Angel’s Share
The process for distilling whisky is believed to have been brought to Scotland by monks, sometime between the 12th and 14th centuries, perhaps due to the difficulty in obtaining wine there. Scots acquired a fondness for the beverage, and along with their expertise in distilling it, they also developed expertise in avoiding the taxes imposed on it. Scottish immigrants brought both of those skills to the United States and practiced them assiduously.
During the aging process, some of the whisky evaporates. The monks called this “the angels’ share,” and that’s what it is still called today. How quickly the angels take their share depends upon the environment where the aging is occurring. Whereas in Scotland the angels’ share is about 2% per year, it is much greater in Kentucky. It takes about three years for a barrel of spirits aging in Scotland to be reduced as much as an identical barrel aging in Kentucky would be reduced in a single year.