10.1.18 Sanlúcar to Produce Whisky

A new project to distil whisky in Sanlúcar is under way run by the team which, among other things, operates the Weisshorn restaurant in Calle Sevilla, just opposite the Barbadillo bodegas. The restaurant specialises in North African cuisine, while they also make hand-made electric guitars and gin. The name Weisshorn refers to a ship which ran aground in 1994 carrying 6,000 tons of rice, which when soaked in sea water expanded till it broke the ship in two.

Distilling in the area has a long history dating back to Moorish times and most bodegas had stills, but the last one fell silent in 1970, leaving only its chimney as a reminder. It wasn’t only wine leftovers which were distilled; rice was also used, and a form of rice whisky accompanied Magellan on the first circumnavigation of the globe in the early XVI century. Roberto Payá of Weisshorn has already had success with Luciferi and 1522 gins and has now secured adjacent premises to distil the whisky with production expected to begin sometime later this year and a finished product on the market in 2022, the 500th anniversary of the return of what remained of Magellan’s fleet.

The definition of whisky is rather vague, being a distillate produced from cereals which must be aged for a minimum of three years in oak barrels, so rice can be used and that’s the plan. It will come from the Coto Doñana and the spirit will be aged in Sherry casks naturally, so it will be 100% Sanlúcar.

This is what it will look like