Thanks, Mike, and by the way we here live on whiskey too.
See, those Scots were smart because living in a damp climate they could leave bottles unstoppered probably for months and there wouldn't be much evaporation. In Kentucky's much hotter and drier climate, the practice could be adapted but only for a few weeks.
But either way the "craatur" (critter), a vernacular term used both in Scotland and Kentucky (which means it came from old Gael) to mean whisky, would get better.
Many kinds of spirits were sent around the world to benefit from an ocean voyage - Madeira and port were. In fact the idea to store Madeira barrels in the open on the island and roll them regularly was probably gleaned from observations made on how sea transport improved the drink. I have a Norwegian spirit at home called Linie Acquavit, a spirit aged in sherry barrels and sent around the world, still to this day, on ships to improve it.
Gary