Whisky Barrel Storage Fever: Catch It!

This is a rickhouse (also known as a rackhouse), FYI.

When I was asked to write about whisky barrel storage methods by my editor at Whisky Advocate, the great and good Susannah Skiver Barton, I may have neglected to tell her that I’d never really given the subject much thought. Pallets, ricks, and, um, what the heck is a dunnage warehouse again? It’s all just barrels sitting in a building, right?

Wrong! Each method is chosen for a reason, or multiple reasons, and as I researched the subject (mostly by talking with a lot of whisky folk on both sides of the pond), I got to understand what those reasons are. I still don’t know if I’d consider myself an expert on the subject, but I think this article (which you can find by clicking on this here link) will give you a pretty good idea of the ins and outs of storing and aging whisky. Whiskey too, for that matter. And even if you care more about drinking whisky than how it got from the still to your glass, the subject is actually quite interesting. Seriously.