Lesson three in this whiskey series is about age statements. Previous lessons:
101 - Whiskey or whisky?
102 - How to order and drink
The 'age' of a whiskey is the length of time spent in a wood barrel following distillation and prior to bottling. The longer a whiskey is aged, the more it absorbs the qualities of the wood and smoothes the harshness of the alcohol. The 'age statement' is the labeled age on the bottle. You would assume a 10 year old whiskey is, simply, all 10 year old whiskey. It's rarely that in reality.
Whenever whiskey is bottled, whether at the distillery or elsewhere (like an independent bottler), an important job is ensuring consistency of the products (or 'expressions') for sale. This goes for whiskies with a listed age on the bottles and those without. Each bottle of Glenmorangie 10 should be the same bottle to bottle and year over year. Each bottle of Jameson or Wild Turkey 101 should be the same. Both consumer and producer want this. But each batch out of the barrels is not the same. Someone, whether their title is 'master distiller' or 'master blender' or something else, has to ensure that consistency. They take samples from barrels on hand and experiment until finding the mix that tastes right, using some impressively fine-tuned taste buds. It's a job I could not do. Once they have it right they produce in larger quantities for bottling and distribution.
Back to ages. If a bottle is going to be labeled as a 10 year, for example, everything in the bottle must be at least that age. Even if the correct flavor could be achieved with younger whiskey, it cannot be labeled as such without every drop reaching the minimum age. This limits the barrels available to the master selecting the mixture for bottling. So in actuality, a '10 year old' will mostly consist of whiskey aged for the minimum 10 years, but it'll also include whiskey 11 or 12 or 15 (or more!) years old to achieve the desired result, and one that's hopefully consistent over time.
Is older better? Well yes and no. An older whiskey is almost certainly going to cost you more. This is due to the time involved to make it (10 years means 10 years of waiting), the 'angels share' (evaporation), and usually a more limited release. Usually the payoff is a more refined, higher quality product. But I think you can go too far as well, where the whiskey becomes too mellow and loses a lot of the qualities that make it enjoyable, on top of being overly spendy. That Macallan 50 year old was a marketing stunt more than anything else. Why would anyone spend $35k+ on a bottle of whiskey?
Lots of expressions have no age statement ('NAS'). There are lots of Bourbons without a labeled age. Most blended Scotches have no labeled age as well. Many single malt Scotch whiskies feature an age statement though NAS bottles are increasingly common. If you care about the age of your whiskey, you need to know what the labels tell you.
Let's review some terms:
'Bourbon whiskey' does not require any actual length of time in a wood barrel.
'Straight Bourbon' whiskey requires two+ years, but usually is four+.
'Bottled-in-bond' Bourbon whiskey requires four+ years.
'Scotch whisky' requires three+ years in wood barrels.
'Irish whiskey' requires three+ years in wood barrels.
My preferences on age mostly depend on the type of whiskey. I find that quality Bourbons are 'straight' (or bottled-in-bond), as those labeling standards ensure a measure of quality. Most Bourbons I enjoy don't have an age statement, though there are some, like the Henry McKenna 10 year, that do. Most Scotch I enjoy is single malt with an age listed, again with exceptions like the Aberlour a'Bunadh and Bruichladdich Octomore.
In the end, age is only a number. If you really like something without an age statement, go for it! Regardless of origin, NAS bottles can be really good. They're just not committing to everything in the bottle being a certain age. On the other hand, whiskies with an age statement give you some certainty. If you ever want opinions on specific bottles or distilleries, I love to give them.
Until next time.
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