age whisky in oak casks…
One of the quintessential images associated with whisky these days is the classic “action shot” inside the warehouse. Think of those old-school, dunnage style, dimly-lit warehouses with earth floors and casks racked just two or three tiers high. It’s an evocative image, showcasing the majestic oak casks quietly slumbering, doing their part to mature the spirit that will one day give us delicious whisky.
But it wasn’t always this way. Whisky – uisge beatha, or the water of life – was originally an unaged spirit, taken off the still and flavoured with additives such as honey or heather to quell the drink’s aggressive nature and to make it more palatable. Tradition, or perhaps just a convenient story for the distillery tour guides, tells us that the maturation and aging of whisky was a happy accident. Variations on the story abound, but the crux of it is that some unfortunate person had more uisge beatha than he could immediately consume, and so he put it in an oak cask to store it until he was ready for it. The cask was left alone or forgotten about for some time, and when it was finally retrieved, he made the happy discovery that the spirit had mellowed, improved, and taken on new characteristics. Maturation, as we know it today, was born.
Continue reading “The complete guide to oak, casks, & whisky maturation”