<text>  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. Its 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-Bourbons 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 