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beppe · 12-04-2011, 05:56 PM

Let's talk about aging booze in casks. Obviously there is merit and value in it, at least by the price that it is associated to it. But ...
It is different with wine that goes trough important chemical transformations, beneficial or not is a question of taste, maybe acquired. But spirits. I have the impression that they just absorb substances from the cask, without any chemical reaction. Something that could be added by a wise alchemist. In 5 minutes. In other words, wine is chemically "alive", spirits not.

Some time ago it came in fashion to barrique wines. (That is luckily fading away, maybe). I avoid barriqued wines as they do not have their original characteristics anymore but instead they have something else that has nothing to do with the wine itself. What the so called expert did to the fine wines of Bordeaux is a disgrace under the nose of every aficionado. Now the wines of Bordeaux all have the same mellow neutral "taste", that reassures. The taste of the casks. In line with the dictates of the specialized press. Better to buy a cheap local wine without pretense and impressive labels. At least it is authentic. Or to make friends with some old wine pusher out of the franchises and pay your moneys for your choices.

Some time ago, I was in the town of Saintes in the Charente, the home of the Cognac. We made friends at the local tennis club, and after few days we asked where we could get some good cognac, out of the circuit of the big industrial producers. None of the fine men got their cognac from the bigs, but from some local well established families. They asked how much we wanted to spend. We said that for a good one, price was not a critical element. So they said to get a 10 years old, as we would not have been able to appreciate an older one. We obliged and got few bottles of the marvel, that we consumed only for medical purposes, like when one was feeling down that helped. We actually tasted some older stuff. Much more expensive of course, but exactly as the fine men had told us, we could not feel the difference.
When from time to time, in the home of a friend, I am offered some old old single malt, I can appreciate the finesse that goes with the price, but I remain with the impression that the guy just prepares a finer product to be put away that way. From the start.

12-04-2011, 05:56 PM	#17208
beppe Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,161 Karma: 81026524 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Italy Device: Kindle3, Ipod4, IPad2	Let's talk about aging booze in casks. Obviously there is merit and value in it, at least by the price that it is associated to it. But ... It is different with wine that goes trough important chemical transformations, beneficial or not is a question of taste, maybe acquired. But spirits. I have the impression that they just absorb substances from the cask, without any chemical reaction. Something that could be added by a wise alchemist. In 5 minutes. In other words, wine is chemically "alive", spirits not. Some time ago it came in fashion to barrique wines. (That is luckily fading away, maybe). I avoid barriqued wines as they do not have their original characteristics anymore but instead they have something else that has nothing to do with the wine itself. What the so called expert did to the fine wines of Bordeaux is a disgrace under the nose of every aficionado. Now the wines of Bordeaux all have the same mellow neutral "taste", that reassures. The taste of the casks. In line with the dictates of the specialized press. Better to buy a cheap local wine without pretense and impressive labels. At least it is authentic. Or to make friends with some old wine pusher out of the franchises and pay your moneys for your choices. Some time ago, I was in the town of Saintes in the Charente, the home of the Cognac. We made friends at the local tennis club, and after few days we asked where we could get some good cognac, out of the circuit of the big industrial producers. None of the fine men got their cognac from the bigs, but from some local well established families. They asked how much we wanted to spend. We said that for a good one, price was not a critical element. So they said to get a 10 years old, as we would not have been able to appreciate an older one. We obliged and got few bottles of the marvel, that we consumed only for medical purposes, like when one was feeling down that helped. We actually tasted some older stuff. Much more expensive of course, but exactly as the fine men had told us, we could not feel the difference. When from time to time, in the home of a friend, I am offered some old old single malt, I can appreciate the finesse that goes with the price, but I remain with the impression that the guy just prepares a finer product to be put away that way. From the start.