The University of Kentucky is Researching the Genome of White Oak – The Whiskey Wash

Ask the average whiskey drinker to name the key ingredients in their favorite spirit, and theyll probably tell you which grains its made from. Of course, whats just as crucial to the final product as the grains its distilled from is the barreland the American-made barrels that both American distillers and many of their Scottish and Irish counterparts rely on are almost exclusively made from the noble white oak tree.

The whisk(e)y business is so reliant on this species that concerns are arising about what would happen if disease hit the species, something that gets increasingly likely as the climate changes. Thats why, not unlike the research we wrote about earlier this fall into drought resistance in barley, researchers from the University of Kentucky, University of Tennessee, Penn State, and the US Forest Service are partnering with Makers Mark and the Independent Stave Company to research the genome of the white oak.

This research is for the greater good of the industry and the entire Eastern forest, said Seth DeBolt, director of the University of Kentuckys James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits, in a prepared statement. Wed like to get a reference map for the white oak genome. Weve identified a tree at the Makers Mark Distillery on Star Hill Farm as a gorgeous representative specimen of the species.

This reference tree is hundreds of years oldwhite oak trees have been known to live four centuriesand researchers are collecting acorns and grafts from it. The team is approaching oak as an agricultural product, which, for the whiskey business, makes sense. They hope to identify some of the genetic variation that exists within the species.

The challenge here is to thoroughly understand a species, a really foundational, long-lived species that anchors the forest, said DeBolt. The goal is to answer questions such as: How does it live that long, in a single location? How does it maintain resistance to so many different diseases?

American white oak is a key ingredient in bourbon-making. The color, and much of the flavor, of bourbon come from white oak barrels, so its critically important that this precious natural resource be managed and preserved for generations to come, said Makers Marks Rob Samuels, chief distillery officer. At Makers Mark, were constantly stepping up our own environmental efforts, which have become a guiding principle for everything we do, and were proud to play a part in this research that will reach far beyond our home at Star Hill Farm and help this vital species thrive long into the future.

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The University of Kentucky is Researching the Genome of White Oak - The Whiskey Wash