Whisky Age Statement - Everything You Need To Know About it
When you’re looking at a bottle of whiskey, one of the first bits of information to catch your eye is, of course, the age statement. Whether it’s a single malt scotch or bourbon specifically, this number indicates how old (or mature) the whiskey is. For instance, Chivas Regal 18 gold signature includes an age statement of eighteen years. It might not be as simple as you think though. Below we investigate what exactly an age statement means and why the simple number on the bottle isn’t always reflective of just how much time went into that bottle.
A Beginner’s Guide to Aging
A whisky invariably matures in wood. The time it spends in a
cask is called its "age." But a whisky or whiskey's age is only part
of its entire story. After all, young whiskies improve with time, and the
color, aroma, and taste of some spirits change as they spend years developing
in the cask. The minimum age a whisky can be to carry an age statement is three
years. There are no rules that stipulate the type of cask that must be used to
mature a whisky. Most Scotch producers, therefore, use casks that have been
used for finished blends of previous releases, either because they yield good
quality wood or as a cost-saving measure. It is most common for producers to
release whiskies from casks that previously held other single malt or grain
whiskies, whisky of varying ages and cask types can also be mixed to make a
"vatted" malt or grain whisky. These will never have an age
statement.
What Does an Age Statement Talk About Whisky?
The age statement on a whisky bottle is a key element of whisky
knowledge and tells us how long the liquid inside has matured. It doesn't offer
much in terms of flavor – there's no 'twenty-year-old whisky that tastes
different from a thirty-year-old. Age statement whiskies are just as varied in
flavor as non-age statement whiskies, but it's a useful way to categorize and
understand them. While most whiskies have an age statement, a few vatting
(blended) whiskies from larger distilleries will only showcase their brand name
without an age statement. The reason for the lack of an age statement is often
due to different factors like the availability of aged stock or whiskey stocks
being blended in different casks that have been aging in warehouses for varying
periods. A great example is Chivas Regal
25 years, which features an age statement of twenty-five years.
Bottom Line
When it comes to whiskies, even the simplest of things have a very complex back-story behind them. While a lot of people thought that the age statement on a whisky is only used to specify how mature it is, reading this article may have surely allowed you to know its actual purpose.
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