It’s a tale almost as old as time itself—to get good whiskey takes time. Age has always meant quality whiskey. However, with the rise in craft distilleries and the interest in whiskey, it’s just not practical anymore. So that forces the question: can you make quality whiskey without all that time? Science says yes. There are new methods popping up all the time for aging whiskey quicker. In an impatient world, can these faster whiskey-making methods stand the test of time?
The longest step in the aging process is maturation, if that process able to be shortened without losing flavor then a producer could stand to save a lot of money and time. Recently, researches have been using ultrasound waves as the spirits soak in the oak. The ultrasounds are beyond what humans are capable of hearing and they create pressure inside the plant tissues that causes them to rupture and release the bioactive compounds. This process usually only happens as the oak degrades over time. The results have surprised whiskey lovers and sommeliers alike. It comes out tasting much like whiskey that’s been aged for decades.
Other methods of speeding up the aging process include a combination of heat and light. Some are creating whiskey in high-pressure stainless steel tanks that mix the spirits with new wood combination. Some use oak chips to infuse the flavor into the whiskey.
Other distilleries are saving on cost, time, and labor by using oak Infusion Spirals instead of traditional barrels. It’s easy to experiment with new woods and toasts for new flavors. Each Barrel Pack releases complex, layered, barrel-quality aromas and flavors. Infusion Spiral Barrel Packs deliver barrel-like quality whiskey eight times faster than the traditional method.
It seems as though in a world of instant coffee, instant messaging, instant meals, online shopping, and online banking (just to name a few), this trend of impatience isn’t going anywhere and it’s a good thing the whiskey industry has caught on.