Earlier this year, Tomatin released its new Sherry Collection, a trio of whiskies that offer whisky fans the chance to go on a journey through sherry cask maturation, from the ‘bright and zesty’ Manzanilla to the complex, sweet profile of the Pedro Ximénez, to the lesser-used and intriguing world of Palo Cortado.
While Scotland’s relationship with sherry cask suppliers in Jerez, has been celebrated for decades, Tomatin’s latest collection encourages audiences to consider the modern revival of sherry, which has undergone an exciting renaissance in recent years. As the blender and global ambassador for Tomatin, I’ve had the privilege of exploring the depths of sherry cask maturation. With this in mind, let’s explore the basics of sherry casks and their role in scotch whisky maturation.
What Is A Sherry Cask?
In its very simplest form, a sherry cask is an oak cask that has previously held sherry; a fortified wine produced in a small area in Andalusia, Spain, known as the sherry triangle.
This may seem quite straightforward, but when we account for oak species and origin, the type of sherry, and the method of maturation, sherry casks offer whisky producers an incredibly diverse range of flavor opportunities.
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Why Are Sherry Casks Used To Mature Whisky?
As with many scotch whisky practices, tradition is rooted in necessity and availability. The practice of maturing whisky in oak casks grew in popularity throughout the 19th century (and became a legal requirement in 1915).
However, for a variety of reasons, native oak was not a suitable option. As a result, distillers began to turn to the ports where casks of wine and spirits from around the world were landing. Once emptied these casks would be sold to distillers and so it soon became tradition for scotch whisky to be matured in second-hand casks. As this practice of maturation was flourishing, sherry was one of the most popular drinks in the UK and so it became commonplace for whisky producers to mature in sherry casks.
As early as 1864 William Sanderson, one of Scotland’s foremost blenders, wrote: “It is well-known that whisky stored in sherry casks soon acquires a mellow softness which it does not get when put into new casks”.
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A few years back I found an old warehouse book that recorded every cask filled between 1909 and 1923 and included details such as previous contents. Whilst there was more experimentation than I anticipated, there isn’t a page that doesn’t have some form of “Fresh Sherry”, “Own Butt”, “II Sherry” or similar beautifully handwritten in the ‘notes’ column.
Into the 20th century, the availability of sherry casks declined rapidly as did the price distillers had to pay to acquire them. Since the 1940s bourbon casks have become the go-to for scotch whisky maturation but the demand from consumers for the depth and variety of flavour that only sherry casks can provide has endured.
Today sherry maturation has an air of ‘luxury’ about it, and it is sought after because, to a great extent, it is not the norm.
What Are The Main Types Of Sherry Casks Used In Whisky Production?
There are seven different types of sherry. Ranging from dry to sweet they are Manzanilla, Fino, Amontillado, Palo Cortado, Oloroso, Cream, and Pedro Ximenez.
The most commonly used type of sherry casks in whisky maturation are casks that have held Oloroso sherry, so much so that if you only see “sherry cask” or “sherry matured” you can comfortably assume that an Oloroso cask has been used. These casks offer a rich, dark, and nutty flavor synonymous with classic sherry – dates, raisins, and sometimes a hint of spice.
Pedro Ximenez (or simply PX) casks have grown in popularity over the last 10-15 years. PX is the sweetest natural wine in the world with around 450 grams of residual sugar per litre. Unsurprisingly these casks can add a huge amount of sweet, dried fruit notes to a whisky, but they also offer a complex range of flavours including liquorice, espresso, and dark chocolate.
Maintaining The Integrity of Sherry Casks
At Tomatin, we have invested heavily in developing a first-rate maturation policy. We partner with exceptional cask suppliers so that we know the casks we are receiving are of the highest quality. We have our own on-site cooperage which will assess casks upon arrival and maintain them through their years of whisky maturation.
In addition, every cask of Tomatin is fully matured on site which allows us to monitor them closely and everyone involved in selecting casks for bottling is based on site.
We purchase the vast majority of our sherry casks from a cooperage based in Montilla called Toneleria Juan Pino. When it comes to casks for our core range, we require consistency so we will use seasoned sherry casks.
There is a misconception that seasoned casks are in some way inferior to bodega casks, but the reality is that they are far more dependable and produce consistently high-quality whiskies. Our seasoning program allows us to select the oak type, cask size, type of sherry, length of seasoning, etc. We are in full control and so this acts as an extension of our maturation policy.
Every so often we will have the opportunity to purchase bodega casks; casks that have held sherry in a bodega’s solera for decades. You never fully know what you are going to get here as the cask history is only as good as the bodega’s record keeping but the upside is that they can be truly exceptional.
In all honesty, these opportunities to purchase retired solera casks are so rare that they are too good to turn down. What we lose in control and consistency, we gain in the opportunity to create completely unique products, and these casks are used for limited editions like the Sherry Collection.
Getting The Most Out of The Cask
There are no outright challenges but there are some things we have to be mindful of if we want to get the most out of a sherry cask. For example, if we are using casks from retired soleras, the physical condition of the cask is a consideration. In some instances, these casks will have been in use for more than 50 years so our cooper will need to spend some time making sure they are in a suitable condition before they are filled. This isn’t an issue when it comes to seasoned casks.
Another physical consideration is the size of the cask. If we are bringing in the traditional sherry butts which, with a capacity of 500L, are more than twice the capacity of a traditional whisky hogshead, we have to ensure that we have warehouse space for them. Most of our warehouses are racked and the majority of the racking is designed to hold hogsheads. Often larger casks like sherry butts or port pipes will be laid down in dunnage warehouses. I’m sure these casks are a bit more of a workout for the guys in the filling store and warehouses as well…
Beyond this, we have to be aware that sherry casks will have a different impact on our spirit than other cask types. At Tomatin we strive to find a balance between distillery character and maturation influence in all our products. We produce an elegant, fruity spirit with a sweet malty backbone. If we leave this in an Oloroso or PX sherry cask for too long, the cask influence can overpower the spirit characteristics whereas a bourbon cask on the other hand can be left for over 20 years and the Tomatin DNA will still be present. Again, not a challenge, just something we have to be mindful of.
The Tomatin Sherry Collection – What To Expect
The Manzanilla butts have created a whisky with notes of sourdough bread and salted popcorn and flavors of chamomile tea, dried fruit, and maple syrup. This is not your typical sherry-matured whisky, it’s bright and zesty.
Palo Cortado is a rare and endlessly fascinating style of sherry. Our first-ever Palo Cortado matured Tomatin is utterly captivating. Cinder toffee, dried orange, toasted fruit loaf, and Brazil nuts come in waves with a tangy and layered finish.
The PX cask offers a depth that no other cask can. However, a lot of the words I use to describe the aroma and flavor would normally be considered bitter, espresso, dark chocolate, and licorice spring to mind. This particular expression also has indulgent notes of sticky toffee pudding, lemon curd, and muscovado sugar.
The collection showcases the versatility of not only the Tomatin spirit but also the sherry category as a whole.
The Sherry Revival
Sherry has been enjoying a renaissance in recent years, thanks in part to the growing interest and globalization of Spanish culture, namely the number of tapas and sherry bars popping up around the country due to customer demand. Much like the single malt category, modern sherry culture is about exploration.
What we love about this integration of sherry into modern culture is the wonderful moments that it creates, with food and drink at the heart of them. To us, these moments, shared conversations, meet-ups, and get-togethers are the heart of the Tomatin way of life. We are a distillery built on a community of people. And so, the Sherry Collection celebrates these shared moments with origins in our world and in sherry’s.
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