Whisky Age & Ageing

Age is simply the period of maturation, usually singed on the front label of Scotch whiskies. In the case of Scotch single malts, age means how many years the whisky was matured in oak wood casks. But in the case of blended Scotch whiskies, age means the age of the youngest whisky ingredient used in the blend. E.g. Ballantine's 12 years old means that the youngest Scotch grain or malt whisky out of the appr. 50 various whiskies, which were used to make that blend, was 12 years old in the time of blending. Ageing is the process of maturation itself. Right after the distillation process, the "young whisky" is a transparent, "water-like" spirit. Whisky gets its aroma and characteristics during the maturation years, when the spirit is held in oak wood barrels - may vary by size and history - and interact with the air around through the barrel staves. It is given by law that Scotch whisky must be aged in oak casks in Scotland at least for 3 years. Whisky is not "ageing" after bottling.

Az erlelesi idot rendszerint feltuntetik minden skot whisky elulso cimkejen. A skot single malt whiskyk eseteben a kor (erlelesi ido) azt jelenti, hogy hany evet toltott a whisky tolgyfa hordoban, amig jellege tokeletesen kifejlodott es megerett a palackozasra. A skot blended whiskyknel ezzel szemben a kor (erlelesi ido) a hazasitas soran felhasznalt skot whiskyk legfiatalabbjanak korat (erlelesi idejet) mutatja. Peldaul, a 12 eves Ballantine's blended whisky eseteben a szam azt jelzi, hogy a tobb mint 50 kulonbozo hazasitott skot gabona es malata whisky kozul a legfiatalabb 12 eves volt a blend keszitese idejen. Az erleles azt a folyamatot jelenti, amely alatt a hordoba zart whiskynek kialakul jellemzo karaktere. Kozvetlenul a leparlas utan a "fiatal whisky" meg opalosan attetszo, "vizszeru" szeszparlat csak. Az igazi whisky aromat, szin-, illat-, izjellemzoit a kulonbozo meretu es tulajdonsagu tolgyfa hordokban torteno erleles soran, a hordo porusain keresztuli levegovel valo erintkezes soran szerzi a whisky. A torvenyi szabalyozas szerint mindent skot whiskyt legalabb 3 evig kell tolgyfa hordoban, Skocia teruleten erlelni - kulonben nem nevezheto a whisky skot whiskynek. Viszont a whisky palackozas utan mar nem erlelodik tovabb.