I received an email today from a reader who asks: "Could you please tell me more about the between the ages on spirits, e.g. Glenfiddich 12years, 18 and so on. Does it take them all these years to produce these drinks?"
Photo Credit: c Shannon Graham
Great question and there is really no single answer, but it is essentially yes. The majority of the time with whiskies such as Glenfiddich, they do spend that amount of time aging in barrels before they are ready for bottling. You may notice that the price of older whiskies reflect this extra time and labor.This is why it important for distillers to project well into the future how much they will need to produce in a few years. Knob Creek's shortage a couple of years ago was a good example of demand growing too fast for production.
The only time that we get a little confused on the actual age of a liquor is when it is blended. A great example is Cruzan Rum. For their 2 year old rums they blend rums that have been aged for 2-4 years. The age on the bottle reflects the age of the youngest spirit involved. Chivas Regal is a blended Scotch example, their 25 year old bottling is a combination of whiskies aged at least 25 years, though some may have spent much more time in barrels.
Before you ask... Why isn't rum and tequila aged as long as whiskey? It is all about climate, my dears.
Think about the weather difference between the Caribbean or Mexico and that of Scotland, Ireland, or the majority of North America. In the hot, arid climates it is unnecessary to age liquor for 5 or more years because the heat speeds aging, causing the liquor to absorb the wood essence faster. Since the majority of rum and all tequila is produced in these climates you do not find 10 year old tequila or 30 year rums (for the most part). In the popular whiskey producing regions, where temperatures tend to fluctuate greatly between hot and cold your aged liquors need more time in the barrel to pick up the essence of the wood. You may also notice that, for instance, many Kentucky bourbons will be aged for somewhere around 7-10 years. Go a little farther north and you will find Canadian whiskey that is at its peak after 15-30 years.
None of this is a hard and fast rule as each distillery will set up their own aging standards to reach the optimum product they desire.
I hope that answers the question. Thanks for asking.
No comments:
Post a Comment