It takes three years, minimum, just to make each barrel that’s used for aging cognac.
David Lebovitz reports, “From the selection of oak, mostly from France (with some from the US), the wood that these men get needs to be cured for a minimum of two years with an alternating system of watering, then drying, during which time it changes color and becomes less porous, and starts its journey to becoming a barrel.
“There’s machines to cut the wood, but the finishing and banding is all done by hand.
“The long curing of the barrels reduces their humidity so when the distilled liqueur is stored in there, only 3 to 4% evaporates every year, which is called the Part des anges, the part the angels take.”