What does 10 years look like for your favorite spirit?
BOURBON
Kentucky bourbon spends its 10 years in brand new 200-liter charred American oak casks, absorbing all the heavy flavors of the dense but porous wood, rich w/ vanilla and caramel notes released from charring and nutty sweetness.
The average outside temp ranges from 40-80 F (4-27 C) between seasons. In these conditions, it can lose ~4% volume per year to evaporation.
SCOTCH
On the other side of the world, Scotch spends its 10 years resting in the emptied bourbon barrels. By now the wood has already released its most intense round of tannins and other “woody” flavors, and likewise has absorbed a good amount of bourbon.
It’s a bit colder here, with avg temps from 40-60 F (4-15 C). In these conditions ~2% is lost each year. Since one of the main purposes of aging is to encourage wood-spirit interaction, think of this rate as an indicator of how quickly the “aging” effects and flavor transfers occur.
RUM
Meanwhile, over in the Caribbean tropics, rums are spending their 10 years in paradise, soaking up the sun with year-round 80 F (27 C) weather. They’re also in used bourbon casks, but due to the heat, can lose 6-8% per year, a humongous angel’s share (= mega flavor and value!)
COGNAC
Finally, over in le France Cognac is living the luxurious life spending its 10 years in spacious 350L barrels made from French oak. The larger barrels mean less wood surface area, and the complex French oak has tighter grains that release flavors more subtle-y compared to its American cousin. It generally spends no more than 1-2 years in new wood before being transferred to used barrels to prevent oak flavors from dominating the spirit.
Temperatures here are comfortable, ranging from 40-75 F (4-24 C), and the angel’s share sits around 3-5%.
So, it’s easy to fall into the trap of making assumptions of taste/quality based on age, but hopefully this helps put things in perspective for just how little that number really means. Explore the world of diverse spirits and stay curious!
