We were visiting the whisky country of northeastern Scotland, staying with a farmer who grew barley for the local distillery. One day we followed the whisky trail, at each distillery given a ‘wee dram’ and told about the distilling process. I learned that as whisky matured in barrels approximately 9% was lost to evaporation.
Later that evening in the farm kitchen our host brought out a large medicine bottle, full of deep golden brown whisky. Each of us drank generously, toasting each other, the barley crop and Scotland.
Then our host explained “That was part of the 9% .”