Sherry

Amrut Intermediate Sherry Single Malt Whisky

Filed under: Spirits

Transporting the barrels in which malt whisky is typically aged is no mean feat. The casks themselves are often made in the United States or Spain, filled with bourbon or sherry (respectively), then emptied and shipped overseas to the distillery. That's complicated enough when the distillery is in Scotland, but when you're shipping half-way around the world to India it's another story entirely.

That's the challenge which the Amrut Distillery faces when acquiring new casks from Jerez, Spain, and though their single malt whisky has been met with rave reviews, they saw a challenge to overcome. Due to the temperature changes to which the wood would be subjected on its voyage from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean, there was a risk of sulfur accumulating and later damaging the whisky.

Amrut's solution was rather novel. First, they shipped their whisky to Spain and had the coopers roll it around inside the barrel to kill any bacteria. Then the casks were sent to the distillery in Bangalore, but instead of the usual approach of first aging the whisky in bourbon wood and then in sherry, Amrut took a different approach. After finishing the whisky in the sherry butts, they then placed it back into the American oak casks for another year or so.

The result is called the Amrut Intermediate Sherry, a potentially very delicate and flavorful malt just released from the distillery. 85 cases (each containing six 750ml bottles) are earmarked for the US market, each bottle expected to sell for $134.99 in stores.

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Tags: amrut, amrut intermediate sherry, sherry, single malt whisky, whisky

The GlenDronach 2010 Batch 2 Single Cask Bottlings

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Scotch whisky enthusiasts enamored of sherry wood finishes should be well acquainted with The GlenDronach Distillery. Founded in 1826 and recently revived, GlenDronach produces a range of "richly sherried" single malts at 12, 15 and 18 years old. But in addition to the core range, the distillery also offers a selection of limited-edition expressions, the latest of which has just hit the market.

The seven special malts in this Batch 2 release range from 17 to 39 years old, aged in Oloroso sherry butts and Pedro Ximinez sherry puncheons, bottled at between 48.8 and 60.5 percent, the concentration inversely correlated to the age. In addition to local markets, they're being exported to more than 20 overseas markets, so check with your local stockist to get your hands on one.

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Tags: glen dronach, malt, oloroso, pedro ximinez, scotch, sherry, single malt, whisky

Bar Pepito, London's First Sherry Bar

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Sherry has a bit of an image problem, it's seen as a drink from the past rather than a drink for the future. Last year I wrote about the campaign from The Sherry Council of America to get younger people interested in drinking sherry. Now sherry is getting a boost in London with the opening of the city's first sherry bar on Friday. Bar Pepito is an off-shoot of Camino and is located across the courtyard from Camino in King's Cross.

The bar is an Andalusian-style bodega with the modern touch of an Enomatic wine dispenser offering small pours of eight different sherry styles. Sherry flights will also be available and can be paired with a cold food menu designed by Camino head chef Nacho del Campo that includes offers Spanish classics like pata negra jamón from Extremadura, jamón, olives, almonds and chorizos, regional cheeses and locally sourced fish and meat.

According to Decanter Camino's Richard Bigg got his inspiration from travels in the Jerez region and the bar was developed with support from the Sherry house González Byass, the makers of Tio Pepe fino. The wine list includes 15 sherries from dry finos and manzanillas through to sweet Pedro Ximénez and moscatel. All the sherries are available by both the glass and the bottle. The bar is open Wednesday to Saturday from 5pm until midnight.

Tags: bar pepito, kings cross, london, sherry

Website Seeks To Lure Drinkers To Sherry

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Can sherry be made cool? Advertising Age says that a Seattle ad agency called Creature has been given the task of bringing a drink more seen in classic literature than in local bars back into the spotlight. Creature has created a website called the Secret Sherry Society for The Sherry Council of America. The site includes a digital castle for visitors to explore. Rooms contain videos and information on types of sherry, sherry cocktails and the history of sherry. The hope is that the site will acquaint the uninitiated with sherry in a new fun way.

Sherry isn't exactly trending hot with younger drinkers. The Sherry Council has been hosting dinners for the media and key influencers to try and create a sherry buzz. The Ad Age article makes reference to the connection between hip-hop and cognac. The sherry website is well-designed but websites alone don't usually drive a person to purchase a product. The site doesn't quite bridge the gap between information and action by defining what occasions might call for a glass of sherry. While it has a sense of the old much like absinthe does, there is no similar sense of mystery behind it. When is the last time you drank sherry? Does sherry need a celebrity spokesperson or a big ad campaign to help it gain traction in the marketplace?

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Tags: advertising, drinks, sherry, wine

A Glass of Topaque, New Names For Australian Fortified Wine

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

The Australian government recently had a mighty task, finding new names for Sherry and Tokay, the fortified wine names that Australia agreed to stop using since they apply to specific European wines. Sherry will now be called Apera, a name meant to suggest an aperitif, and Tokay will be known as Topaque. The new names have been registered with the trademarks body, IP Australia and if confirmed Apera will be on the market next year. Sherry will be phased out in 2010 but Tokay producers have a full ten years to changeover.

it took 10 months of research to come up with the names which beat out other contenders such as Solzay for Sherry and Russet for Tokay. Fortified wine maker Colin Campbell of Campbell wines which makes The Cellar Tokay, tells the Australia Age he sees the name change as an opportunity to get more Australians interested in fortified wine. Is it just me or do the new names sound more like mid-size sedans than drinks?

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Tags: apera, australia, sherry, tokay, topaque

Harvey's Bristol Cream Goes Orange

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Flavored vodka? Yes, please but we know the flavor kick has gone too far when it comes sherry. Yes, Grandma's favorite tipple, Harvey's Bristol Cream will available as Harveys Orange, a blend of Bristol Cream with orange flavors. According to the article in Decanter, "the drink, designed to appeal to women aged 35 and over." The new drink is not technically a sherry and so it won't bear the official stamp. It is hoped that the new more exciting flavor will lure people back to sherry. The drink should launch in the U.S. later this year.

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Tags: alcohol, liquor, sherry