A Way to Age Whiskey Using Oak Barrels

Wine enthusiasts find it very interesting how whiskey barrels made of oak and the whiskey itself play roles in the production process of whiskey. For your information, the new spirit of whiskey gains character and color from the oak wood, that the whiskey barrel is made of, of which the spirit is stored into, thus the quality of the whiskey barrels is carefully monitored.

Variety of spirits like oloroso, fino or amontillado sherries, bourbon and oak are matured also in some of these casks.

In the maturation process of the spirit, there is a careful determination of the type of whiskey barrel by the master blender whose aim is to get the particular character and continuity of the whiskey.

Be informed that a new make spirit can only be defined legally as scotch whiskey only after at least maturation of three years. Although in practice, majority of scotch whiskey have longer period of maturity, from five to fifteen, and even twenty to twenty five years, and some even longer. More info here

The scotch whiskey is known for its smooth and golden character, and this goes back to the long period of Scotland's clean and cool air that goes into the porous oak wood material of the casks that interacts with the spirit content.
It is interesting to know that part of the whiskey in the cask would evaporate yearly and is described as being lost to the heavens, thereby the phrase "angel's share".

Many are intrigued to know why oak wood is the preference of whiskey makers for the material of their whiskey barrels. Among the reasons why oak is a preference among the woods for whiskey barrels are that of its unique physical and chemical nature, of which its physical strength due to the radial rays that support and give strength when the material is formed into a cask, plus it contains resin canals that strong flavors are allowed to pass to maturing spirit and thus is considered as pure wood compared to other woods. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrel  

Not only that, there is a transformation happening to the oak as a result of the heating and seasoning treatments during the process of coopering that leads to the result of a pleasant tasting lactones of oak.

It is said that whiskey barrels made of oak wood have three effects on the whiskey itself.

One effect in using oak wood for the whiskey barrels is that its additive effect where aroma and taste of the spirit is improved from the desirable elements present in the cask. Vanillin, oak lactone, toastiness, wood sugars and color are among the additives components of oak. The second element of oak wood is that it acts as a medium that would remove elements that are not needed to make a new whiskey, such as sulphur compounds and immaturity. Read more about Red Head Oak Barrels