Boffins are to examine the role of oak casks in "the flavouring of malt whiskies",  according to an article on the BBC

Researchers at Strathclyde University want to discover what gives malt whiskies their "distinctive flavour". Their work will focus exclusively on the role oak casks play by comparing untreated oak to heat-treated oak. Dr Jim Lewicki then made this extraordinary statement: "A lot of the taste from whisky comes from the oak barrels themselves - very little of the taste comes from the distillation of spirit."  Excuse me!  As the basis for starting the research this is a pretty scary statement - or is it actually indicative of modern, industrialised, computer distilling?

He continued: "Newly distilled whisky is essentially colourless when it goes into the cask, but when it comes out after several years, it has become golden brown and has collected a number of different flavours. We're looking to characterise and replicate, under controlled conditions, aspects of the cask flavouring processes that go on in traditional manufacture of casks and so develop further our knowledge about them. This is about sustaining good quality and making it better. If you have a famous brand, connoisseurs expect this."  Or it is about saving money.

All new casks are heat treated, otherwise you would not be able to bend the staves to create the barrel; I assume they are not wanting to make square barrels.  Steam can be used instead of direct flame on new oak, but it would release different, more bitter and stronger wood flavours.  Or are they looking at the charring effect on the oak's flavour compounds, the lignins, vanillins and tannins?  In the whisky industry -  as another economic short cut - tired, recycled casks are often given a new lease of life by re-charring the inside of the casks.  I bet they are simply looking for a quicker, cheaper, method to achieve this. 

The university's department of pure and applied chemistry is conducting the research so distillers can more easily "control and maintain" product quality. And guess who they are doing it for?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8117498.stm.