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MATURING IN BOND.
The Wine Trade Review,one of the ablest journals
of the British trade, gives the following interesting
article on maturing of whiskies as viewed from the
English standpoint:
"In the usual waythe rate of maturation is governed,
first, by the size of the bonding cask,the smaller ones
presenting per liquid gallon a far greater maturing area
than medium-sized or large casks; next, there is the
mean temperature to which the spirits are exposed dur
ing storage. This temperature undoubtedly varies for
different classes of spirit, some thriving best upon a
high mean temperature and others with a low one. Or
it is found in other cases that an alternate rise and fall
in the storage temperature is the readiest means for
forcing maturation. The reason is that at low tempera
tures the higher alcohols and less volatile secondary
products tend to deposit themselves upon the wood.
At higher temperatures these remain in solution, but
at the same time the more volatile products of distilla
tion tend to decompose themselves into simpler bodies,
and impart thereby an agreeable ethereal bouquet and