[Leica] OT: What about England NOW: Scotch barrels! ;-)

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant)]

Adam Bridge asked:
>>An aside: Has anyone tried the McCallan Scotch that's aged in oak wine
barrels? It sure sounds mellow to me. Read about it in the Wall Street
Journal's article on Scotch that was out this weekend.<<<

Hi Adam,
In the case of single malt scotch it was and is aged in oak barrels.

In the early days when Sherry imported into England came from Spain there 
was a bountiful number of ex-sherry casks available to fill the shortage of 
plain Oak barrels. So the Sherry barrels began to add their "mellow" to the 
finer selections of single malt scotch.

However, when the Brit's lost their taste for the volumes of Sherry, it 
imported it seems the "Bourbon barrels" of the eastern USA. Those barrels 
became known as "American Oak" barrels. I believe some distilleries still 
import them from the USA.

Your quoted article from the "Wall Street Journal?"  Heaven forbid I should 
suggest the writer might be wrong and meant " aged in Sherry barrels, not 
wine ?" Sherry barrels it's a known fact to single malt drinkers?  Or users 
for medicinal purposes, ;-) we know the best comes from aging in Sherry 
barrels!"

Yes your, "It sure sounds mellow to me." is exactly where the mellow comes 
from, the Sherry barrels.

However, if it truly is a "wine barrel"  then I stand corrected in the case 
of the McCallan and will be flogged at sunrise of this following day! :-( 
The good part?... I get an extra ration of single malt to off set the pain!" 
;-) Therefore without question... "medicinal purpose as you can understand!" 
Thank you sir. ;-)

ted

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