Oak wood for the aging of alcoholic beverages

Abstract

Different species of white oak supplies the wood for cooperage ought to their physic and chemical properties. This article draws the results of numerous studies dealing to the more used species in cooperage, their geographical origin, some mechanical properties and the chemical composition in terms of: tannin, lignin, hemicelluloses, and other extractives like oak lactones, volatile phenols, nitrogen compounds, organic acids and others of a variety of organic families. It is concluded about the importance of oak in the aging and their influence in the characteristic of sensory properties of aged wine and spirits.