legal
Age statement
Defined in law
A declaration of the time the spirit spent in cask, which must refer to the youngest component in the bottling. For Scotch it must be expressed in years; in the US, age means time stored in oak after distillation and before bottling.
Where it is defined
Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890), reg. 12(1); Regulation (EU) 2019/787, Art. 13(6); 27 CFR 5.1 and 5.74
Worth knowing
Two under-reported points. US 'age' for bourbon and rye counts only time in charred new oak, so a finishing cask adds nothing to the stated age. And US whisky stored in reused cooperage must say 'stored __ years in reused cooperage' rather than '__ years old'. Time in a bottle or a steel vat never counts anywhere.
Related terms
Last reviewed 2026-07-30 · All glossary terms