Brandy de Jerez, or Sherry Brandy is a premium brandy whose unique characteristics are attributable to the region in which it is produced and whose quality is ratified by the European Protected Geographical Indication scheme. It differs from other brandies in that it has its own unique flavour and aroma profile which is the result of its traditional distillation process which employs the soleras and criaderas method of storing and layering casks used in Jerez-Xerez-Sherry designation of origin brandies.
The production of Brandy de Jerez starts with a young, balanced base wine made with the Airén or Palmino grapes grown in the Jerez region. After the complex soleras-criaderas distillation process comes the equally important ageing, or maturation, which takes place in wooden casks, called botas that have previously held sherry. They are typically made of American oak with a capacity of 500 to 600 litres and they would have once contained Fino, Amontillado, Oloroso, Palo Cortado or Pedro Ximénez. Varieties of the D.O. Vinos de Jerez. In the case of the darker Gran Reserva brandies, the casks are impregnated with dry Oloroso or slightly sweet Pedro Ximénez sherries and aged for between eight and twelve years.
The result is an exclusive product of the highest quality with a superb aromatic and intense flavour. To enjoy fully, it should be served in a smifter glass and the quantity has to be just right – not so much that it could spill when tipped horizontally – and at a maximum temperature of 10º or 15º to optimise all its flavour and aroma nuances.
