On your first point: people have known about this for a long time. Rum, for instance, is mostly produced in warmer climates, and the aging process is 2x to 5x faster. A 3 year rum tastes like a 10 year whiskey. And indeed, Buffalo Trace ages its Blanton's brand whiskey at the top of a meal rickhouse, where it can get the most exposure to the shifting temperatures of the natural world. (it pays off, it is one of the best bourbons you can get for $60 or even more).

Second: Scotch is aged very differently from bourbon, mostly regarding the barrel restrictions bourbon has (new charred american oak, only). A number of scotch distilleries actually buy barrels off of bourbon distilleries after the casks have been used. Thats also why bourbon is almost always much sweeter in profile than scotch or other whiskies. (Also Laphroaig is delicious).