Why is “older” whiskey generally considered better than “newer” whiskey? And does this apply to all alcohol?
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Whiskey is aged in casks which flavours the spirit. The older the whiskey the longer it’s been in the cask and the more flavorful the spirit.
The short answer is younger whiskeys have a harsher flavor. Proper aging helps to reduce or completely remove these harsh flavors and replace it with pleasant flavors.
I haven’t had aged versions of many spirits but the ones I have had (whiskey, rum, red wine, and gin) all of them have been smoother, been better tasting, and had less burn on the end.
One thing to think about how harsh unaged whiskey can taste is that unflavored moonshine is just unaged whiskey
Whiskey is aged in casks which flavours the spirit. The older the whiskey the longer it’s been in the cask and the more flavorful the spirit.
Doesn’t apply to all alcohol. Beer has a best by date like most food/drinks.
Some red wines get better as they age.
Doesn’t apply to all alcohol. Beer has a best by date like most food/drinks.
Some red wines get better as they age.
The aging process allows the raw spirit to interact with the wood barrel imparting some of it’s flavor. Bourbon gets it’s vanilla flavor from heavily charred American oak barrels. Macalan gets some of its flavor from second hand sherry casks. Obviously the longer the spirit is in contact with the barrel the more flavor and color it acquires
Whiskey and other grain spirits do not age or improve once bottled
The short answer is younger whiskeys have a harsher flavor. Proper aging helps to reduce or completely remove these harsh flavors and replace it with pleasant flavors.
I haven’t had aged versions of many spirits but the ones I have had (whiskey, rum, red wine, and gin) all of them have been smoother, been better tasting, and had less burn on the end.
One thing to think about how harsh unaged whiskey can taste is that unflavored moonshine is just unaged whiskey
Two things happen to whiskey as it ages:
1) It picks up flavor from the casks. This…actually isn’t that hard to accelerate. Adding wood chips or a honey-comb type lattice greatly increases the exposed surface area and thus how quickly it acquires that favor.
2) Sulfates and a few other compounds are able to pass into and through the barrels, leaving the whiskey. These are responsible for a lot of the harsh/unpleasant flavor you get in cheap shooting whiskeys compare to nicer sipping ones and so far there has not been a reliable and cheap way to eliminate them discovered outside of time that doesn’t come with some other downside.
Okay and…3: you get to brag that it’s old and mark up the price. There are diminishing returns for both 1 and 2 as more time passes.
And no, it doesn’t apply to everything. It depends on what’s in the alcohol in the first place and whether you want that particular drink picking up flavors from its container.
Edit for spelling.
Second edit due to number of replies: Sorry y’all, I really should have said something like “two desirable things” or “two main things good for the taste”. There *is* more going on, significantly the evaporation several have mentioned and a small reduction in ABV that comes with it. I was trying to describe the two main reasons aging improves taste/desirability as opposed to things incidental to that effort like the evaporation loss.
The aging process of spirits does two things: infuse flavour and reduce the burn.
By aging in casks, flavours seep into the liquor. More flavour=better booze.
The alcohol evaporates during the aging, lessening the burn, giving a smoother drink. Less burn also bring out the flavours better. This is also part of why it’s more expensive. A 100L of whiskey might only have around 90L left after a decade. The taste gets better, and the costs per liter sold increases
The aging process of spirits does two things: infuse flavour and reduce the burn.
By aging in casks, flavours seep into the liquor. More flavour=better booze.
The alcohol evaporates during the aging, lessening the burn, giving a smoother drink. Less burn also bring out the flavours better. This is also part of why it’s more expensive. A 100L of whiskey might only have around 90L left after a decade. The taste gets better, and the costs per liter sold increases
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