date:Sep 10, 2013
dense, American white oak wood, usually harvested from forests in the South though, to the dismay of traditionalists, some newer distilleries are branching out to maple wood and softer French oak used in wine- and cognac-making. Starting with the raw material, whiskey-makers tweak dozens of variables to adjust a spirit's character. They season the wood for barrels and dry it outside or indoors, a step that exposes it to fungi and bacteria. Factories called cooperages bend the wood into barrels