How does white dog (raw, unaged whiskey) develop it’s array of flavors? A whiskey’s final flavor mostly comes from the way that the distillate interacts with the charred wood barrels. Here are great articles on this subject.
Articles
Sugars in whisky. Whisky Science.
Coopering. Whiskey Science. Coopering Part 2. Whisky Science
Cask variations. Whisky Science
Cask Sizes. From Whisky Science.
Rejuvenation of old casks. Whisky Science.
Oaky flavors – where do they come from? Whisky Science
Oak Barrel Chemistry: Techniques, by Daniel Pambianchi
The New Science of Old Whiskey. The Atlantic
What Happens As Decades Pass In A Whiskey Barrel? Popular Science
The molecular dance: The influence of oak on maturation. Hyde Whiskey
In 1806, British Science Advises to Store Spirits in Charred Barrels
The Origin of the New Charred Barrel to Age Bourbon – European Science Circa 1800?
Fungus play a vital role in the seasoning of white oak for whiskey barrels. Of Quercus Alba and Eumycotians. Chuck Cowdery
Adding Caramel E-150. Whisky Science.
Check this out: Visual and taste changes in unaged parent whiskey after 20 years in two different kinds of oak barrels: Advances in the Ageing Chemistry of Distilled Spirits Matured in Oak Barrels
This infographic is from The Chemistry of Whiskey. Great article if you click the link.
Here you can check out our reviews of bourbon, Scotch, Irish whiskey, Canadian whiskey, ryes or flavored whiskys.
Distilled Sunshine 
[…] not much in the way of flavor. Nothing bad – but not much that was good. Usually the whiskey interacts with the charred barrel to develop an array of flavorful organic molecules, but these barrels were likely previously used to the point where they didn’t impart much […]
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[…] Every whisk(e)y drinker knows what whiskey is made from: cereal grains, water, and yeast. (And don’t forget what gets added or changed when it is aged in a charred barrel, but the science of whiskey barrels is a different topic.) […]
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