In fact, the most time consuming part in the whisky lifecycle is the maturation process in the cask. While early "uisge beatha" was consumed right away after distillation, today the rules for Scotch Whisky say, that is has to sleep at least three years in an oak cask before it may call itself Scotch Whisky. In fact, most make lies down much longer to develop character and depth. During the years, the cask passes aromas to the spirit: for instance vanilla and caramel flavors from the fresh oak cask, winey and nutty notes from sherry butts.