Osborne 1866 Solera Gran Reserva Brandy, 1 x 700ml

Product Information

Like sherry, it needs to be produced within the sherry triangle formed by the cities of Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlucar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa Maria. Sherry brandy is protected by the D.O. Brandy de Jerez which has its own Consejo Regulador (regulatory council). In fact it is one of just three regulated kinds of brandy in Europe, together with cognac and armagnac in France. The production of sherry brandy starts with a young, neutral, white base wine. Well, neutral is already a positive description. They are rather course wines with a high acidity, not exactly enjoyable on their own. After the leas (bits of skin, pips, etc…) have been decanted, the base wines were traditionally double-distilled in copper pot stills, called alquitaras. The stills were heated directly by a holm-oak fire. Nowadays most of the distilling is done using column stills which is more efficient (continuous distillation). Lepanto is the flagship brandy from González Byass. Its solera was established in 1896, although González Byass had been producing brandy since the 1840s. Mouth: medium body, fairly sweet and oaky. There’s a vague fruity note (maybe orange or peach candy), light hints of Oloroso (dried fruits, raisins, light nuts) and plenty of caramel and cocoa. Some mintiness from the wood as well.

Top single malt scotch 15 YO and under: Chivas Brothers, Ballantine’s The Glenburgie 12 YO Single Malt Scotch Whisky Brandy de Jerez or Sherry Brandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine, just like cognac, armagnac or grappa. You could say it’s a side product of sherry production as the barrels in which the brandy ages are first seasoned with sherry wine. I find it a little strange that a Málaga-based brandy that wasn’t certified to be a Brandy de Jerez can be “transformed” into a premium sherry brandy with certification. Let’s assume they have greatly upgraded the liquid itself too. Mind that this review was written based on the old version (bottled +/- 2016).Andorra is not part of the European Union, therefore, the country’s trade policy is not affected by the strict European regulations of the alcohol market. In addition, Andorra today has the lowest VAT rate in Europe, which is fixed for all types of goods (including alcohol) at 4.5%. Andorra has also no excise on alcohol trade, which is actively practiced by the pan-European taxation on alcohol policy. TORRES BRANDY. Juan Torres Casals began to make aged brandy from the best white wines of Penedès (Barcelona). As part of the process, he distilled the wine and aged it in oak barrels. The work of Juan Torres was recognised and his brandies started to become synonymous with quality Nowadays almost all bodegas are producing one or more types of brandy. Some of the best known brands are Cardenal Mendoza, Terry Centenario, Gran Duque de Alba or Osborne Magno (which gave us the iconic bull image). Top rum: Holyrood Distillery, Elizabeth Yard Diamond Distillery 10 YO Ungrogged American Oak Octave Rum Gonzalez Byass Lepanto uses a double distillation process in copper pot stills, like in the old days.

Andorra produces it’s own alcohol too – in the country there are 4 wine brands that produce wine from varieties of grapes grown in higher altitudes. The taste of Andorran wines is very different from the neighboring French and Spanish plain wines. Wines from European grapes growing in the mountains above 1,000m are a special category. All 4 Andorran wine brands, which are sold in Andorra from € 30 per bottle in shops, are represented in most of the world markets: in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia, and Australia. Look here for details A lot of bodegas also have ultra-premium brandies of very high ages, e.g. El Maestro Sierra Brandy Gran Reserva (40+ yo), Romate Cardenal Mendoza Non Plus Ultra (50+ yo) or Bodegas Tradición Brandy Platinum (50+ yo). Los servicios de terceros son ajenos al control del editor. Los proveedores pueden modificar en todo momento sus INTENSE AND BALANCED. Mahogany coloured with bright amber tones and topaz highlights. Prevailing aromas of caramel, vanilla, dates and toasted hazelnuts. Smooth on the tongue, with an elegant finish featuring touches of toffee and wood Over the years Osborne has accumulated a whole range of sherry brandies. Some of them originated in the firm (like the iconic Veterano and Magno), but many brands were taken over from other bodegas, such as Domecq or Agustín Blazquez.In 2009 the brands Veterano (from Osborne) and Soberano (from González Byass), once market leaders in the category of Brandy de Jerez, decided to lower their alcohol volume below the required minimum of 36% set by the Consejo Regulador. First to 33% and then as low as 30%. This strategic decision placed them outside of the denomination of origin and meant they could no longer use the name. Instead they are now simply spirit drinks which have totally different rules and therefore a much lower production cost. They’re not necessarily pure wine spirits and they’re much younger than the original Brandy de Jerez. Every last Thursday of November at midnight, a celebration of Beaujolais Nouveau is widely celebrated.

Nowadays their portfolio exists of the younger Veterano and Magno (sometimes Brandy de Jerez, sometimes simple spirit drinks depending on their ABV and age), the lower-end Carlos III and Felipe II ( Brandy Solera Reserva, under 3 years of age) and the more up-market Carlos I, Alma de Magno and Conde de Osborne ( Brandy Solera Gran Reserva, aged for 3 years or more). N ose: quite an elegant profile, fresh with bright fruity notes like apricots, grapes and sour citrus. Hints of old wood and leather. Honey coated nuts and a light touch of vanilla. A refined drink, one of the sherry brandies that comes closest to classic Armagnac and Cognac. Indeed, in the IWSC’s top spirits of 2022, you’ll find a strong selection of whiskies, ranging from modern American bourbon to traditional, aged Scotch. There’s also a strong range of gins, with European entries shining brightly at the awards – you’ll find bottles from Estonia and the UK in the list below. Lepanto is the place of a famous 16th century naval battle, near Patras in Greece, where the Spanish Armada was defeated by the Ottomans.

Recent struggle of Brandy of Jerez

The spirits are matured for a minimum of 12 years in Fino sherry casks (ex-Tio Pepe) in a traditional solera system. Recent bottles seem to mention the age on the label but on my bottle this wasn’t the case. Keep in mind that there is a version at 36% ABV and another one at 40% ABV. I guess this is specific to the market you’re in and due to legal requirements or commercial strategy (same thing happens with their entry-level brandy Soberano). In Jerez they make a difference between three types of spirits based on their strength and volatile aromatics: Lepanto is the only brandy distilled entirely in pot stills and the only one actually distilled in Jerez The holandas are matured in wooden casks, botas, that have previously contained sherry. These are not necessarily the same casks that are used in bodegas for the maturation of sherry (which are old, fairly neutral casks). Instead, usually newly made American oak casks are impregnated with sherry for a couple of months until the wood has soaked up the flavours of the wine. When the holandas are matured in these casks, the sherry and oak flavours will slowly be released into the brandy. The older the brandy, the smoother it will become and the more sherry flavours it will take in. AWARD WINNING. World Spirits Awards - Gold Medal 2018. World Brand Awards - Best Brandy Solera 2017 & Gold Medal 2016. International Spirits Challenge - Gold Medal 2016

Just like sherry in general, Brandy de Jerez is matured using the traditional system of Soleras and Criaderas. By periodically topping up casks with slightly younger brandy from the previous row, the bottom row will contain a consistent blend of brandies from different ages. Status: New application awaiting assignment to an examining attorney. See current trademark processing wait times for more information. Nowadays this wine is usually produced from the Airén grape in the provinces of La Mancha and Extremadura. This may seem surprising when you consider there is so much Palomino in vineyards around Jerez. However it is simply a cost issue: Palomino grapes are generally considered too precious for brandy. González Byass Lepanto is the only commercial brandy that is still produced entirely from Palomino, as far as I know. However some producers add a small portion of Palomino (or PX) base wine to the blend before distillation. Holandas have a strength below 70% vol. and contain 200-600 grams of volatile substances per hectolitre of pure alcoholNose: rather oaky, with pencil shavings and peppery notes. Hints of vanilla, orange peels and brown sugar. Underneath is an alcoholic note, making it a bit rougher than I’d like.