This gives the whiskey a subtle Cognac flavor with notes of dried apricot and walnut.Īfter aging Bourbon for a minimum of four years, the Louisville Distilling Company places Angel’s Envy Bourbon into Port barrels, where it ages for another six months. The Parker’s Heritage Collection Bourbon is then aged, or finished, for another six months in these toasted barrels that once aged Cognac for two to three years. When making Parker’s Heritage Collection, Heaven Hill Distilleries transfers the 10-year-old Bourbon from Bourbon barrels to used Limousin Oak Cognac barrels. But, it’s far more common for a distiller to play with barrel aging than to modify a 50- to 200-year-old rickhouse. Some distilleries have even experimented with climate-controlled warehouses in an effort to speed up the aging.

Traditional Kentucky rickhouses are made with limestone rock exteriors and are several stories high, but aluminum-skinned exteriors have become popular because it allows the warehouse to breathe. In Kentucky, once the cask is filled with whiskey, distillers store the barrels in warehouses referred to as rickhouses-wooden structures that take you back to the days when wood beams anchored buildings and wrought-iron latches clamped doors shut.

That’s why distillers are experimenting with new techniques ranging from inserting French oak staves to charring their casks for longer to ensure the best Bourbon flavors are achieved. When it comes to winemaking, the importance of oak barrels is well known, but cooperage is just as crucial for making Bourbon.

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