Guide to 40 year old whisky
The ageing process accounts for the vast majority of a whisky’s flavour. This magical wood has the ability to impart all manner of aromas and flavours into the spirit - flavours like spice, sweetness, vanilla, caramel, coffee, pepper, leather… The list goes on. And, after 40 years in oak, the result can often be a whisky with incredible complexity and depth of flavour.
Most whisky is bottled much, much younger than this. Partly because of the sheer difficulty and skill required to age any spirit for this length of time, and the relative cost-efficiency of bottling spirits much younger. And, partly because of phenomena like the Angel’s Share, which is the evaporated spirit which escapes from porous oak during the ageing process. In fact, the Angel’s Share can account for a loss of around 2-5% every year! Whatever is left after 40 years is stunningly rare.
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Author:
Michael Orson
Reading time: 10 minutes
Why buy a 40 year old whisky?
What does 40 year old whisky taste like?
Choosing the perfect 40 year old whisky
40 year old whisky by style
40 Year Old Single Malt Whisky
This cask of 46-year-old Ardbeg single malt sold for £16 million
40 Year Old Grain Whisky
