The Valdespino Rare Spirits collection unveils authentic treasures for spirits enthusiasts, whose common denominator is aging in casks that previously held the finest fortified wines from this boutique winery in Jerez.
This is a pioneering initiative in the world of spirits, where a numbered and limited range of four spirits, each with complex and distinct characteristics, has been aged in casks that once nurtured Valdespino’s most exclusive and renowned Sherries.
Valdespino is one of the oldest wineries in Jerez, dating back to the 13th century. After the reconquest of Jerez in 1264, King Alfonso X El Sabio granted lands to the knights who aided him, and one of those knights, Don Alfonso de Valdespino, began producing wines. Commercial documents from 1430 attest to the early stages of their activity, which has continued to the present day. Since its inception, Valdespino has been aging high-quality holandas and brandies in its cellar casks. The Valdespino family also began importing select spirits during the early 20th century.
This practice of importing and aging small batches of spirits began as an experiment, exclusively enjoyed by the Valdespino family. These spirits were never commercially released but continued their slow evolution and aging in a corner of the winery. Years later, when the Estévez family acquired Valdespino in 1999, these treasures were discovered during a general inventory of the company’s oldest soleras.
In the 1940s, a shipment of exceptionally pure sugarcane rum was imported from Cuba, which later became the basis for a small solera of Ron Viejo. This rum, with an average age of 20 years, has been aged in centuries-old casks that previously held Valdespino’s oldest olorosos, imparting gentle hints of honey, plum, and spices. It presents complex flavors on the palate, combining sweet spices and citrus marmalade with a woody background. The finish is luscious, with touches of caramel.
Similarly, in the 1950s, through existing contacts with Scottish distilleries that were supplied with casks previously filled with Jerez wines, a selection of Single Malt Whisky was imported to age in Jerez. We’re talking about a 15-year-old malt that has been aged in casks that once held Palo Cortado and Oloroso Sherries, displaying deep and fragrant aromas with an elegant undertone. Notes of tobacco and honey emerge, while it remains very smooth and delicate with a mineral and slightly smoky finish.
This unique collection of spirits continues with the selection of a very limited number of casks of Brandy de Jerez from Valdespino’s solera established in 1842. Their Brandy Solera Gran Reserva, aged for over 30 years, is characterized by maturation in fino and amontillado casks, which lend it a personality highlighted by intense oak and spice notes, with hints of walnut and toffee on the nose. On the palate, it is smooth, warm, and complex, with flavors of cocoa, noble wood, honey, and hazelnut.
The culmination of this exclusive family of products is a triple-distilled Dry Gin produced in small batches, aged for 4 years in a selected cask previously holding Inocente, Valdespino’s iconic fino Sherry, giving it a unique character. We’re faced with a Single Cask gin, of which only 785 numbered bottles have been filled. It has a pale golden color with greenish hues and a subtle and suggestive nose, accentuating vanilla notes. On the palate, citrus, juniper, nut, and mineral notes, the latter two contributed by the fino cask aging, come to the fore, leaving a light and smooth aftertaste with a touch of salinity.