Everything about Aging Barrel totally explained
An
aging barrel is a
barrel used to age
wine or
distilled spirits such as
whiskey,
brandy, or
rum.
When a wine or whiskey/whisky ages in a barrel, small amounts of
oxygen are introduced as the barrel lets some air in (compare to
microoxygenation where oxygen is deliberately added). Oxygen enters a barrel when
water or
alcohol is lost due to
evaporation, a portion known as the "
angel's share". In an environment with 100% relative
humidity, very little water evaporates and so most of the loss is alcohol, a useful trick if one has a wine with very high proof. Most wines are topped up from other barrels to prevent significant oxidation, although others such as
vin jaune are not.
Wine aged in small new
oak barrels (
Barrique) takes on some of the compounds in the barrel, such as
vanillin and wood
tannins. The presence of these compounds is dependent on many factors, including the place of origin, how the staves were cut and dried, and degree of "toast" applied during manufacture. After roughly three years, most of a barrel's flavor compounds have been leached out and it's well on its way to becoming "neutral."
The tastes yielded by French and American species of oak are slightly different, with French oak being subtler, while American oak gives stronger aromas. To retain the desired measure of oak influence, a
winery will replace a certain percentage of its barrels every year, although this can vary from 5 to 100%. Some winemakers use
200% new oak, where the wine is put into new oak barrels twice during the aging process.
Bulk wines are sometimes flavored by soaking
oak chips in them instead of barrel aging.
Barrels used for aging are typically made of oak, but
chestnut and
redwood are not unknown. Some Asian traditions (for example Japanese
sake) have been known to use
Japanese cedar, which imparts an unusual, minty/piney flavor. And in Latin America, "
Pisco" is aged in
earthenware: minerals from the fired clay leach into the liquor giving it a unique flavor.
Even dating back to the
1st century,
Pliny the Elder described how aging barrels were used by wine producers in the
Alps.
Beer
Specialty
beers are also sometimes aged in barrels which were previously used in aging harder spirits, thus imparting characteristic and distinctive flavors to the beer.
Lambic beers are aged in used wine barrels.
Porters are sometimes aged in
bourbon barrels.
Angel's share
Angel's share is a term for the portion (share) of a wine or
distilled spirit's
volume that's lost to
evaporation during aging in oak barrels. The barrels are typically French or American oak. In low
humidity conditions the loss to evaporation may be primarily
water. However, in higher humidities, more
alcohol than
water will evaporate, therefore reducing the alcoholic strength of the product.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Aging Barrel'.
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