L3SP OC 3.5 L1 - Post-distillation operations: maturation

American Standard Barrel (ASB)

Other barrels

Sherry butt

American Standard Barrels (ASB) As a result of the regulations that require key American whiskeys to be aged in new oak barrels, there is an active secondary market for ASBs. Scottish distillers buy a significant percentage of these barrels. Most ASBs are shipped to Scotland as whole barrels, and then taken apart and rebuilt into a slightly larger format called a hogshead. This allows distillers to store more spirit per volume of warehouse. The barrels are not shipped with liquid in them, and this, together with the fact they are taken apart, means that the staves do not retain any moisture from their previous contents. In other words, none of the previous liquid is present, so it cannot be extracted from the staves to add flavour or colour to the whisky.

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Sherry butts Sherry is a fortified wine that is made in the region of Jerez located in south west Spain. Scotch whisky is sometimes aged in ex-Sherry butts. When the butts are ready, they are emptied and shipped directly to Scotland. During the shipping, some of the wine is left in the butt. The wine that is left in the butt ensures that it stays moist and the staves do not dry out and shrink. As soon as the butt arrives in Scotland the remaining Sherry is drained out and then the butt is immediately filled with newly made whisky. What can the distillery control?

• the specific period the Sherry is aged in
• the species of wood used to make the butt
• the type of wine
• the length of time the butt is seasoned for

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What are the effects of ageing in a ex-sherry butt? There are a few key styles of Sherry used for whisky cask seasoning: Dry Sherry: Amontillado and Oloroso – these styles give aromas of dried fruit and dried orange peel. Sweet Sherry: Pedro Ximénez (PX) – this style gives aromas of raisin.

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Other barrels – There is a wide range of other barrels that are used in Scotch whisky production for finishing. They include the following:

• Port
• Madeira
• Red Bordeaux
• Sauternes
• Rum
• Calvados
• Beer

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