There’s an issue inherent in an industry where a certain degree of ageing is expected or demanding: what happens when demand exceeds supply? This was a problemwhich rocked the Japanese whisky scene over the past couple of years, with the popularity of aged Japanese single malts resulting in a serious dearth of available bottles. Indeed, many of the bigger distilleries put everything on hold until the next batch of matured whiskies is ready to hit the market, in order to more closely regulate numbers. Despite being an industry associated with centuries of closely-guarded tradition, whiskey occasionally takes great innovative leaps, bringing it into a new age and meeting the wishes of a new generation of enthusiasts. The latest of these pioneering movements is rumoured to be that of ‘accelerated ageing’ - a sci-fi-inspired procedure that allows bottles of Scotch or Bourbon to be aged in a couple of days, using little more than light and heat, and thus resemble a spirit which has spent ten or more years in the barrel. Needless to say, the practice is proving to be controversial, with many leading voices in the whiskey world completely rejecting the practice outright, and - understandably - claiming that accelerated ageing can never replace the time-honoured artisanship that goes into barrel ageing. However, considering the ever-increasing demand for smoother, subtler aged Bourbon (a drink with a truly global audience), and the contemporary obsession with quick, results-driven fixes, it’s not beyond any stretch of the imagination to see accelerated ageing becoming the norm. If the results of accelerated ageing and barrel ageing both taste good, does this question really matter? This is probably down to personal preference, and one’s emotional attachment to tradition. However, as aged Bourbon becomes more and more in demand, it’s an issue that’s surely not going away anytime soon. NEWTECHNIQUES FOR NEXT-GENAGEING
28
T H E E V O L U T I O N O F A G E D B O U R B O N
L I F E S T Y L E
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter