[#AllAboutWhiskyph] Age statements.

In whisky as in life, age isn't everything. I've been to many parties where the older age statement whisky is always the first to run out. Like everywhere else there is a common misconception in the Philippines that an older whisky is necessarily better. This is not true.

Part of the misconception may come from the popularity of the #JohnnieWalker core range in the country with the JW Black (12), the JW Green (15) and the JW Platinum (18).

My friends are often surprised when they find out that a JW Blue Label is a non-age statement (NAS) whisky. Probably more shocking are rumors that if it did have an age statement it could be a 15, younger than the platinum.

Age statements refer to the number of years spent in a barrel by the youngest whisky in the bottle. The more time a whisky spends in a barrel, the more a) the wood absorbs imperfections in the liquid and b) the liquid draws from the character of the wood, bringing out various scents, flavors and colors.

In most cases, the contents of one whisky bottle is a combination of whiskies of different ages combined by the master blender to get the profile that he/she wants.

Many 12yo whiskies will actually contain liquid from 15-16yo casks. In the case of the JW Blue, its spiritual predecessor's youngest component is 15yo while its oldest component is up to 60yo.

But older is not always better. In most cases, the older the whisky, the darker, more woody it becomes, which might not be as pleasant if you don't like your whisky to be too oaky. Smoke-heavy whiskies are said to be best aged 5-12 years.

In almost all cases though, an older whisky likely costs more because the longer a whisky stays in a barrel, the less of the liquid is left, evaporating at a rate of 2-12% of its volume per year. This is called the "angel's share".

In the end, age statements are probably used more for marketing than as a guide for quality/taste. So best not discriminate! Of the bottles above, I'd pick the delicious #CompassBox Spice Tree (NAS) over the other two. Cheers!

Image Courtesy of @WhiskyPH

@WhiskyPH

At its core, whisky appreciation is an exercise in memory. Notes of a whisky enthusiast in the Philippines. 🥃🇵🇭