Alcohol has been stored in casks as early as the Roman era. To begin with, it was a handy way of transporting liquids. Not until the drink has been stored for a sufficiently long time in the cask, as when transported across the Atlantic, or from Asia to Europe, did it become apparent how the drink was affected.

During the 18th century, it was realised that products stored in casks actually tasted better, meaning that matured products would fetch a higher price, compared to the not matured products. It became the norm to keep the distillate in the cask for a year before shipping it to its final destination.

Oak casks were the most common. Oak is a hard and dense material, well suited to cooperage, and it does not leak. At the same time, the wood is porous, admitting minute amounts of oxygen. The cask breathes. The chemical reaction that occurs when the liquid comes into contact with the oxygen affords it some character of the cask.

Whereas Scotch whisky is only allowed to mature on oak casks, those of us producing whisky outside of Scotland are free to experiment. Nevertheless, oak casks dominate whisky warehouses all over the world. This is somewhat unfortunate, we think.

At Agitator, we challenge tradition and have chosen to work with different kinds of wood, but mostly chestnut. Chestnut is used, to a greater or lesser extent, in all of Agitator's products.

Chestnut is even more porous than oak, and as a consequence more difficult to turn into casks that do not leak. But once that obstacle is overcome, the contents mature quicker and absorb flavour from the cask in a marvelous way. As a rule, the casks are smaller than traditional oak casks, which means the spirit has more contact with the wood.

The chestnut casks provide a deeper colour and more tannins and more astringency. But they also afford complex notes of dried fruit and leather, as well as a natural sweetness of honey and vanilla. Our aim is to give the consumer an extraordinary taste experience. Chestnut casks are part of this endeavour.