Why is “older” whiskey generally considered better than “newer” whiskey? And does this apply to all alcohol?

Question

Why is “older” whiskey generally considered better than “newer” whiskey? And does this apply to all alcohol?

In: 5690

Answer 1

Lots of good comments here, I’ll add one piece I haven’t seen yet.

Generally speaking, bourbon isn’t aged nearly as long as Scotch. This is due to the warmer climates in Kentucky compared to Scotland. This causes bourbon to expand and contract in the barrel more quickly, and it ends up picking up the flavors from the barrel much sooner than whiskey in cooler climates