Whisky Passions

Follow on Twitter : @WhiskyPassions Nurture : Welcome to this two-part series investigating the roles of distillation and maturation in the creation of the uisge beatha. Link :  Whisky: Nature Vs. Nurture  Part 01 In this section I'll be discussing the impact that the wood has in the process. In summary whisky barrels come from the following sources: American White Oak barrels previously containing bourbon Virgin American White Oak which has never previously contained whisky European Oak barrels of the type that wines are casked in European Oak barrels that previously contained wines included sherry's, port's, etc. Additionally the size of the barrel is important. There isn't time to go into details here, but essentially the smaller the barrel, the more contact the whisky has with the wood, the faster the flavours will be extracted leading to the maturation process. The colour of whisky can give you an idea of what type of wood has been in