Trump says he's lifting certain tariffs on Scotch whisky after royal visit

[jmowreader]

8. There's nothing "apparent" about it

Used bourbon barrels are the standard barrels for aging Scotch.

Here's the thing: Per United States federal law governing the definition of bourbon, only a new, charred white oak barrel can be used to age bourbon. After you dump it, there is very little you can do with the barrel in the United States. There are only so many planters (probably the biggest user of old bourbon barrels in the US) that you can sell in a year, and they empty out a lot more barrels than that.

Scotch Whisky Regulations only stipulate the barrel used to age Scotch must be made of oak. Since the Scottish government doesn't care if the barrels are used, shortly after World War II Scottish distilleries converted en masse from used wine casks to used bourbon barrels.