angel's share
Spirits lost skyward
Angel's share is the portion of a distilled spirit that evaporates during aging in wooden barrels.
As whiskey or brandy matures in a warehouse, some liquid passes through the wood and into the air—the angels' cut, as it were.
The term romanticizes a measurable loss: distilleries lose several percent of their stock annually to evaporation.
The angel's share from these Scottish warehouses perfumes the whole valley.
Oak-aged grain spirit
- barrelHooped cylindrical vessel
- caskWooden storage barrel
- oakQuercus genus member
- maturationProcess of becoming complete
aging · spirit · bourbon · scotch · loss · percentage · warehouse · climate
Inherited cultural legacy
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- legendUnverified traditional tale
- loreTraditional knowledge transmitted orally
- mythologyBody of traditional tales
superstition · romanticism · mystique · craft · provenance · ritual · distillery · Scotland
Moisture in atmosphere
- vaporizationConversion to gas
- diffusionPassive molecular spreading
- condensationVapor turning to liquid
- saturationState of complete permeation
temperature · porosity · capillarity · hygrometer · ethanol · volatility · concentration · oxidation
whiskey
Oak-aged grain spirit
maturation · aging · spirit · bourbon · scotch · loss · percentage · warehouse · climate · humidity
heritage
Inherited cultural legacy
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- legendUnverified traditional tale
- loreTraditional knowledge transmitted orally
mythology · superstition · romanticism · mystique · craft · provenance · ritual · distillery · Scotland · Kentucky
humidity
Moisture in atmosphere
- vaporizationConversion to gas
- diffusionPassive molecular spreading
- condensationVapor turning to liquid
saturation · temperature · porosity · capillarity · hygrometer · ethanol · volatility · concentration · oxidation · permeability
bouquet
Arranged cluster of blooms
essence · whiff · vanilla · oakiness · peaty · caramel · spicy · floral · toasty · malty
- Bourbonbourbon, straight bourbon, craft bourbon, Kentucky bourbon, bourbon whiskey
- distillingdistillation, distillery, distiller, pot still, distilleries
- drinkscocktail, liquor, cocktails, martini, margarita
- WhiskyMacallan, Scotch, bourbon, Glenlivet, Highland Park
- Whiskeybourbon, scotch, rye, Irish whiskey, malt whisky