Thank you Ralfy! The amount of knowledge about whisky making you give is incredible. You (and the others here on the tube) allowed me to reach a level where I can enjoy and understand whisky properly in no time (I started a little more than a year ago). Being eager as I am, this was a blessing, sometimes I feel like I'm cheating a little 😆
Interesting topic. First time I saw the vertical stacking on pallets was at Glen Scotia distillery on Phil and Deepas barrel room tasting video. Waterford is also doing this as well as is the giant Middelton facility that makes Jameson and so many other brands in Ireland. Noticing that the casks are stacked very high so on the hot days of summer (yes it gets very hot in Ireland and Scotland) the casks at the top are maturing differently than the ones on the bottom or the middle for that matter. Wonder if the casks are rotated so the ones at the top get moved to the bottom in a rotation ?
I noticed that too at Glen Scotia. Like anything else vertical stacking has its pros and cons. But if you have limited space it may be the only option.
I suspect that a lot of distilleries practise a hybrid model including the much lauded Raasay, Glenallachie etc. The dunnage warehouse is for the photo shoots.
It's not a rant Ralfy...it's just malty goodness of honest information. Many of us don't know how the product we so blindly throw money at is being produced, warehoused and bottled. Thanks for sharing the passion. Can we expect information in future videos on the process of bottling and any shortcuts that some of the distilleries maybe taking during bottling?
I appreciate the "almost rant", as it was intended. That being said, I would like to see actual research done on this issue, by the industry, with independent researchers. Independent tasters, like you Ralph, and others. You raised a SHIT ton of valid points.
One of the best traditional dunnage layouts I've seen personally is at Knockdhu distillery in Huntly-Knock. It should serve as a lesson in proper dunnage storage for other distilleries.
We all say "dunnage warehouse" without the importance that it represents. Alright Ralfy, one more thing in the label. If I really limited my purchases to dunnage stored integrity bottles at cask strength so as not to have any added water, I would have less of a choice at the store than I do now. Would make shopping easier. A man's got to live by his principles!
Nice offbeat topic. When you talked about the stacks possibly leaning and the dangers. I chuckled when you prioritised the casks over the employees. Certainly something I never thought about but a subject that makes perfect sense. Thanks for sharing 🥃
Thanks for this episode, Ralfy. This was particularly interesting because recently my wife and I and a couple friends took a tour of a local upstart bourbon distillery that's only been in business for about a year. The owner there did in fact have some barrels on their side, while others upright. To his credit he acknowledged this, and said he's intentionally doing it just for experimentation. So any given barrel will spend some time on its side, then after a period of time he'll stand it upright, then after a while back on its side. But yes their warehouse in the back does have limited space, and they're is growing.
Years ago I was at Tomintoul and they do palletizing also. When I asked why, they say that they can get more spirit in the cask.......Did sound quite logic must admit
HiRalfy, when we were up in Campbeltown couple years ago we visited Glen Scotia & noticed they had palatised barrels I asked why these were stored like that I wasn't really given an answer. They just brushed over it. They also had dried holes for the bung in the cask end as opposed to the middle of the barrel. I also asked why this was being done. They said it was a trial they were doing. Bunking!!
Independent voice speaking truths right there.Thats the kind of video that keeps me subbed although I ve almost completely quit enjoying the occasional drum.
Great insight in the storage of the casks. This cleared up a query I've had with the cask end being elevated vertically, so there is reduced surface area covered. Would this also mean that a cask normally stored in a dunnage style would more liquid surface exposed to air, compared to the amount of spirit if stacked on a pallet? Thanks Ralfy.
Ralfy you are the King of Malt. Love your expertise and your sense of humor. Wish we could have a dram together. Who knows. I may make it back to Scotland. Cheers My Malted Mash Mate.
God help us all Ralpy if you ever do have a rant and rave!! Good information as ever. My work colleagues actually believe that I know a thing or twa when I talk about Whisky.......
Some marketing people might want to let distillers know that palleting is an innovation. I personally always beware of poor man's innovation as it might turn out to be just plain cutting corners. Whisky and cutting corners strategy don't mix very well in my books. Glad you took the time to touch this subject.
Ralfy, I've heard it said that storing vertical suffers a higher angel's share. Some corporate must have done a calculation on that loss versus more saving on storage space. But then is money really the only factor here!
Dear Ralfy! Thank you very much for your so informative content. I've just recently started to reveal a world of whisky for me. Being myself a wine professional, it's hard not to notice how the whisky industry is not transparent enough. I'm for long time used to idea that the only way of quality review of wine is blind tasting. I know, that in whisky world, like in competitons, there is also a huge importance for the spirit to be tasted blind. However, speaking of wine it's not enough to blind taste it, but to blind taste it in comparison. For example, it's not very complicated to tell in comparative blind tasting which wine was aged in French oak cask and which one in American oak, especially if both wines are equal in other parameters, like grape variety, region etc. Can the whisky professionals tell in comparative blind tasting between diferent ways of cask warehousing? Or between natural color and caramel added? Or between unchilfiltered and chill-filtered? And if all this and other things cant't be told in comparative blind tasting, what it tells us about their significance? I respect very much your activity and don't want my comment to be heard as a negative. It's just noob questions of a novice.
. . . perfectly good questions, and with all the scotch mist clouding the issue, I think some experts can, and some struggle. There does need to be more transparency to justify the high higher prices these days.
The funny thing is that it would be easy enough to make a pallet system to have casks on their side and you can even store them on standard warehouse racking if you are limited in floor space.
If you go to VERY high end wineries (Château Lafite Rothschild, Opus One etc.) they also don't stack their barrels and they are on their side. But they also cost more and they have the real estate for storage whereas small wineries have to maximize their space and be able to use forklifts.
It wouldn't take much to build pallets specifically for laying casks on their sides. But a strong background in LEAN manufacturing in the wood biz has me asking the question "whose going to pay for it?" It would eliminate the shimming process and if done correctly would reduce toppled stacks. Now you've introduced the anorak angle... maybe that makes the ROI worthwhile.
Its also all about oxygen and spirit-to-air ratio when resting horizontaly mind you all, less nervous spirit just with the air, and maybe more evaporation going on also
So, the results of paletting casks are: - the casks get damaged and may have to be sorted out earlier - there is the danger of toppling stacks with all the negetive results attached to it - the Whisky is not exposed to the head ends - the whisky may be exposed to plastic I wonder wether in the overall calculation, paletting warehouses are really that much cheaper than dunnage? Because the list above leads to: - more casks having to be acquired - a higher risk of accidents which either need to be insured or have to be payed for when they happen - lower quality product in terms of taste, which means less chance of selling premium products with high margins - lower quality product in terms of chemical contamination, wich may lead to bad reputation In an industry where storage for at least 3, but usually 10 or more years is an important part of the actual production process, sustainable planning for the future might actually result in a vote for dunnage warehouses - - even for sheer profit.
One would assume that these "larger" manufacturers are aware of the wood contact from the tops and bottoms and mitigate this by replacing more or less barrel heads to offset this. Plastic bungees! I am sure that they are also know what plastics are inert to alcohol. After all I am sure that they all thought about this many many time and long ago and ended up with that it is beneficial for the ones who use palatted storage to do so....
Ralfy - requesting a review of Bruichladdich Classic Laddie. It’s an integrity bottling from a small distillery that’s highly available and accessibly priced. Right up your alley!
While I agree storing barrels on pallets is a bad solution, it is not tens of tons of weight on the bottom barrel. A filled cask weighs 500 to maybe 1000 pounds. So they would need to go at least 20 high to get "tens of tons". It is probably more like 4-5 tons.
I dont think up right casks makes a huge difference , the dampness is definitely good for the whisky tho but palletising saves peoples backs and if plastic bungs are an issue alot of whisky is bottled from plastic tanks called ibcs especially the small runs like single casks. Barrel end replacement is probably bad for the spirit , over oaking is worse for a spirit than underactive wood
Werehouses are otherwise good people who transform into houses during full moon. Often quite dangerous ones, with loose floorboards, rickety stairs, poorly installed electricity, bad plumbing, inefficient ventilation and consequently the odd rampant infestation of mold. A real estate agents nightmare, really … the less severely affected ones however may occasionally be fortunate enough to just turn into a small bothy ….
Ralfy - what have you done with your hair? Short cut for the new year? I am tempted to buy a local distillery’s 10L mini cask. I know I’ll have to sit on it for eons, but wonder if it is worth it in terms of maturation. Having worked as a forklift operator in my youth, I can agree with the “leaning tower of Pisa” effect after 4 pallets high. Very dangerous indeed! I’ve given up drink for February… so I need to get my “fix” from you :) All the best mate! Richard
Hi Richard! You won´t/shouldn´t sit on a mini cask for eons as maturation is happening much faster due to the content/surface ratio! I could imagine that 2-3 years in a 10l cask equals 12 or 15 years in a Bourbon barrel or Hogshead...
Ralphy, quick question about casks, I've heard that hogsheads are comprised of used up bourbon barrels. However, the height dimensions between hogsheads and bourbon barrels are different, so that doesn't seem to make sense. Do you by any chance have any info on how hogsheads are made (not necessarily when daddy hogshead and mommy hogshead love each other very much and all that :)))) )?
Ralfy, you do need a distillery. I'll work for you and help manage the warehouse the right way for our integrity bottles. We can take better care of our consumers and enjoy quality whisky. 😉
Warehousing anything is dangerous ,especially something that is so heavy and volatile and sensitive to its environment .It's easy to injure workers and damage the product you want to sell . .
Hey Ralfy, I have a question and I really need your help as a new collector. Its 2022, and I was wondering if you can suggest a bottle or two, to start. Thank you in regards.
BUT WAIT A MINUTE! Are you suggesting they often use NEW virgin wood to rebuild the end of casks? If true, that would be an interesting fact, I suppose…
I am shocked and dismayed to hear that maturing casks are stacked vertically. I get stacking, but why not build rick houses like they do in Kentucky where the casks are horizontal on multiple levels? Yes, they have to be moved around since the top of the rick house is warmer, but the casks should be visited frequently anyway. One more thing to evaluate before putting down our hard-earned cash on a malt whisky. Thanks, Ralfy.
Funny how the scotch whisky authorities had a problem with inner staves for not being “traditional” but have no issue with PLASTIC bungs. Traditional…?
Only thing that really affects the whisky is the contact with the fresh cask heads. All the stuff about wastage, cask damage and straight stacking is really for the distillery.
But what the whisky geek in me really wants to know.... Where is the SWA at with inner staves? You speak of barrel heads as a workaround, but inner staves are CHEAP, don't care about how barrels are stacked, and would help make interesting whisky come out of 2nd fill casks.
I'm surprised that any risk assessment would allow pallets to be stacked on top of other pallets up to the Heavens. That's what racking is for. God help distilleries who do this and there's an incident were the HSE have to come on site.
Good lord! 15 pallets high? Four barrels per pallet 50 gal. of whisky @ 7 lbs per gallon. 14 pallets on the bottom one pallet thats close to 20,000 lbs?
Without a direct comparison of the same spirit from the same production batch being aged in each of these manners, I cannot buy into this fully. The theory is sound, but where is the empirical proof? The video may not be an actual rant, but any time the focus is placed on a motives being based on a company's profits or terms like "corporate multinationals" are used, the bias against......what, exactly? capitalism, people who create or amass wealth, some sort of British class issue?....has me filtering the actual facts presented. Again, without a direct A-B comparison of the same spirit, the end results can only be declared different, not necessarily better.
Why the hell do you care if a cask is "compressed" at the bottom of a stack? Or if it gets lost because of all the other casks on top of it? Or if it isn't stacked straight? What does that have to do with taste or smell? It's up to the distillery to manage that. And plastic bungs? How many of your bottles have artificial cork stoppers? You think those aren't made of plastic? All that ranting, and the only thing that touches on smell and taste is the use of new wood tops. You could've saved yourself 10 minutes of time.
Thank you Ralfy! The amount of knowledge about whisky making you give is incredible.
You (and the others here on the tube) allowed me to reach a level where I can enjoy and understand whisky properly in no time (I started a little more than a year ago).
Being eager as I am, this was a blessing, sometimes I feel like I'm cheating a little 😆
This is why I follow Ralfy, the more information we have, the better our experience will be, always grateful Ralfy
So much knowledge, it all sounds obvious when he says it and yet I have never thought about it until now. Thank you, Sir.
Interesting video. Something rarely discussed. Learned a lot from this one. Thanks Ralfy! 🥃
Interesting topic. First time I saw the vertical stacking on pallets was at Glen Scotia distillery on Phil and Deepas barrel room tasting video. Waterford is also doing this as well as is the giant Middelton facility that makes Jameson and so many other brands in Ireland. Noticing that the casks are stacked very high so on the hot days of summer (yes it gets very hot in Ireland and Scotland) the casks at the top are maturing differently than the ones on the bottom or the middle for that matter. Wonder if the casks are rotated so the ones at the top get moved to the bottom in a rotation ?
I noticed that too at Glen Scotia. Like anything else vertical stacking has its pros and cons. But if you have limited space it may be the only option.
I suspect that a lot of distilleries practise a hybrid model including the much lauded Raasay, Glenallachie etc. The dunnage warehouse is for the photo shoots.
It’s clear for all to see on the Glen Scotia website - virtual tour.
Are they taking the differing maturation rates into consideration during blending of the barrels? Do we even have insight into that process?
Jameson stack their pallets 7 high.
Thanks dear Ralfy! Excellent insights as always.Ciao from Milano Italy 🇮🇹 ciao 👋 S.
It's not a rant Ralfy...it's just malty goodness of honest information. Many of us don't know how the product we so blindly throw money at is being produced, warehoused and bottled. Thanks for sharing the passion. Can we expect information in future videos on the process of bottling and any shortcuts that some of the distilleries maybe taking during bottling?
I appreciate the "almost rant", as it was intended. That being said, I would like to see actual research done on this issue, by the industry, with independent researchers. Independent tasters, like you Ralph, and others. You raised a SHIT ton of valid points.
One of the best traditional dunnage layouts I've seen personally is at Knockdhu distillery in Huntly-Knock. It should serve as a lesson in proper dunnage storage for other distilleries.
We all say "dunnage warehouse" without the importance that it represents.
Alright Ralfy, one more thing in the label. If I really limited my purchases to dunnage stored integrity bottles at cask strength so as not to have any added water, I would have less of a choice at the store than I do now.
Would make shopping easier.
A man's got to live by his principles!
. . . it's a plan.
Great insight into how "small" changes could make a major impact in whisky quality. Thanks for sharing!
One of the best extras to date. From one anorak to another- thanks for the information Ralfy
Nice offbeat topic. When you talked about the stacks possibly leaning and the dangers. I chuckled when you prioritised the casks over the employees.
Certainly something I never thought about but a subject that makes perfect sense. Thanks for sharing 🥃
Thanks for this episode, Ralfy. This was particularly interesting because recently my wife and I and a couple friends took a tour of a local upstart bourbon distillery that's only been in business for about a year. The owner there did in fact have some barrels on their side, while others upright. To his credit he acknowledged this, and said he's intentionally doing it just for experimentation. So any given barrel will spend some time on its side, then after a period of time he'll stand it upright, then after a while back on its side. But yes their warehouse in the back does have limited space, and they're is growing.
Totally makes sense and a lovely little vid to add to my knowledge of my favourite spirit thanks again rallfy every days a school day
Thank you so much, it's been very informative. Take care
Thanks for another informative video.
Years ago I was at Tomintoul and they do palletizing also. When I asked why, they say that they can get more spirit in the cask.......Did sound quite logic must admit
HiRalfy, when we were up in Campbeltown couple years ago we visited Glen Scotia & noticed they had palatised barrels I asked why these were stored like that I wasn't really given an answer. They just brushed over it. They also had dried holes for the bung in the cask end as opposed to the middle of the barrel. I also asked why this was being done. They said it was a trial they were doing. Bunking!!
Very interesting 👍
Independent voice speaking truths right there.Thats the kind of video that keeps me subbed although I ve almost completely quit enjoying the occasional drum.
Great insight in the storage of the casks. This cleared up a query I've had with the cask end being elevated vertically, so there is reduced surface area covered. Would this also mean that a cask normally stored in a dunnage style would more liquid surface exposed to air, compared to the amount of spirit if stacked on a pallet? Thanks Ralfy.
Ralfy you are the King of Malt. Love your expertise and your sense of humor. Wish we could have a dram together. Who knows. I may make it back to Scotland. Cheers My Malted Mash Mate.
😁👍☕ thanks for the eye opening non rant 😉 you are Awesome
God help us all Ralpy if you ever do have a rant and rave!! Good information as ever. My work colleagues actually believe that I know a thing or twa when I talk about Whisky.......
Some marketing people might want to let distillers know that palleting is an innovation. I personally always beware of poor man's innovation as it might turn out to be just plain cutting corners. Whisky and cutting corners strategy don't mix very well in my books. Glad you took the time to touch this subject.
. . . it is increasingly an issue, where does it all end ?
Ralfy, I've heard it said that storing vertical suffers a higher angel's share. Some corporate must have done a calculation on that loss versus more saving on storage space. But then is money really the only factor here!
Thanks Ralfy!!
In your 10+ years on RUclips you have done more for the Scottish liquor industry than all of their billion £ marketing campaigns combined.
Is there a list of the distilleries that only use dunnage wearhouses?
My question also
I know Balblair is one of them
Spring bank , edradour , daftmill, deanston mostly , arran mostly i think
Thanks, I didn’t know that Deanston had dunnage warehouses. I never got a tour when I visited since we just missed it.
Glencadam, Bunnahabhain, Kilchoman Benromach
Dear Ralfy! Thank you very much for your so informative content. I've just recently started to reveal a world of whisky for me. Being myself a wine professional, it's hard not to notice how the whisky industry is not transparent enough. I'm for long time used to idea that the only way of quality review of wine is blind tasting. I know, that in whisky world, like in competitons, there is also a huge importance for the spirit to be tasted blind. However, speaking of wine it's not enough to blind taste it, but to blind taste it in comparison. For example, it's not very complicated to tell in comparative blind tasting which wine was aged in French oak cask and which one in American oak, especially if both wines are equal in other parameters, like grape variety, region etc. Can the whisky professionals tell in comparative blind tasting between diferent ways of cask warehousing? Or between natural color and caramel added? Or between unchilfiltered and chill-filtered? And if all this and other things cant't be told in comparative blind tasting, what it tells us about their significance? I respect very much your activity and don't want my comment to be heard as a negative. It's just noob questions of a novice.
. . . perfectly good questions, and with all the scotch mist clouding the issue, I think some experts can, and some struggle. There does need to be more transparency to justify the high higher prices these days.
The funny thing is that it would be easy enough to make a pallet system to have casks on their side and you can even store them on standard warehouse racking if you are limited in floor space.
Hi Ralfy, interesting enough, when I last visited Glen Scotia, almost everything we saw was palletised!!!
. . . everyone notices in in their visits.
If you go to VERY high end wineries (Château Lafite Rothschild, Opus One etc.) they also don't stack their barrels and they are on their side. But they also cost more and they have the real estate for storage whereas small wineries have to maximize their space and be able to use forklifts.
Master as spoken. Amen.
Gee, my bottle of whisky here does not state "Non-plasticized product." I guess we have to assume they used a plastic bung. lmao it never ends!
It wouldn't take much to build pallets specifically for laying casks on their sides. But a strong background in LEAN manufacturing in the wood biz has me asking the question "whose going to pay for it?" It would eliminate the shimming process and if done correctly would reduce toppled stacks. Now you've introduced the anorak angle... maybe that makes the ROI worthwhile.
Thank you fore this exstra
The plastic bit is WORRYSOME
Will the change from asbestos to aluminium roofing make a difference? Will the higher variance temperature with the Aluminium.
Its also all about oxygen and spirit-to-air ratio when resting horizontaly mind you all, less nervous spirit just with the air, and maybe more evaporation going on also
Great one thanks! What should I try first, 4 Rose's or Deckle Bourban Whiskey?
Thanks Ralphy! Chris the Cape Bretoner
. . . single cask or small batch.
@@thewhiskybothy I could try either. However I believe I can only get small batch in my area.
I would like to see quality and condition of casks for cheap blended whisky...
So, the results of paletting casks are:
- the casks get damaged and may have to be sorted out earlier
- there is the danger of toppling stacks with all the negetive results attached to it
- the Whisky is not exposed to the head ends
- the whisky may be exposed to plastic
I wonder wether in the overall calculation, paletting warehouses are really that much cheaper than dunnage?
Because the list above leads to:
- more casks having to be acquired
- a higher risk of accidents which either need to be insured or have to be payed for when they happen
- lower quality product in terms of taste, which means less chance of selling premium products with high margins
- lower quality product in terms of chemical contamination, wich may lead to bad reputation
In an industry where storage for at least 3, but usually 10 or more years is an important part of the actual production process, sustainable planning for the future might actually result in a vote for dunnage warehouses - - even for sheer profit.
One would assume that these "larger" manufacturers are aware of the wood contact from the tops and bottoms and mitigate this by replacing more or less barrel heads to offset this. Plastic bungees! I am sure that they are also know what plastics are inert to alcohol. After all I am sure that they all thought about this many many time and long ago and ended up with that it is beneficial for the ones who use palatted storage to do so....
Never assume anything
Ralfy - requesting a review of Bruichladdich Classic Laddie. It’s an integrity bottling from a small distillery that’s highly available and accessibly priced. Right up your alley!
While I agree storing barrels on pallets is a bad solution, it is not tens of tons of weight on the bottom barrel. A filled cask weighs 500 to maybe 1000 pounds. So they would need to go at least 20 high to get "tens of tons". It is probably more like 4-5 tons.
Hi Ralphi, would you review calvados ?
It’s one of my favorite spirits and and a good Calvados is something special.
I dont think up right casks makes a huge difference , the dampness is definitely good for the whisky tho but palletising saves peoples backs and if plastic bungs are an issue alot of whisky is bottled from plastic tanks called ibcs especially the small runs like single casks. Barrel end replacement is probably bad for the spirit , over oaking is worse for a spirit than underactive wood
Werehouses are otherwise good people who transform into houses during full moon. Often quite dangerous ones, with loose floorboards, rickety stairs, poorly installed electricity, bad plumbing, inefficient ventilation and consequently the odd rampant infestation of mold. A real estate agents nightmare, really … the less severely affected ones however may occasionally be fortunate enough to just turn into a small bothy ….
Ralfy - what have you done with your hair? Short cut for the new year?
I am tempted to buy a local distillery’s 10L mini cask. I know I’ll have to sit on it for eons, but wonder if it is worth it in terms of maturation.
Having worked as a forklift operator in my youth, I can agree with the “leaning tower of Pisa” effect after 4 pallets high. Very dangerous indeed!
I’ve given up drink for February… so I need to get my “fix” from you :)
All the best mate!
Richard
Hi Richard! You won´t/shouldn´t sit on a mini cask for eons as maturation is happening much faster due to the content/surface ratio! I could imagine that 2-3 years in a 10l cask equals 12 or 15 years in a Bourbon barrel or Hogshead...
Hei Ralfy, what books on Whiskey would you recommend if any?
2- Search for a Whisky Bothie and Stories from a Whisky Bar
"Whisky" by Aneas MacDonald. I have also published books.
@@thewhiskybothy Thanks for the tip Ralf, i am going to get your books as well, they seem interesting. Keep up the awsome work.
@@MadRobexe . . . thanks !
All pallets are shimmed, as no two casks are the same size. So stows are perfectly straight.
. . . most of the time.
I know lots of distillers that use silicone bungs but non that use plastic.
Ralphy, quick question about casks, I've heard that hogsheads are comprised of used up bourbon barrels. However, the height dimensions between hogsheads and bourbon barrels are different, so that doesn't seem to make sense. Do you by any chance have any info on how hogsheads are made (not necessarily when daddy hogshead and mommy hogshead love each other very much and all that :)))) )?
. . some hoggies are 'stretched' barrels, reassembled from loose staves.
Nice informative video Ralfy. I have heard that a horizontal cask is rolled from time to time as it matures. Is this true for your distilleries?
. . . very rarely.
Pallets are six high and there are no bilge bungs in the casks, as they are top filled on the pallets.
I was going to ask that question.. if they came flat packed why innthe hell would you use a bunged stave putting it back together.
. . . check out images online !
But doesn’t palleting avoid over active cask influence?
. . .no.
Ralfy, you do need a distillery. I'll work for you and help manage the warehouse the right way for our integrity bottles. We can take better care of our consumers and enjoy quality whisky. 😉
I agree 100%!!
Great job, but are the distilling companies listening ?.
... Cheers...
Warehousing anything is dangerous ,especially something that is so heavy and volatile and sensitive to its environment .It's easy to injure workers and damage the product you want to sell . .
Hey Ralfy, I have a question and I really need your help as a new collector. Its 2022, and I was wondering if you can suggest a bottle or two, to start. Thank you in regards.
. . . anything of quality, and Macallan and Lagavulin. Good luck.
@@thewhiskybothy thank you. Is it necessary to be 16years old, 18 or more? I mean, can I collect an Arran Single Malt 10, or a
@@panagiotispapadopoulos8186 . . . just keep sweet with the laws where you are. And be sensible. Good luck.
@@panagiotispapadopoulos8186 . . . anything that will sell at auction, or you can drink !
Quality always suffers to make the spreadsheets look better.
He said "Bunghole". Tee-hee. 😂
I meant Dickle and Bourbon. Chris
BUT WAIT A MINUTE! Are you suggesting they often use NEW virgin wood to rebuild the end of casks? If true, that would be an interesting fact, I suppose…
. . . it remains a regular option.
I am shocked and dismayed to hear that maturing casks are stacked vertically. I get stacking, but why not build rick houses like they do in Kentucky where the casks are horizontal on multiple levels? Yes, they have to be moved around since the top of the rick house is warmer, but the casks should be visited frequently anyway. One more thing to evaluate before putting down our hard-earned cash on a malt whisky. Thanks, Ralfy.
Funny how the scotch whisky authorities had a problem with inner staves for not being “traditional” but have no issue with PLASTIC bungs. Traditional…?
👍🥃❤️
I’ve always wondered - how are malt mentions sent to Ralfy?? 🤔😁
. . . just 'comment' one.
Deep down we know this was a rant Ralfy ;)
Only thing that really affects the whisky is the contact with the fresh cask heads. All the stuff about wastage, cask damage and straight stacking is really for the distillery.
Welp, the term "bunghole" hasn't been the same since Bevis and Butthead....
But what the whisky geek in me really wants to know.... Where is the SWA at with inner staves? You speak of barrel heads as a workaround, but inner staves are CHEAP, don't care about how barrels are stacked, and would help make interesting whisky come out of 2nd fill casks.
. . . only the SWA can answer that.
@@thewhiskybothy How do we get them to change their mind? Hold them down and tickle them until they pee?
Stacking pallets sounds dangerous and not great for the whisky. Cheers!
I'm surprised that any risk assessment would allow pallets to be stacked on top of other pallets up to the Heavens. That's what racking is for. God help distilleries who do this and there's an incident were the HSE have to come on site.
Some of your comments are spot on,but others are way off the mark almost laughable.
Good lord! 15 pallets high? Four barrels per pallet 50 gal. of whisky @ 7 lbs per gallon. 14 pallets on the bottom one pallet thats close to 20,000 lbs?
. . . exactly.
жажда.наживы.всему.виной...нее.как.вы.такое.могли.подумать..))
Wow you’re headed for 1000 reviews
Barrel heads are made of low quality wood and should not be considered a potential positive influence on the final product.
Without a direct comparison of the same spirit from the same production batch being aged in each of these manners, I cannot buy into this fully. The theory is sound, but where is the empirical proof? The video may not be an actual rant, but any time the focus is placed on a motives being based on a company's profits or terms like "corporate multinationals" are used, the bias against......what, exactly? capitalism, people who create or amass wealth, some sort of British class issue?....has me filtering the actual facts presented. Again, without a direct A-B comparison of the same spirit, the end results can only be declared different, not necessarily better.
Why the hell do you care if a cask is "compressed" at the bottom of a stack? Or if it gets lost because of all the other casks on top of it? Or if it isn't stacked straight? What does that have to do with taste or smell? It's up to the distillery to manage that. And plastic bungs? How many of your bottles have artificial cork stoppers? You think those aren't made of plastic? All that ranting, and the only thing that touches on smell and taste is the use of new wood tops. You could've saved yourself 10 minutes of time.