The whiskey world is loaded with unique, unusual, and sometimes confusing terms. We’re talking about phrases like “bunghole,” “sour mash,” “wash,” and the mysterious “angel’s share.” And while we could get into all of these terms (and more), today is the day to take a deeper dive into the latter.
I’ve been writing about alcohol for almost twenty years. The first time I visited a distillery (likely in Kentucky or Tennessee, although I can’t remember), one of the first things that was explained to me when visiting the barrelhouse was the idea of the angel’s share.
If you didn’t know it, the amount of whiskey added to a barrel for aging won’t be the same amount that’s bottled after the aging process. This is thanks to the angel’s share. But what exactly is it?
What is the angel’s share?
In the most basic terms, the angel’s share is the amount of alcohol that evaporates from the barrel during the maturation process. There’s nothing distillers can do about that as it’s a naturally occurring part of the whiskey-making process. All they can do is prepare for it. The wood in the barrel expands and contracts when the heat in the barrelhouse fluctuates. This causes the evaporating spirit to move out of the cask or barrel. And distillers have long said that this evaporated whiskey is the angel’s share.
Where did it get its name?
Like many whiskey phrases, angel’s share likely has its origins in medieval Ireland and Scotland. The name comes from the idea that angels would come down to earth and enjoy a sample or two of the distiller’s long-aged whiskey from the barrel. While we’re pretty sure that no angels or other being stopped by your favorite whiskey distillery and drank up a large portion of their bourbon or single malt Scotch, the name has just become the standard phrase to describe the act of whiskey evaporation in a whimsical way.
How much whiskey is lost to the angel’s share?
There’s no set answer to this question. That’s because there are many factors that go into how much whiskey is lost to the angel’s share. For one thing, the longer a whiskey is maturing, the more liquid will evaporate. That’s a fact. Your ten-year-old whiskey had a lot less in the barrel than the younger, less mature expression.
Another factor is the climate. Whiskeys that are matured in temperature-controlled barrelhouses (or cold barrelhouses) won’t expand and contract like whiskeys aged in hot or humid climates. This means that whiskeys matured in cold or temperature-controlled climates won’t evaporate as quickly as others. This is also the reason why whiskeys aged in tropical climates like Taiwan or hot climates like Texas mature faster than in colder places.
Bottom line
The angel’s share is just part of the whiskey-making process, and distillers plan accordingly. Long-matured single malt Scotch whiskies and bourbons are guaranteed to have a lot less liquid than their younger counterparts. Even though it seems like a bummer to lose all of that amazing whiskey, it’s just part of the process.
