Vintage

Definition

Vintage denotes the distillation year of the whiskey and is used as an identifier on bottles that originate from a particular production run. The concept focuses on when the whiskey was distilled and does not necessarily indicate the age.

Age Significance

To determine the age, the bottling year is normally also required. The age is typically calculated as the bottling year minus the distillation year (assuming the whiskey is bottled from cask to bottle without additional age information).

Variations in Practice

Producers may use vintage somewhat differently: - Often, vintage refers to a single distillation year for the entire batch. - Some releases mark a single-cask vintage or specific blends from a particular distillation year. - In other cases, the label is supplemented with additional information such as the bottling year or an age statement; the vintage concept itself remains the distillation year.

Example

A bottle labeled "Vintage 1998" indicates that the whiskey was distilled in 1998. If it is bottled in 2018, it has a 20-year age at bottling.

Related Terms

• Bottling year
• Distillation year
• Age statement
• Maturation
• Bottle labeling