Strange things are happening on the ground. An entirely new secondary industry has been created and is booming in Jerez, the traditional home of sherry and brandy. Thousands of barrels are being seasoned throughout Jerez with Oloroso wine, which will then be emptied and shipped to distilleries in Scotland.
Why? Because spirits of this nature, aged in barrels previously used for Oloroso sherry, acquire a remarkable depth of flavor, imbuing them with richness and a unique taste. The native spirit of Jerez, brandy, is aged in ancient casks that have previously held Sherry wine, which explains the incredible aromatic nuances achieved by Jerez brandies.
I decided to go and see this phenomenon for myself. I visited Bodegas Sánchez Romate in the heart of Jerez, one of the only wineries that still has a 'tonelería' (a workshop where the cooper works, repairing the staves and bottoms of the barrels or casks).
I met the winery foreman, José Luís García Infante, and the cooper, Alfonso Rosado González. And they explained to me the process of maintaining their old barrels used to age their impressive brandy brand, Cardenal Mendoza, and the purchase of new barrels, which they fill with wine and age to send to the whiskey industry.
“We only use American oak to make our barrels,” says cooper Alfonso. “It’s the best type of wood because of its density, hardness, and durability. French oak, for example, is completely different… it cracks and leaks.” Although they no longer build their barrels from scratch, they now tend to purchase them from mechanical barrel-making facilities, where 100 are produced in a day, rather than just one a day as in the past.
This age-old practice is nearly extinct. However, the barrels in the cellar are a highly valuable commodity; they conduct a detailed inspection of each barrel once a week and are constantly repairing damaged ones, using tools that have been in use for centuries. Surprisingly, the vast majority of the barrels in the Sánchez Romate cellar are over 80 years old.
While he is making his rounds of the barrels, Alfonso also checks for woodworms—which generally stay away due to the black layer of charcoal and vinegar applied to each barrel (this traditional technique is called 'capa rosa').
In fact, this is the (little-known) reason for the black color of all the barrels in Jerez.
It’s no wonder that Alfonso and José Luis tend to the barrels with such love and care. A single new, empty, unseasoned barrel costs around €633.
Imagine how much this costs once it has been filled, bottled, and shipped.
So why is the whiskey industry willing to pay such high prices to acquire barrels seasoned with Oloroso? This is due to the unique depth of flavor infused into the barrels, and subsequently into the whiskey. José Luis tells me that there are currently 60,000 barrels in the region being seasoned in Jerez for the whisky industry—these barrels will be drained and transported to distilleries in Scotland. Surprisingly, once the whiskey has aged in the Jerez barrels for between 2 and 5 years, the barrel’s useful life is over.
But what about the most valuable barrels?
Cardenal Mendoza Brandy from Jerez is aged in barrels previously used to age Pedro Ximénez—which is what gives it a touch of sweetness. When I asked them the price of the old barrels they use to age Cardenal Mendoza brandy, their answer was “priceless.” The two types could never be compared, because the barrels used for Cardenal Mendoza are the very same ones in which the Pedro Ximénez itself was made, and these have remained in the cellar for years and years, and many of them have contained VORS sherry (“Vinum Optimum Rare Signatum,” also referred to as “Very Old Rare Sherry,” with over 30 years of age).
José Luis also explains that a new barrel that has been properly seasoned with Oloroso needs to have one centimeter of penetration by the sherry. If it has not reached that depth within the wood, it is not properly seasoned. The minimum aging period is between one and two years; the Sherry Regulatory Council has mandated a minimum aging period of one year to ensure a high level of quality.
Some of the barrels used to age Cardenal Mendoza brandy have held Pedro Ximénez for 70 or 80 years. José Luís states: "People don’t realize the fantastic complexity of these brandies, which have been aged in wooden barrels that have contained such high-quality Pedro Ximénez for so long that they have acquired incredible tertiary flavors and exquisite smoothness."
Both the product’s history and the traditions of the production process give this drink a rich pedigree. When you savor a Spanish brandy from one of the Jerez wineries, you are drinking pure history, and the flavors and aromas are so complex due to the ancient artisanal aging process.
When asked what their favorite drink is, Alfonso and José Luis exchange a knowing glance, and José Luis says, “water,” before they both burst out laughing.
Written by: Sol Sanchez de Muniain
