More and more barrel-aged spirits are showing up on the shelves, spanning well beyond the traditional categories. Producers are dumping gin, shochu, aquavit, vodka — even liqueurs — into casks.

It’s not only whiskies and dark spirits that are being barrel aged — there’s a trend for barrel aging other spirits such as gin as well. Although gin is typically crystal clear and juniper ...

Why are all spirits aged in barrels now? The first time I tried a barrel-aged vodka, I laughed it off as a fad. Sure, I thought, it’s common knowledge that so-called “brown spirits” like ...