Cask aging of whisky
Cask Size
There are several different size cask for whisky aging. Smaller cask add flavor on whisky quicker.
Quarter Cask 45-50L
Barrel 190-200L
Hogshead 225-250L
Barrique 250-300L
Puncheon 450-500L
Sherry Butt 500L
Port Pipe 550-650L
Madeira Drum 600-650L
Used cask
Whisky use cask which was used for various different alcohol drink aging.
Bourbon cask
Bourbon must use new cask with burned inside for aging. So used Bourbon cask is exported for other whisky aging purpose.
It is most popular cask for whisky aging.
It adds crispy flavor.
Sherry cask
Sherry cask is often use for whisky aging.
Actually there are several different type sherry (Pedro Ximenez, Oloroso, Moscatel, Fino, Amontillado). But most popular cask for whisky is Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez.
It adds rich sweet flavor.
Seasoning sherry cask
Serious shortage of sherry casks is big problem in the whiskey industry today.
Sherry bodegas are producing sherry cask for whisky aging according to whisky distillery request today.
This cask is called as Seasoning Cask.
Fortified Wine Cask
Cask of other fortified wines is also used for whisky aging.
Other fortified wine mean Port, Madeira, Marsala, VDM and VDL.
Wine Cask
Both red & white wine cask are used for whisky aging.
Red wine cask is normally rich taste full body one like Bordeaux, Pomerol, Barolo, Pomerol and Amarone.
White wine cask is also normally rich sweet taste sweet like Sauternes.
Other Cask
Spirits cask is also used for whisky aging. Brandy, Calvados and Rum cask are used for whisky aging. Tequila and Shochu cask are also rarely used.
Beer cask and coffee cask also used.
Cask Material Oak
Sessile oak
(Quercus petraea)
It contains good balance tannin, vanillin and oak lacton. It adds light fruity and spicy flavor.
In France, Allier common oak is most popular sessile oak. It is used for Bordeaux and Bourgogne wine aging because fine annual rings enable limited air transmission and slow aging.
Cask requires 120-200 year age oak tree.
Common Oak
(Quercus robur)
It is porousand and contains rich tannin and polyphenol and less vanillin and oak lacton. It adds heavy fruity flavor like dry fruit.
Spanish common oak cask is used as sherry cask for whisky aging because most of heavy sherry (Pedro Ximenez, Oloroso) cask is made by it.
In France, Limousin is most popular common oak. It is used for cognac aging because wide annual rings enable higher air transmission and
Cask requires 200-260 year age oak tree.
American White Oak
(Quercus Alba)
It has rich vanillin and oak lacton and less tannin. It add vanilla and coconut flavor.
America white oak cask is used as bourbon cask for whisky aging because almost all Bourbon cask is made by it and burned inside.
Some new cask is also used for whisky aging.
Cask requires 80-100 year age oak tree.
Mizunara Oak
It is most oak lacton rich oak. It has also vanillin, tannin and other flavor contents. It add spicy acid taste and flavor of oriental fragrant wood like Kyara or sandalwood.
Mizunara grows around Japan but cool weather is favorable so most famous Mizunara oak for cask is in Hokkaido.
It is very difficult to make cask from Mizunara because Mizunara wood is very hard to bend and more risk of leakage. Mizunara cask is most expensive cask because it requires 200-300 years age tree and Mizunara oak often grown bend.
Custom Cask
There are several "??? head cask" like "Mizunara head cask" today. This type cask has replaced head part from original. New head is normally rich flavor material.
??? head cask is often used for ??? cask finish. A few year aging after 1st aging in other cask.
Aging space
Dunnage style
It's traditional style and normally soil floor and maximum 4 line stacks.
It's higher humidity due to soil floor and slower aging.
But storage space efficiency is very low.
Rack style
It's 8-12 floor steal rack for storage. There are temperature difference between upper part and lower part due to height. Therefor cask on upper floor is faster aging than one on lower floor.
Paradise type
Cask is put vertically and it's normally for grain whisky.
Aging is fast but more leaking risk than others.
Storage efficiency is very high.
Cask aging & Blending category
Cask aging style category
Cask Finish
Cask finish means 2nd aging in different cask for a few years or less after 1st aging for many years.
Cask finish purpose is adding specific flavor so normally cask for cask finish is rich flavor one like fortified wine cask and new oak wood cask.
Marriage
Marriage means 2nd aging in cask after blending several whiskey and water.
Marriage purpose is familiarizing whiskies and water
Double Marriage
Marriage means 2nd aging in cask after blending several whiskey and water. It is common for almost all whisky for familiarizing whiskies and water but some whisky do marriage twice.
Double marriage purpose is creating complicated taste and flavor.
Aging period category
Aging years on bottle label and Non-age whisky
Some whisky bottle label describes aging years. This number means youngest material whisky in bottle. For example, Hibiki 18 years contains only 18 years aging material whisky and older one.
Most of Japanese whisky finished to describe aging years on label recently because of their aging whisky stock shortage and they are promoting whisky which doesn't mentions to aging years. It is called non-age whisky.
Many Japanese whisky were replaced to non-age whisky including Yoichi, Miyagikyo, Taketsuru, Yamazaki, Hakushu and Hibiki(Except for 21Y/30Y).
Aging period requirement by PDO
(Protected designation of origin)
Other world whiskies are defined by PDO (Protected designation of origin) and it requires minimum aging years in cask. 3 years.
Scotch, Irish and Canadian whisky require Min 3 years aging in general. American whisky doesn't have general requirement but specific requirement for each category is exist.
Japanese whisky doesn't have aging period requirement by law and there are only self regulation by private sector.
New born
It is whisky aged in cask but bottled before reaching PDO requirement period.
Major whisky distilleries don't sell new born but some craft distilleries are selling new born for promotion and/or cash flow management.
This is sometimes used incorrectly for new born.
New pot / New make
It is whisky bottled just after distillation without any aging.
Major whisky distilleries don't sell new pot / new make but some craft distilleries are selling new born for promotion and/or cash flow management.
This is sometimes used incorrectly for new born.
Malt whisky blending category
Malt whisky is made from only malt(2-raw barley)
Cask Strength Malt
Material
- Single cask malt whisky
Single Cask Malt
Material
- Single cask malt whisky
- Water
Single Malt
Material Whisky
- Malt whisky made by single(same) distillery
- Water
Malt (Pure Malt)
Material Whisky
- Malt whisky by several distilleries
- Water
* There are several pure malt whisky containing imported bulk whisky in Japan.
Grain whisky blending category
Grain whisky is made from malt(6-raw barley) and grain
Cask Strength Grain
Material Whisky
- Single cask grain whisky
Single Cask Grain
Material Whisky
- Single cask grain whisky
- Water
Single Grain
Material Whisky
- Grain whisky made by single(same) distillery
- Water
Grain
Material Whisky
- Grain whisky made by several distilleries
- Water
Blended whisky
Blended
Material Whisky
- Malt whisky
- Grain whisky
- Water
* There are several blended whisky containing imported bulk in Japan.
Blended with neutral spirits
Material Whisky
- Malt whisky
- Grain whisky
- Water
- Neutral spirits
* Scotch and Irish whisky forbidden it.
* It is common for low price range whisky in Japan and USA
Blended with flavoring
(Canadian blended)
Material Whisky
- Grain whisky (Rye main flavoring)
- Grain whisky (Corn main base)
- Water
- Flavoring liquor
* Canadian blended whisky is blended of flavoring whisky and base whisky. It's possible to add flavoring liquor max 9.09%.
Irish Blended
Material Whisky
- Malt whisky
- Pure Pot Still whisky
- Grain whisky
- Water
* All 3 material type whisky blend or 2 of them blended are Irish blended whisky. Pure pot still whisky is one kind of grain whisky so that Pure pot still & Grain blended is actually grain whisky & grain whisky but it is categorized as Irish Blended whisky.