Brandy Soto Solera 38%, José de Soto

Appearance

Fairly deep amber to chestnut with coppery bronze highlights.

Nose

Forthright and quite full, a mix of light spirit notes and those of  a full Oloroso along with hints of old oak. There are also hints of vanilla and caramel and traces of old English marmalade. There is reasonable complexity and quality for a basic solera brandy.

Palate

Full and quite rich and hearty with a fair intensity of flavour including caramel, garrapiñadas, walnut and a very faint trace of anise along with the almost inevitable oak and Sherry notes. It has a fair bit of character for what it is and is not excessively sweetened or tannic and has good length.

Comments

This brandy was originally produced by the fine old firm of  José de Soto, famous for its Ponche, but in 1989 it was bought out by Nueva Rumasa and gradually merged with Garvey and Zoilo Ruiz Mateos at the purpose-built the Complejo Bodeguero Bellavista. Towards the end of 2016 the remains of the group (100,000 butts had been reduced to 10,000) was bought from the receivers by Asian Alcohol Corporation who seem to be doing very little with it, and have paid off most of the staff. The Complejo Bodeguero Bellavista, would seem to have even less stock these days. 

Price

20 euros per litre, Licores Corredera

Brandy Diez Mil Botellas 40%, Bodegas Ximénez Spínola

Appearance
Antique chestnut or old mahogany fading to light amber with old gold reflections.

Nose

Forthcoming, rich and elegant with fairly sweet and distinct  PX and tight wood notes which are all well integrated, but different. The PX is lighter and more grapey, younger possibly, than that normally encountered in a brandy aged in PX butts, and the wood is not oak but chestnut, which leaves a tighter, less intense aroma allowing the spirit to shine through. There are traces of toasted nuts, maple syrup, raisins, rancio, chewing tobacco, fudge and brown sugar adding to the complexity.

Palate

The cask seasoning is very apparent in the spirit with a considerable residual sweetness which is a mix of caramel and PX making it much sweeter than most brandies from Jerez. It thus has a certain viscosity which makes it extremely smooth yet which does not obscure the fine quality of the spirit. It cries out for a good Habana and good company after a good dinner.

Comments

Ximénez Spínola is unique in many ways and their brandy is no exception. It is the only one bottled in the Marco de Jerez to be distilled from Pedro Ximénez grapes. While this means it cannot be included in the DO, such is its outstanding quality that they can sell every drop. The wine is distilled in alquitaras, a form of pot still, slowly and at a low strength. The spirit is then filled into a solera system of 750 litre toneles built from chestnut in the 1930s, laid down in 1948, and previously seasoned with sun dried PX. Chestnut used to be far more common in Spanish cooperage as it imparted few astringent notes and was strong but because of shortages caused by the Civil War it was replaced by American oak which has since become the norm. Occasionally toneles are re-seasoned to maintain the PX effect in these old vessels. Even though this brandy is bottled at 12 years old, it is the youngest in the range. The annual saca is just 10,000 bottles and each one is hand endorsed by José Antonio Zarzana, the ninth generation of the family.

Price

74.90 The Taste of Sherry

Brandy Uno en Mil Solera Gran Reserva Single Cask 16/1000 40%, Romate

Appearance

Antique polished mahogany fading to amber with old gold to copper highlights.

Nose

Good fresh clean spirit whose aromas are not totally dominated by Sherry and which can speak for itself, though there is some there naturally, and quite possibly Amontillado rather than  Oloroso. It doesn´t appear to have been sweetened or if so only very sightly as there is a faint aroma of brown sugar there along with a hint of dried spices like cinnamon. This is very subtle, elegant and classy.

Palate

Remarkably harmonious, fairly light and elegant all the way through with some traces of sweetness, dried fruits and Sherry, but all very subtle, adding to - rather than dominating - a good spirit. It is very clean with distant hints of spice, cacao, tobacco and wood, and had a dry finish with considerable length leaving all sorts of complex nuances in its wake.

Comments

Sánchez Romate have long been one of the leading brandy producers in Jerez since they established the Cardenal Mendoza solera in 1888, and for which they have 1,000 numbered butts of holandas stored in their Barreras bodega. The spirit is distilled from wine made from Airén grapes, slowly and at low strength for maximum quality and flavour, and after at least 12 years of ageing, five butts are selected by the firm´s master distiller, Ricardo Real and oenologist Reyes Gómez from those individual butts which have developed the most interesting aroma and flavour profiles. These will then be bottled as one-offs, or "single oak casks" each one of which of course being unique from the others and producing about 1,000 bottles from each butt at 40%/vol. Theoretically then, every time you buy a bottle of this brandy it will be from a different cask and therefore a new experience.

Price

28.50, Licores Corredera

Brandy Single Cask Solera Reserva 36.9%, Fernando de Castilla

Appearance

Bright limpid antique chestnut or pale mahogany fading to amber with old gold highlights.

Nose

Full and rich yet fairly crisp, fresh and characterful with lots of aromas of fine Oloroso and the wood in which it was aged. The quality of the spirit shines through with all sorts of nuances such as a faint trace of buttery rancio, cinnamon, marmalade, a trace of dried fruits notably dates, caramel, a slightly oily nuttiness and a hint of juicy pipe tobacco.

Palate

Fresh with distinct Sherry undertones and a hint of brown sugar/caramel sweetness melded with the flavours of raisin and date. There is just enough tannin to give a little grip and it is beautifully balanced by the fruity sweetness of the spirit. This is a lovely lively characterful brandy which despite the up-front sweetness has a dry finish with terrific length.

Comments

Despite the excellent quality of the Sherries and vinegar, Rey Fernando de Castilla has always specialised in brandy with the intention of producing the very finest and don´t like to mess about with anything less than holandas. Among their products is an excellent single cask range, all one-off unique brandies, which are aged statically rather than in solera and selected by owner Jan Pettersen and hand bottled when they reach perfection at whatever age that might be. This one is made from 100% Airén grapes and aged in an old American oak Oloroso butt of 500 litres which yielded 680 x 50 cl bottles (or 340 litres), which shows how much "merma" (evaporation loss) there is in Jerez (about 5-7% per annum). It was bottled on 2nd October 2014 with an age of around 5 years.

Price

30 euros per 50 cl, Mantequería Jerezana

Brandy Duque de Veragua Solera Gran Reserva 38%, Álvaro Domecq

Appearance

Very deep brown-mahogany fading to amber with a trace of green at the rim and copper highlights.

Nose

Serious. Thirty years of ageing are really apparent giving a fairly intense and complex aroma with fairly prominent notes of old oak, caramel, toffee, traces of dried fruit, walnut, Oloroso,and hints of brown sugar and bitter orange marmalade all melding together. Full bodied, rich and very Jerezano.

Palate

Fairly sweet on entry then that body comes through but without all the expected tannin. It has a certain dry tannic feel though, and the slight wood notes one would expect but they are by no means excessive and it is actually very smooth with all the sweeter elements of dates, raisins, Oloroso and caramel helping round it off and the finish is fairly dry, very complex and almost interminable.

Comments

This outstanding brandy is distilled from 95% Airén and 5% Palomino grapes in alquitaras and consists entirely of selected holandas. It has an average solera age of 30 years and the butts are very well seasoned with Oloroso mostly for over 100 years. The solera consists of one criadera made up of 600 litre butts which give a gentler initial ageing as the proportion of wood to brandy is less, before the brandy is transferred to the solera which comprises smaller butts of 250 litres which give greater intensity. The Duchy of Veragua was conceded by king Carlos I of Spain to the family of Christopher Columbus in 1537.

Price

39.60 euros, Licores Corredera

Brandy Tres Cepas Solera 36%, Pedro Domecq

Appearance

Lightish amber with bright golden highlights.

Nose

On the light side, fresh with a certain crispness due to a notable content of column still spirit, slight hints of Oloroso and oak barrels. It is fairly basic brandy but very much Jerez nonetheless. There are traces of brown sugar, caramel and very faint rancio and dried fruit notes.

Palate

Light and fairly crisp at first then it opens out a little giving off  a certain lightly caramel sweetness with mild Sherry and faint oak notes which leave a faint hint of tannin. It is not particularly sophisticated yet there is nothing wrong with it and it is remarkably easy to drink on its own and is ideal for cocktails and mixed drinks.

Comments

This brandy was introduced in 1902 and distilled from Airén grapes at Domecq´s own distillery in Tomelloso, La Mancha. It probably consists of not much more than the required 50% holandas with the rest coming from column stills and was aged in solera using butts previously seasoned with Oloroso and has a probable average age of about a year. It was not terribly different to Fundador though perhaps slightly inferior yet it sold in huge quantities mainly in export markets. "Tres Cepas" translates as "three vines" and shouldn´t be confused with Tres Copas (three goblets) from González Byass. Both have long disappeared from the Spanish market but Tres Cepas is available in Equatorial Guinea, the Philippines (a huge brandy market) and parts of Latin America, though completely re-packaged and labelled as "light". The policy of current brand owner Emperador seems to be to make as many versions as possible of their well known brands - there are now 11 versions of Fundador!

Price

20 euros per litre, Mantequería Jerezana

 

17.3.19 EU to Modify Regulations on Average Age and Sugar Content in Spirits

Spanish Eurodeputy Pilar Ayuso has received the support of the European Parliament for her report suggesting two changes to the regulations covering spirit drinks which date from 2008. The first change is the harmonisation of the maximum permitted sugar content which permits existing limits in each category in individual national regulations without prejudice to lower limits which may already exist. Until now certain member states have had limits and others have not. The maximum permitted sugar content in Brandy de Jerez is 35 g/l. and the use of spirit caramel (E150 – also used in Scotch Whisky) is also permitted for colouring purposes but it has no effect on flavour.

The second change, one which the trade has been seeking for years, allows for the average age of spirits aged in traditional criadera and solera systems such as rum and Brandy de Jerez, which have been produced for centuries, to be included on the label rather than the age of the youngest component of the blend, something nobody wants to put on the label. The EU will now accept the solera system and the method of calculating average age. These modifications will allow for clearer and more informative labelling and benefit producers and consumers alike.

Annual spirits production in the European Union amounts to some 37.5 million hectolitres worth around 23 billion euros. There are over 240 EU spirits with a geographical indication of origin (IG).

Brandy Lepanto Solera Gran Reserva PX 36%, González Byass

Appearance

Deep brown tinged mahogany with copper glints fading to amber with a trace of green at the rim.

Nose

Rich and clean with distinct wood notes of old oak and vanilla along with hints of walnut and fruit notes from the PX like raisin, prune, dried fig and faint traces of orange zest and rancio. The PX fruit is very well integrated and not overpowering but certainly noticeable and there is also a very slight brown sugar sweetness. Very elegant.

Palate

Big and rich with a certain caramel/brown sugar sweetness and all that dried fruit flavour which balance out any spiritiness, and some very slight oak tannin undertones. There is a gentle texture, probably from the PX and the oak, and a very long dry finish with a nice twist of rancio at the end.

Comments

Aged for twelve years in ex Tio Pepe butts and a further three years (totalling 15) in butts which had previously held the firm´s wonderful Pedro Ximénez VORS Noé for at least 30 years, this is the last remaining brandy to be distilled in Jerez. It is made from Palomino grapes picked just a little earlier than they would be for Sherry, giving a must of a little over 10% alcohol and a little more acidity, ideal for distilling, which is done in the traditional "Charentes" style copper pot stills which give holandas of the highest quality. The firm began distilling in the 1850s and the Lepanto solera dates back to 1864 after new larger stills were installed by Scottish distilling technician, a Mr Thomson. They have been replaced since then of course. This is one of three versions of Lepanto: the original at twelve years old and the two cask-finished versions: OV (Oloroso Viejo) and this PX, both with an average age of 15 years.

Price

32.50, Roali

Brandy Carlos I Solera Gran Reserva PX Finish 40.3%, Osborne

Appearance

Very deep browny mahogany with reddy coppery highlights fading to amber with a faint trace of green at the rim.

Nose

Full, rich and forthcoming with decidedly PX notes of dried fruit like dates and raisins and faint notes of caramel, molasses, coffee, toasted almond, walnut and a faint trace of cacao and a fainter still trace of rancio. There is a certain element of sweetness which balances nicely with notable oak aromas some younger than others but overall a lovely nose.

Palate

Full bodied with a certain sweetness which is very attractive due mainly to caramel, vanilla, chocolate and dried fig. The tannic elements are well contained by the inevitable sweetness of the PX but the spirit shines through and it all works harmoniously at the very long finish.

Comments

This excellent and fairly recently launched brandy is basically standard Carlos I but with extra ageing - or "finishing" as the whisky people say - in very old butts selected from the Pedro Ximénez solera established in 1902. The Carlos I solera dates back to around 1889 and the brandy was originally produced by Pedro Domecq but the brand was sold to Osborne in 2008. It is made from 100% Airén grapes grown, vinified and distilled in pot stills at the firm´s own distillery in La Mancha and aged in soleras in the firm´s Bodegas del Tiro in El Puerto de Santa Maria. The effect of the PX on the brandy is very marked yet it is not too sweet and it works extremely well with lots of depth and flavour.

Price

36.90 Licores Corredera

24.2.19 Brandy de Jerez Sales Rise for First Time in a Decade

It is only a rise of 0.7% but after a decade of serious decline it offers a ray of hope. Back in 2009 increasing taxation led many large selling brands of Solera Brandy, such as Veterano, Centenario, Decano, 501, 103, Felipe II and Soberano to leave the DO Brandy de Jerez becoming “Bebidas Espirituosas” which could be sold more cheaply at lower strengths and often no longer containingonly pure grape spirit. This of course led to a huge drop (28.7%) in the sales statistics of Brandy de Jerez. 

Then there was the financial crisis. Sales have declined 75% in the last 12 years and are currently running at 9.2 million litres of which 3.2 million are domestic sales and the rest export, however while Spain saw a rise of 7.3%, exports fell by 3.5%, largely in the Solera category which fell by 12% to 3.9 million litres. Solera Reserva and Solera Gran Reserva are holding firm with sales of 3.8 million litres and 1.5 million respectively. A far cry from total sales of 45 million litres before the Solera brandies left the DO.

There has been much innovation in Brandy de Jerez with the superb single cask brandies of Fernando de Castilla and cask finished versions of Lepanto and Carlos I for example, not to mention the launching of new brands like Valdespino´s Maximum. And there has been much investment, mainly from Filipino entrepreneurs like Andrew Tan and Lucio Co. The brandy is still profitable but needs to get back in fashion. Let us hope this modest rise in sales heralds a well deserved revival, and while the brandy sector as a whole has been depressed for a while, things seem to be looking up.