Whiskey lovers all over the world claim the key to the perfect bourbon is time . But a catastrophic shortage of whiskey could soon be on the way with anecdotal reports suggesting the demand for bourbon is about to outstrip supply . Now , some distillers have taken heed of the warnings and are coming up with radical new ways to mature whiskey to its full potential faster than ever before . Whiskey lovers all over the world will tell you the key to the perfect bourbon is time . But a catastrophic shortage of whiskey could soon be the way with anecdotal reports suggesting the demand for bourbon is about to outstrip supply . According to a report by Tasha Eichensehert in Nautilus , the popularity of bourbon last year saw 19 million cases sold , generating $ 2.7 billion in revenue . She claims that through a series of inventive ageing methods , manufacturers have been able to cut the two-to-20-year process into just days and months . The ageing of whiskey usually takes place in 200-litres ( 53 American gallons ) barrels made from seasoned American white oak , Quercus alba . These barrels are charred , breaking down the lignin in the wood into compounds called aldehydes . Adding alcohol to the barrel causes oxidation which transforms the aldehydes into acids . Changes in heat within the barrel then give whiskey its complex flavour . Through a series of inventive ageing methods , manufacturers have been able to cut the two-to-20-year process whiskey ageing process into just days and months . Nautilus reports that Tuthilltown Spirits in Gardiner , New York - the makers of Hudson Baby Bourbon – are now letting the alcohol settle in 2- to 5-gallon oak barrels . This , they say , increases the alcohol-to-barrel-surface ratio , causing the whiskey to mature faster , cutting the time down to around four months . Meanwhile Copper Fox Distillery in Virginia is adding toasted oak chips their barrel , in another attempt to increase the alcohol-to-surface ratio . One distillery in South Carolina claims it has cut the process down to just eight hours . Terressentia , near Charleston , first filters the whiskey in plastic tanks . There are concerns that pubs could become a thing of the past as thousands close each year due to spiralling production costs . But a new machine could help landlords feeling the pinch , because it can produce pints that cost just 35 pence ( 53 cents ) each . The Truebrew Technobrewery can make 280 pints of beer in just two hours at the touch of a button . A similar size to an industrial oven , the machine is intended for business use and will cost around £25,000 ( $ 38,000 ) . The machine allows landlords to brew their own beer for a quarter of the price of buying it in from a brewery . The machine is filled it with water , and then ingredients including hops are placed inside . It 's then switched on for two hours . The machine is self-cleaning and the beer is ready to drink seven days later . This speeds up the aldehyde and acid reaction creating chemical compounds that can be consumed in a matter of hours . Entrepreneurs have also created home tools for people to fake the taste of aged whisky . A wooden tool called 'Whiskey Element , ' which claims to be able to make cheap liquor taste expensive in just 24 hours . The oak sticks are specially designed to 'age ' the drink by filtering out impurities and infusing the whiskey with a more woody flavour similar to pricier tipples . The sticks have lots of grooves cut in them to increase the overall-surface area touching the liquid . They are intended to be placed in a bottle or decanter of cheap whiskey to replicate the taste of a more expensive tipple . Whether or not these fast-Bourbon 's live up to the taste test remains to be seen . The sticks ( pictured ) have lots of grooves cut in them to increase the overall-surface area touching the liquid.They are intended to be placed in a bottle or decanter of cheap whiskey to replicate the taste of a more expensive bottle . The oak is cut horizontally to allow ‘ accelerated transpiration through capillary action '
Tuthilltown Spirits is now letting the alcohol settle in 2 gallon barrels . This , they say , cuts the time to mature the drink to just days and . Distillery in South Carolina claims it has cut the process to eight hours . They first filter the whiskey to speed up the aldehyde and acid reaction .