I take it CS whiskies are bottled directly from the cask after maturation. But why are they usually around 60 ABV? I mean distilled spirit can have ABV as high as 96. So, is it being diluted before put to casks?
Being largely double distilled, the middle (useable) cut from the second distillation of most Scotch Whiskies tends to be around 68-72%abv. A few distilleries fill casks at this strength "straight off the still" but this is not the norm. The vast majority cut the whisky before filling to a strength of around 63.5%abv as this is deemed by much of the industry as the ideal achohol volume for maturation. A cynic might argue that it has more to do with it being a good strength for maturation speed rather than quality but that’s another discussion all together ;-).
@Max What @Stu_R said! I also seem to recall that the "angel's share" is higher (percentage-wise) when you go above the mentioned "ideal" range of ABV for maturation, so it's a convenient intersection of maturation, quality and minimisation of alcohol loss.
I take it CS whiskies are bottled directly from the cask after maturation. But why are they usually around 60 ABV? I mean distilled spirit can have ABV as high as 96. So, is it being diluted before put to casks?