COMPARISON OF SCOTCH MALT WHISKEY MATURATION IN OAK MINIATURE CASKS AND AMERICAN STANDARD BARRELS

The sensory and chemical attributes of Scotch malt distillate matured in uncharred, American white oak casks, were compared with distillate matured in miniature casks of similar wood with a capacity of 6 Litres . The maturation profiles of the two types of casks differed in the pa ttern of extraction of wood components and in the flavour characterist ics of the final distillates. The product from the miniature cask matu rations was not comparable with a Scotch malt whisky, due to differenc es in the ratios of concentrations of extractives. This may relate to differences in oxidation rates in the two cask types.