Small barrels accelerate contact but do not reproduce standard-barrel maturation

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Increasing wood surface area per unit spirit accelerates several processes, but those processes do not scale equally; a small barrel therefore does not reproduce the sensory trajectory of a standard barrel on a compressed timetable.

September 28, 2026: fresh complete Miller source review and enlarged figure inspection; linked Miller excerpt and citation checked and qualifications repaired. This does not independently verify the underlying primary experiment or other linked works.

The cited direct experiment used Scotch new make and uncharred American oak, so American new-charred-oak outcomes require corroboration. The observation periods differ (24 versus 60 months), and sampling-induced ullage and evaporation also vary.

Miller compares 6 L casks observed through 24 months with 180 L casks observed through 60 months. The differing chemical and sensory profiles do not establish an equivalent-age conversion; sweetness is not uniformly greater in every small-cask trial.

Supported by one locator-verified secondary synthesis. Preserve the stated qualifications and seek independent corroboration before using a source-specific quantitative result as a universal rule.