Brad Schnickel Explains Why Aging Whiskey is Important

Bradley Schnickel
3 min readMar 8, 2021

Brad Schnickel loves whiskey. It is one of his favorite alcoholic beverages. He has enjoyed many kinds of whiskey in his life and has a vast understanding of what it takes to make whiskey. Thankfully, Brad Schnickel is here to explain some complexities of why you want to age whiskey to get the best flavor. There is a lot of complicated science here that Brad Schnickel is going to break down for us casual whiskey enthusiasts.

Many people have heard about the aging process of whiskey though they do not fully understand it. Whiskey becomes more refined the longer that it is kept aging in the barrel. Brad Schnickel says that you can expect to find whiskey aging for many years before it is ready though each type of whiskey ages differently and may require more aging processes than some. The goal of aging whiskey is to remove many of the brash flavors that are found in the raw compound of the whiskey itself. The oak barrel infuses the whiskey with a specific flavor that many people can recognize. The barrels that are used to distill whiskey are oftentimes made of oak that is charred. Brad Schnickel says that some whiskeys will even be aged in different types of wood barrels for different tastes.

Brad Schnickel (41)

The secret to this process is the barrel. The barrel will infuse the whiskey with a specific type of flavor and remove the harsh taste of raw whiskey in its purest form. This incredible process has led to different types of liquors being developed over the years. Brad Schnickel loves the classic oak-flavored whiskey more than anything else. He is a simple man when it comes to a hearty good flavor of the whiskey.

Brad Schnickel says that oak barrels can and cannot be reused in the aging process. Depending on the type of whiskey, the distiller may use a different type of barrel or re-use an old one to instill flavors into the whiskey itself. Brad Schnickel says that making whiskey is a long-game process and one that should understandably not be rushed. However, Brad Schnickel is a man who understands the importance of waiting and states that patience is one of the greatest virtues any distiller could have. Brad Schnickel recommends that you try different types of whiskeys and aim to identify the different aromas and hints of flavor that can be found in them. You will increase your knowledge of whiskey and possibly discover your new favorite blend.

Originally published at https://bradleyschnickel.com on March 8, 2021.

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Bradley Schnickel

Bradley Schnickel grew up in a small town just outside of Minneapolis, MN, called New Prague. He met his beautiful wife while earning his Bachelor of Arts (BA)