Countdown to the Top 20 Whiskies of 2025 — Starts Dec. 1 | Enter to Win →

Glossary

Maturation

The process by which a spirit changes as it spends time in a cask. This process fundamentally alters the taste profile of the spirit, imparting character from the cask, as well as reducing the sharper characteristics of the distillate. Nearly all whiskies are aged in wood—usually oak—containers.