Angel's share
German: Angel's Share Pronunciation: ein-dscheles scher Also known as: Engelsanteil
The share of a spirit that evaporates through the wood during cask ageing. Depending on climate it is roughly one to two percent a year, more in warm regions.
Angel's share is the loss of liquid that occurs through evaporation during storage in wooden casks. Wood is not completely tight, so water and alcohol slowly escape through the cask wall.
In the cool climate of Scotland about two percent is lost each year, in warm regions such as Kentucky or the tropics considerably more. Depending on climate, the alcohol content also changes. The loss makes long-aged spirits expensive because only part of the original quantity remains. The term comes from the poetic image of angels drinking their share.