Whisky without age statement - No age statement - NAS
A new trend!
In recent years, more and more whiskies have come onto the market without an age statement.
We are often asked how old a whisky in a bottle without an age statement is. This question is not easy to answer. Even insiders often don't know which casks were bottled specifically for these bottles and at what age. Find out more about the background here.
First things first: the lack of an age statement does not have to be a disadvantage!
Facts about barrel ageing and age information
Firstly, it is important to know the facts: According to Scottish law, a whisky must be matured for at least three years and one day in order to be called whisky. Whiskies without an age statement are therefore at least three years old. However, most NAS whiskies are between five and nine years old!
Another important law states that when blending whiskies from several casks of different ages, the age of the youngest cask must be stated. With this background knowledge, let's take a closer look at the topic.
Video from 2014 on the topic 'Age of whisky' by Horst Lüning
Why the question about age?
The question of the age of a whisky is often asked to determine its value - because many people associate age with quality. The idea that "older whiskies are better" does have a basis, as older bottlings are generally more expensive. This is due to the fact that with increasing age, the cask maturation process becomes more intensive, which can make the whisky more complex. However, this is not always a guarantee of better flavour: a whisky can also be aged "too long" in a cask, absorbing too many oak flavours that overpower the flavour profile. The type of cask, its utilisation and the maturation conditions play a decisive role here. Nevertheless, age remains a powerful marketing tool that many consumers value!
So it turns out that the age of a whisky is only part of the story, but by no means the whole truth about its quality!
Video from 2016 on the subject of 'Whisky without age statement' by Horst Lüning
Why is there no-age-statement Whisky (NAS Whisky)?
We are experiencing the growing importance of no-age-statement whiskies (NAS whiskies). These bottlings deliberately dispense with the age statement and are a strategic response by distilleries to modern market requirements.
By skilfully combining younger and older distillates, complex flavours can be created - regardless of age.
But why are these whiskies not labelled with an age? Here are the main reasons:
Flexibility in production
NAS whiskies offer producers more flexibility in production in order to respond to increased demand and changing consumer tastes. They offer the opportunity to bring single malts to market much faster. They help to take the pressure off older bottlings, especially when cask stocks are limited. This means that distilleries do not have to wait ten or twelve years to be able to offer new products.
Concealing a young age
Another reason for NAS whiskies is the avoidance of age statements that could indicate a young whisky. A single-digit number, such as five or seven years, is often less attractive than 12 or 18 years. In the 1990s and 2000s, there were bottlings from Macallan and Glen Grant that had age statements of less than 10 years and were therefore less popular.
However, without an age statement, distilleries can focus more on the flavour and quality of the whisky! Quite an advantage!
Use of young barrels
Another reason for not stating the age may be the use of young barrels. Sometimes an older, milder cask is refreshed with young, more intense casks. In addition, a whisky matures faster in a young cask. But as already mentioned, the age of the younger cask must then be stated, which brings us back to the first reason.
The duration of post-ripening
The ability to flexibly adapt maturation and post-maturation allows distilleries to create exceptional flavour experiences without being bound by rigid time constraints.
Whiskies are often matured in different casks such as sherry or wine casks. The secondary maturation is usually shorter than the original maturation and in some cases can only last a few months. Each time a cask is used, the maturation time required for the whisky to reach the same intensity of flavours increases. For example, the first use of a cask takes six months, the second eight months, the third twelve months and so on. This becomes a problem with standard maturation bottlings such as the Laphroaig Quarter Cask. If the age were specified, each batch would have a different age indication and would always need new bottle labels. Marketing would also have the problem of communicating to customers that the flavour is the same. However, it is very likely that this would confuse the target group. An alternative to achieving the same age is to adjust the duration of maturation and post-maturation. However, this leads to different flavours. For this reason, many standard bottlings (especially with post-maturing) do not carry an age statement.
Cost savings
NAS Whiskies: A response to a dynamic market
To summarise, there are several reasons for the increasing popularity of NAS whiskies: Flexibility, cost savings, experimentation and avoiding confusing age statements. Although non-age-statement whiskies are not popular with all whisky lovers, they offer distilleries a wide range of opportunities to respond to increasing consumer demand and experimentation.
Well-known NAS Whiskies
Conclusion
The growing demand for old whisky is in conflict with limited production and storage capacity. Short-term marketing and sales strategies, particularly among large groups, are leading to a shortage of older bottlings as younger whiskies are sold without considering their long-term impact. Independent distilleries with family-run, long-term planning, such as Glenfarclas, show that a sustainable strategy can secure older bottlings. Although whiskies without an age statement are not universally worse, the loss of older bottlings remains regrettable. New distilleries that are increasingly focussing on longer maturation periods offer hope.
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