Distilleries program

[Yaish]

I'm watching a program on the History Channel about distilleries. They spent quite a bit of time on Scottish distilleries and the making of Single Malt. There was a shot at some sort of convention with a large crowd of kilted folks.

One of the interesting things I discovered for all you single malt fans, is Laphroaig and others use old Kentucky Bourbon barrels.

[Jerry]

I'm watching a program on the History Channel about distilleries. They spent quite a bit of time on Scottish distilleries and the making of Single Malt. There was a shot at some sort of convention with a large crowd of kilted folks.

One of the interesting things I discovered for all you single malt fans, is Laphroaig and others use old Kentucky Bourbon barrels.

According to the lecturers at the Scotch tasting venue at the Richmond games, it goes much further than that. They buy them from the bourbon distillers, break them down and ship them to Spain, where the Spaniards re-assemble the barrels, and pay rent to the Scots for using the barrels to store wine for several years before they are broken down again and sent on to the Scottish single malt distilleries. The Scots make enough by renting the barrels to the Spaniards to pay for the barrels and the shipping. Leave it to the Scots to figure a way to get the barrels for free.

[Chef]

According to the lecturers at the Scotch tasting venue at the Richmond games, it goes much further than that. They buy them from the bourbon distillers, break them down and ship them to Spain, where the Spaniards re-assemble the barrels, and pay rent to the Scots for using the barrels to store wine for several years before they are broken down again and sent on to the Scottish single malt distilleries. The Scots make enough by renting the barrels to the Spaniards to pay for the barrels and the shipping. Leave it to the Scots to figure a way to get the barrels for free.

Close but the lecturer has a few facts mixed up. Distilleries use several different types of "preowned" barrels for flavour these days the primary ones are used bourbon barrels (1) and they also used old sherry casks (as well as others). Sherry casks were at one time easy to get because there is a lot of sherry consumed in the UK. The sherry was shipped to the UK in casks and it was too expensive to ship the empty sherry casks back to Spain. That changed when sherry started to be shipped in stainless steel. Since, unlike bourbon casks, sherry casks can be reused they became expensive and difficult to get.

What happens now is some distilleries (Macallan is the best known for the practice) commission barrels to be made for sherry use. Many of these barrels are made by cooperages that make barrels for bourbon industry (usually owned by the bourbon distillers) but they are not "used" bourbon barrels (in other words they have never been used to make bourbon). They are broken down for shipping and reassembled in Spain. They are used to age sherry for several years, broken down again, sent to Scotland, reassembled and then used for whisky.


(1) Bourbon requires the use of virgin barrels for each batch, so thee are plenty of used ones available. This is why they are the most common barrel today. In the past sherry casks were the most common.

[Pour1Malt]

Close but the lecturer has a few facts mixed up. Distilleries use several different types of "preowned" barrels for flavour these days the primary ones are used bourbon barrels (1) and they also used old sherry casks (as well as others). Sherry casks were at one time easy to get because there is a lot of sherry consumed in the UK. The sherry was shipped to the UK in casks and it was too expensive to ship the empty sherry casks back to Spain. That changed when sherry started to be shipped in stainless steel. Since, unlike bourbon casks, sherry casks can be reused they became expensive and difficult to get.

What happens now is some distilleries (Macallan is the best known for the practice) commission barrels to be made for sherry use. Many of these barrels are made by cooperages that make barrels for bourbon industry (usually owned by the bourbon distillers) but they are not "used" bourbon barrels (in other words they have never been used to make bourbon). They are broken down for shipping and reassembled in Spain. They are used to age sherry for several years, broken down again, sent to Scotland, reassembled and then used for whisky.


(1) Bourbon requires the use of virgin barrels for each batch, so thee are plenty of used ones available. This is why they are the most common barrel today. In the past sherry casks were the most common.

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