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

Whiskey is aged in oak barrels. The longer it sits there, the more flavors it picks up from the oak (good) and the more stinky volatile compounds (bad) have time to evaporate away. The down-side is that alcohol also evaporates away, so it’s wasting product for the distiller. That makes it more expensive, which some people also read as a signal that it’s better.