by Ernie Scheiner
A WIX Software translation
The Scottish company Edrington is taking new, surprising paths,
which is famous for many sherry-based whiskies.
Since the new building and opening of the Macallan distillery in 2019
the Annual production will rise to 15 million liters in 2024.
What is obvious,
to acquire a sherry producer
and cooperages to buy?
This will happen in 2023 and 2024.
Rumors have become more concrete in recent years. Employees of the Edrington Group based in Jerez regularly checked the quality of the seasoning process, the quality of the sherries used and the barrels that coopers had been making for Macallan in the Tonelerias Vasyma , Tevasa and Hudo for decades. For years, the inspectors had been conducting audits in the Tonelerias and Bodegas where the winemakers flavored the MAC barrels with Manzanilla, Fino, Oloroso, Amontillado, Palo Cortado, Moscatel or Pedro Ximénez sherries.
Constantly checking quality is essential for the consistency of whisky products.
The first surprise
In March 2023, the Diario de Jerez published a message that surprised the whisky world:
The Edrington Group strategically acquired 50% of the shares in the renowned Grupo José Estévez Bodegas y Vinedos . Their wineries - Jose Lena Rendon, Felix Ruiz and Ruiz, Marques del Real Tesoro , Hijos de Rainera Pérez Marín y M. Gil Luque (Manzanilla La Guita ) produce a variety of first-class sherry wines from the top DO Jerez locations.
The Estévez Group also cultivates vineyards in the best locations in the Marco de Jerez, including Valdespino , probably the most prestigious and historic brand in Jerez. The history of Bodega Valdespino is said to date back to 1264. Connoisseurs like to call it the Grand Cru of Jerez. Of course, this partnership allows long-term access to the best seasoning wines, which are ideal for seasoning the inner staves of new barrels and thus lay the foundation for aromatic Macallan single malts.
Facts: The Bodega Valdespino cultivates around 750 hectares of vineyards in the DO Jerez. The Pedro Ximénez grapes for the El Candado PX sherry do not grow in Valdespino itself, but inland in the Montilla-Moriles region, sixty kilometers south of the city of Cordoba. After the harvest and the subsequent raisining of the PX grapes laid out in the sun on plastic fleece, the dried grapes are pressed. As a result, the water in the grapes evaporates, the aromas condense and the sugar concentration increases considerably. The extremely sweet PX Montilla must or young wine (around 400 g sugar/l) is brought to the bodega by tanker trucks and processed there by the winemakers. Cellar masters then vinify the fermented musts and young wines into sherry in the Valdespino bodegas using a classic Criadera-Solera method. However, the PX end product is called Sherry and has the designation of origin Jerez, although the base wines actually come from the Montilla-Moriles region and the grapes were grown there.
In addition, the PX young wines can easily be aged in seasoning barrels in Jerez. Wines made from Palomino and Moscatel grapes - Manzanilla, Fino, Oloroso, Amontillado, Moscatel - thrive in the Valdespino vineyards and can be made into Sherries in the Criadera-Solera. expanded or 'trained'. However, these products are among the high-priced qualities on the international market.
The dry 15% vol. Valdespino Do Inocente Fino is the only single-vineyard sherry whose Palomino grapes grow in a 56.2 hectare vineyard in the Pago Macharnudo Alto of Jerez with the best Suelo Albariza. Along with the Tio Diego , the Valdespino Fino is the fortified wine that undergoes maturation in oak barrels in a complex, ten-stage criadera system . The must is also fermented in oak barrels and not in steel tanks as is the case at other bodegas. The maturation period in the lowest solera lasts around eight years. The Estévez Group 's product list is long.
For information see also the German supplier of Valdespino Sherries: Vincampo
This partnership
"will create an exclusive source of high-quality oak casks for The Macallan, which will contain premium sherry from the Estévez vineyards and will be stored in the bodegas in Jerez and Sanlúcar de Barrameda."
Source: Macallan website.
With this cooperation, Macallan secures a sustainable competitive advantage over other whisky producers, especially since due to a lack of demand, not all of the exquisite Valdespino young wines can be matured in a Criadera-Solera. They are used for seasoning the botas envinadas con vinos de Jerez .
The "socio ideal" partnership thus also secures the economic existence of the Estévez bodegas, which the Estévez family only acquired in 1999.
The chairman of the Consejo Regulador de Jerez , César Saldaña, welcomed the market-stabilizing effect of the new partnership. In 2015, the council had already established certification guidelines for seasoning barrels, which opened up new sources of income for the bodegas. They protected the term "Sherry Cask".
Source: https://www.sherry.wine
The second surprise
Just a few months later, in September 2023, the long-standing Macallan cask supplier Vasyma was taken over. Ventura Nuñez and José Puerto founded the cooperage in the city of Jerez in 1985 and developed it into a highly respected cooperage in the whisky industry. Their specialty is sherry butts made from American oak. The main customer was and still is Macallan.
Production and seasoning at Vasyma.
A joint venture between cooperage and wood supplier will in future supply the oak wood for barrel construction at Vasyma from the Ohio-based Coopers Oak LLC Company . For the Edrington Group - Macallan, Highland Park and Glenrothes - this is a further step towards securing the delivery of seasoned sherry barrels to Scotland. But that's not all, another partnership was soon to be formed that attracted a lot of attention.
Vasyma and Tìo Pepe. A collaboration.
The seasoning of the barrels of the Tonelería Vasyma in their own Bodega San Andrés in Jerez, built in 2018.
The Third Surprise
The family-run Cooperage Tevasa (Terrenos y Vas ij a s, SA ), also based in the city of Jerez since 1982/3, originally emerged indirectly from the northern Spanish sawmills for barrel wood in Lugo and Cabezón de la Sal, founded in 1958. At the time, they supplied the cooperages of Jerez de la Frontera and El Puerto de Santa María with raw wooden staves made of northern Spanish oak for the construction of barrels that were suitable for sherry wine aging. The family business was founded by Narcisco Fernández des Prieto, the father of the current CEO Narcisco Fernández Iturraspe. The idea of processing northern Spanish oak in Jerez was an obvious one.
The Tevasa cooperage, which traditionally works according to classic artisanal methods, is in no way comparable to the US cooperages that semi-automatically produce thousands of barrels per day for the bourbon industry on an assembly line.
Tevasa Botas...Toneleria Tevasa.
"Forestal del Sur SL was founded in the early 1970s with the intention of marketing and exporting sherry casks vinified with sherry wine for the Scottish whisky market for at least two years, from 900 hectares of the currently just under 7,000 hectares registered in the Designation of Origin. The main market for these staves was the cooperages of Jerez de la Frontera and El Puerto de Santa María."[sic]
NB: the figures vary.
Source : Tevasa website
TEVASA has been supplying mainly sherry butts to the Scottish and international whisky industry for many years. The containers of various sizes are soaked with young sherry for 12, 18, 24, 36 months and more in Sanlúcar de Barrameda and other places in the sherry triangle of Sanlúcar, Santa Maria and Jerez. Edrington has always been the main buyer, but there are also distilleries such as Kavalan, Tamdhu, Whyte & Mackay, Dalmore and Jura, among others in the Seasoning-Envinado bodegas.
A few facts: The oak comes from the forests of Galicia, Asturias and Cantabria. In the sawmills, the logs are cut to size and the wood is sawn into planks. The blanks are the length of the respective barrel size. They are stacked into towers and dried "mature" in wind and weather for four to six months at the sawmill site. The raw staves are then dried again for 16 to 18 months at the binding site in the Andalusian sun. They are not quick-dried in heating rooms like in many American cooperages. The raw staves reach maturity at a moisture content of around 14%, then they are finely cut into barrel staves by the coopers, sanded and shaped to the barrel length. 32 to 36 staves are needed for a 500 litre butt. In contrast to the American barrel, the inside of a Spanish barrel is not charred - charcoal burned - but toasted. This happens while heating and bending the staves into the barrel under open oak fires.
CEO Narcisco Fernández Iturraspe (left) and his motivated coopers in 2019
A new institutional holding was created between Tonelería Tevasa and its associated sawmills Forestal Peninsular, Forestal Peninsular Cantabria in Lugo and Cabezón de la Sal, all under the management of Narcisco Fernández Iturraspe.
The Tevasa Forestal Group, a company that was specifically legally established for the association, facilitated the contractual cooperation. It sold 50% of the share capital to the Edrington Group, giving it equal voting rights in economic decisions. The family businesses became a joint-stock company with two owners.
Edrington thus secured a monopoly on barrel production in Jerez, which ensures a constant supply of seasoned barrels.
Following the expansion of production with the newly built Macallan distillery in 2019 , with a production capacity of 15 million litres of alcohol, the annual demand for sherry casks is enormous, as the 16 Dunnage and 35 huge racked warehouses must be constantly filled .
The new cooperations and acquisitions secure Edrington's distilleries' annual cask requirements in the long term.
The alternatives in Jerez
Four independent Tonelerias remain in Jerez: Huberto Domecq (also supplies to Macallan), as well as Antonio Páez Lobato and Tonelería 8 Artesanos .
The cooperage José y Miguel Martín is newly established in Jerez. The production site of the barrels is Bollullos par del Condado near Huelva, it is located outside the DO Jerez and belongs to the DOP Condado Huelva. Smaller casks are often made and delivered by other Spanish cooperages. In October 2015, Martin acquired the Jerez-based Bodega Valdivia (formerly Ruiz-Mateos) from a bankrupt estate due to the strict certification requirements of the Consejo Regulador . The jewel of the bodega is a 250-hectare vineyard 'Pato de la Plata', which is located in the Jerez Superior Zone. This is probably the secret of Valdivia's exceptional sherry qualities. According to their own statements, they also purchase old Solera sherries from small bodegas. It is currently unknown whether these high-quality sherries are used to season the Miguel Martín barrels.
With the purchase of Valdivia, Martín SL was given the opportunity for the first time to be certified by the Consejo Regulador de vinos de Jerez y Manzanilla. Seasoning casks intended for certification must be filled with sherry from the DO Jerez and matured there for at least twelve months exclusively in the DO Jerez-Xérèz. Martín seasoning casks intended for the whisky industry are therefore currently stored in newly built warehouses in Sanlúcar de Barrameda on the Atlantic coast and in the buildings of the Bodega Valdivia. Barrels are also being flavored in a newly built gigantic hall complex on the motorway exit from Jerez to Puerto. The maturing halls are located directly opposite the renowned Bodega Williams & Humbert. The official name of the Bodega approved by the Consejo is José y Miguel Martín.
The upper photos of Bodega Valdivia were taken in 2018. The lower photo is from Google Maps Copyright.
See link to Google Map...Copyright source. The warehouses of José y Miguel Martín.
NB : Martín casks, which used to mature exclusively in Bollullos and are still maturing, may only be sold by the distilleries as Oloroso Cask and not as a Sherry Cask Example : The Glenfarclas Fino Cask 1966 Release , released in 2013, matured for 47 years in three Fino casks.
Note: Miguel Martín tried unsuccessfully to patent the term Sherry Cask years ago.
The beginnings of José y Miguel Martín (left). The new cooperage in Bollullos Par del Condado, Huelva, from the outside. In the multi-storey steel rack warehouses, the barrels are flavoured with liqueur wines. All photos are from 2018.
In Bollullos, near the town of Huleva, the Tonelerias Diego Martín and Juan Luis Salsas are also active. In Puerto de Santa María, the Toneleria Southern Casks operates. Héctor Cardénas runs a cooperage with its own attached Bodega Cardénas.
Example: The Diego Martin Rosado cooperage in Bollullos in the DO Huelva
The alternatives in Montilla
The Montilla -based cooperages Casknolia - Toneleria del Sur , Juan Pino and José Luis Rodriguez work with the standards approved by the Consejo Regulador the DO Jerez - Xérès - Sherry approved Bodegas Evinadoras . They offer high-quality, certified Seasoned Sherry Casks for the international whisky industry.
Example Casknolia
Antonio José Bustillo Pérez (photo below right) is the innovative and decorated oenologist with a doctorate who founded the Bodega Artisan Xeranthia in Jerez in 2017. Rafael Cabello from the Casknolia cooperage seasons some of the barrels made by his coopers in Montilla. Since the prescribed rules are followed, all barrels carry the Jerez certificate when they are sent to the whisky distilleries.
"Our Legacy Casknolia Sherry Casks maturing in Artisan Xeranthia winery in Jerez, every cask is certified from Jerez/Sherry Denomination of origin, 24 months time when the oxidation of the wine will have a fantastic influence on the single malt,"
emphasises master cooper Rafael Cabello. Casknolia Casks can be found in renowned whisky distilleries around the world, including Glenallachie, Glendronach and St Kilian.
Example Rodriguez
Around 1970, José Luis Rodriguez founded the cooperage in the north of the town of Montilla. Together with his sons, around 40 coopers work for customers all over the world, including Boann, Milk & Honey, Inchdairnie and Heinrich Habbel. It is probably the largest cooperage in the wine town with the oldest Spanish family-run Bodega Alvéar, founded in 1729. Montilla is the secret capital of Pedro Ximénez wine production.
Rodriguez processes oak from Spain, America and Central Europe into barrels of different sizes depending on the customer's wishes.
In Montilla they run their own bodega (Cortijo), where they press the raisined PX grapes and process them into young wines. For the seasoning with Pedro Ximénez liqueur wines, Rodriguez cooperates with the local Bodegas Aurora and Navarro. In the neighboring town of Montalban, in the Bodegas Del Pino, they even produce kosher barrels for the Milk & Honey Distillery in Tel Aviv under the supervision of a Rabi. In Jerez, they have been working with the Bodega Sanchez Romate for many years and can therefore also offer certified sherry barrels for the whisky industry. Rodriguez is also known for the renovation and distribution of genuine and old Bodega Solera Butts.
Tonelería Rodriguez. Bodega Navarro in Montilla.
Senior-Master Cooper José Rodriguez. Solera Butts being renovated. Photos by Henk Meijer, Export Manager Rodriguez.
Beispiel Juan Pino
The Tonelería, run by the Pino family, binds barrels of different sizes from Spanish, American and European oak as required. It also prepares old Solera Sherry Casks sourced from bodegas in the D.O. Jerez for filling with whisky spirits.
Using traditional artisanal methods, the coopers make barrels from oak that grows in the forests of Galicia, Asturias and Cantabria as required.
"We work with many renowned wineries to mature our barrels. The barrels can be matured with various types of sherry such as Oloroso, Fino, Manzanilla, Amontillado, Pedro Ximenez or Moscatel."
For example, certified sherry barrels - Bota Jerezana - are matured with sherry in the Bodega González Byass, Bodega Fundador or Bodegas Romate. Its own bodega in Montilla also allows seasoning with Pedro Ximénez wines.
The Tonelería Juan Pino and its barrels are represented in many warehouses of the international whisky industry.
Fotos The Gateway to Distillieries und St Kilian Distillers, Mario Rudolf.
Opinions
“Tevasa and The Macallan have worked together for over 40 years, sourcing and processing the finest European oak casks to create this incomparable whisky.
Everyone in our cooperage in Jerez and in the sawmills in Galicia and Cantabria is delighted to be partnering with The Macallan and to contribute even more to the craftsmanship that helps the brand stand out as one of the finest spirits in the world,”
says CEO Narcisco Fernández Iturraspe.
His business partner Paul Hyde, CFO of Edrington, says:
“Tevasa, Forestal Peninsular and Forestal Peninsular de Cantabria have been valued partners of The Macallan for over four decades, supplying the brand with casks of outstanding quality thanks to the craftsmanship and skills of their staff in Jerez and northern Spain.
We look forward to working even more closely together than ever before as we focus on continuing the excellence and innovation that are the hallmarks of The Macallan Single Malt Scotch Whisky.”
First conclusion
For Edrington, the supply chain of first-class Spanish oak from the north of Spain - Galicia, Asturias and Cantabria - remains exclusively preserved and secured for Macallan. In the future, the Edrington Group will have a say in the production, seasoning and distribution of Vasyma and Tevasa casks to existing and potential other Scottish and international distilleries.
Edrington will therefore have a competitive advantage if Tevasa and Vasyma supply all or a large part of their production in the future due to increased demand for Macallan, Highland Park and Glenrothes. The other whisky distilleries will only have to conclude medium or long-term supply contracts with the other cooperages that are still independent.
The race has already begun
The " £20 million 'cathedral of whisky' distillery" under construction west of Glasgow - south of Greenock on the south bank of the Firth of Clyde in Inverkip Ardgowan In the first phase, starting in 2025, the company plans to distill around one million litres of pure alcohol and process it into whisky.
According to the company, the future even allows for an increase in capacity to two million liters in the second phase. On the historic Ardgowan Estate, opposite the Isle of Arran, parts of the barley spirits, which are twice distilled in two pairs of Swan Neck Pot Stills, are to mature in sherry casks. It is therefore no wonder that as early as spring 2023, CEO Martin McAdam, together with lead investor and Director of Investments, Roland Grain, signed a contract for the supply of sherry casks for the Lowland Distillery worth " £100 million" with Toneleria José y Miguel Martín . This is intended to "...secure a decades long supply of 'infinity casks.' " Stuart MacPherson, who will be Master of Wood at Edrington - Macallan, Highland Park, Famous Grouse, Glenrothes - until July 2022, probably suggested this partnership in good time and with foresight. However, the first seasoning barrels are already maturing.
"The Ardgowan Infinity cask is specifically designed for us and is the first unique cask design for the Scottish Whiskey industry in over a century.
The casks are specifically designed for long-maturation and will be seasoned with organic sherry for 27 months – far longer than the industry standard of 12-18 months."
CEO Martin McAdam proudly explained,
“While others hurry to take their whiskey to market
Ardgowan has made a conscious decision to delay
“The introduction of our single malt to market to make sure we’re getting the most out of these special casks.”
(Source Ardgowan press release).
Translation into English : " The Ardgowan Infinity cask was designed specifically for us and is the first unique cask design for the Scottish whisky industry in over a century. The casks are specifically designed for long maturation and are aged in organic sherry for 27 months - far longer than the industry standard of 12 to 18 months. While others are in a rush to get their whisky to market, Ardgowan has made the conscious decision to delay the launch of our single malt to ensure we get the most out of these special casks."
NB: The mysterious Ardgowan Infinity Cask ™ has been protected as a registered trademark and is therefore exclusively barrelled for the distillery in Jerez for Ardgowan medium toasted. They are subjected to a long "seasoning for 30 months" with certified Oloroso Sherry in Miguel Martín's warehouses in Sanlúcar de Barrameda near the Atlantic. Only ten percent of the barrels are to be filled with Pedro Ximénez Sherry.
"Each Infinity casks costs fifty times more than a typical cask...
but to us this cost is irrelevant, the priority is achieving a perfect balance of spirit and wood influence and time is of no consequence."
NN*
" The only way to own an Infinty Cask is by becoming a chieftain."
Only 100 Chieftains or their heirs will be able to enjoy the contents for a one-time payment of one hundred thousand British pounds sterling for a hundred years.
*The source is known by name to the author.
About the author
Ernie - Ernst J. Scheiner is the editor of the portal The Gateway to Distilleries www.whisky-distilleries.net He photographically documents over 150 distilleries from the inside and describes the production of whiskies in detail. Since his studies at the University of Edinburgh, he has been involved with the subject of whisky and has published in specialist magazines
such as The Ireland Journal, Kleinbrennerei, Whisky Passion and The Highland Herold . Features and stories appeared in the blogs whiskyexperts, whiskyfanblog and whiskyintelligence . As head of the VHS Ingelheim, and now as whisky ambassador, he leads distillation colleges, study trips and whisky culture tours to the sources of whisky.
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