26.5.18 Oloroso Sherry Launched by New Scotch Distillery

One of the problems with establishing a new distillery is that for the spirit to be called “Scotch Whisky” it must be at least three years old, and in practice it is often considerably older. For the first few years therefore, the distillery has nothing to sell to cover operating costs. Many have resorted to Gin or special bottlings of other Whiskies, and while the Port of Leith Distillery is about to launch a Gin, “The Antidote”, they have come up with a really great idea: Sherry; the same Oloroso used to season the butts their Single Malt Whisky will be aged in. It will be a great opportunity for Whisky fans to better understand where an important part of the Whisky’s flavour and aroma comes from, quite apart from being a lovely drink on its own. This Oloroso comes from a 50 year old solera at Bodegas Barón in Sanlúcar, originally established in 1631, and is bottled in Spain. The wine is packaged with a beautiful label showing images of Leith on the left and Sanlúcar on the right, and will soon be available at £15 ex distillery and also from the Bodega. The Port of Leith, now part of Edinburgh, was once the epicentre of the Scotch Whisky industry, as well as the Scottish wine trade, and it was here that the process of ageing Whisky in Sherry butts began.