Whiskey aged at sea on ships

[kenobi_65]

@Snarky_Kong

Do you have a cite that the effect is significant other than your friend that has an monetary interest in the claim?

Sure, here are several:

Ship aging a whisky introduces a few new aspects that aren’t really seen in traditional warehouse maturation. The first aspect is added motion. Ship-aged whiskies are subjected to the ebb and flow of waves. As the waves rock the boat, the whisky sloshes around inside the barrel—leading to more interaction between the liquid and the barrel. While this can have different effects depending on char level, generally the liquid will take on stronger barrel notes: black tea, maple, vanilla, oak, and caramel. The interaction also helps to draw out unwanted congeners from the liquid, smoothing out rough edges and lessening unwanted sulfur notes. While many distillers introduce motion by routinely rolling their barrels, the motion brought by the waves is constant. Stormy waters increase the force of these waves, potentially leading to even more interaction and turning a risk into a boon.

https://whiskyadvocate.com/Cask-Away-The-Voyages-of-Ship-Aged-Whiskies

In the days before branded glass bottles became common, spirits, as well as wine and beer, were transported in barrels from where they were made to where they were sold. The time and constant motion along the way mellowed and matured these spirits at a faster rate than would happen if they never moved. Eventually, barrel aging along the way to market was replaced by aging and bottling at the source, but one old and several new spirits brands have decided to return to the practice of putting barreled booze on the move.

Booze on the Move: Spirits Are Being Aged on Ships and Trains

Also, and this is just personal experience: I have had at least samples of most of the boat-aged liquors which my friend’s company makes (and have bought and enjoyed several bottles). They are very flavorful and smooth, much moreso than one would imagine for whiskies and bourbons which have only been aged for a relatively short time.

[hajario]

@kenobi_65

As I and others have noted: months on a moving ship or boat – either at sea or on a large lake – do, in fact, age a whiskey significantly more rapidly than it would age if it were sitting still in a barrel in a warehouse.

What it if were on a rocker mechanism in a warehouse? What if the rocker was outdoors or near the coast?

Edit: I don’t know shit about liquor. I don’t like any of it. This is just interesting to me.

[kenobi_65]

@hajario

What it if were on a rocker mechanism in a warehouse? What if the rocker was outdoors or near the coast?

Might work similarly? I am not a distiller; I’m just sharing what knowledge I do have on the subject.

[Snarky_Kong]

Both of those are claims, rather than proof.

There’s a theory if action which makes sense, but no testing if the theory. I don’t even mean like chemical analysis, anyone taken a 2 barrels with the same mashbill from the same rickhouse, sent one on a boat while leaving the other home, and don’t a double-blind taste test? Chemical analysis?

[kenobi_65]

@Snarky_Kong

Both of those are claims, rather than proof.

OK, fine. You win. It’s not fucking scientifically double-blind tested fucking proof. It’s clearly just marketing bullshit.

[Snarky_Kong]

Touchy.

I didn’t say it was bullshit.

[kenobi_65]

@Snarky_Kong

Touchy.

Sorry, man. I’ve had a bad day, in the midst of a bad year.

@Snarky_Kong

I didn’t say it was bullshit.

Not in so many words, but your replies to me came across that way:

@Snarky_Kong

Do you have a cite that the effect is significant other than your friend that has an monetary interest in the claim?

@Snarky_Kong

Both of those are claims, rather than proof.

I understand skepticism, but I think I need to be done with this thread.

[Smapti]

This has been part of how Norwegian aquavit (caraway-infused grain spirit) has been aged for centuries.

Akvavit | Origin and traditional variants

Peculiar to the Norwegian tradition are Linje Aquavits (such as “Løiten Linie” and “Lysholm Linie”). Linje Aquavit is named after the tradition of sending oak barrels of aquavit with ships from Norway to Australia and back again, thereby passing the equator (“linje”) twice before being bottled. The constant movement, high humidity, and fluctuating temperature cause the spirit to extract more flavour and contribute to accelerated maturation.

[China_Guy]

FWIW, I tried some about 5 years ago and was underwhelmed.

Seems logical that getting sloshed around with wide temp variations for 6 months will have an effect. The question, however, is that effect good or bad on the whiskey???