Well, I've been researching for Sherry Casks and I learn that in the process of making scotch, second-hand casks are used almost exclusively for the refinement and in the maturation of scotch, almost always, has been used before in the production of sherry to absorb some of the harshness of the new wood.
I've been a connoisseur of wine & Scotch as well.... unlike wine, does not mature or age once it is bottled. It matures when placed in oak casks. The quality of the casks where the scotch was aged is very important. According to experts, the nature and quality of the casks, together with the quality of the barley, the making process can make up for 95% of the final quality of a malt whisky.
A virgin oak wood cask, with its fresh "woody" elements" could potentially overpower the subtleties that we appreciate in a fine glass of scotch. The second-hand cask used for the maturation of scotch, almost always, has been used before in the production of sherry to absorb some of the harshness of the new wood.
In olden times, when alcoholism was more socially-accepted! It was expensive to ship the sherry casks back to Spain when the alcohol was drained from the cask, and so empty and discarded sherry casks were scattered all over the 19th century Scottish landscape. In what is quite possibly one of the world's earliest recycling initiatives, the Scots started gathering these second-hand sherry casks and re-used them for the maturation of their scotch.
Part of a series prepared for Ginger Claps Black Dog Triple Gold Reserve Scotch Blogging experience!!!
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