Sherry casks in the whisky industry

sherry cask - sherry seasoned casks

What is a sherry cask?

About two weeks ago I was in the sherry triangle to host a sherry tasting but also to further investigate the relationship between the sherry industry and the whisky industry, more specifically the definition of a sherry cask as used in both industries. I am regularly hosting tastings with a line-up of sherry and whisky, and there is still a lot of confusion among whisky lovers when it comes to sherry and sherry casks.

I’ve already written an article Sherry and oak on my sherry blog but I thought a new one was necessary, this time from a whisky perspective.

In the article I’m looking at what sherry casks were in the past and how this evolved to the current-day ‘sherry seasoned casks’ which are tailor-made for the whisky industry. They have little to do with the production of sherry and while most of the images will show romantic bodegas full of old casks, virtually none of these will end up in Scotland.

I visited Bodegas Lustau with a specific request to try the sherry they use to season casks for John Jameson & Son. It was quite an eye-opener because it’s a very young wine that barely meets the requirements to be called ‘sherry’. In any case you won’t find it on the market in bottled form, and after it has been used to impregnate the casks it will be distilled into brandy or used to produce sherry vinegar.

I’m also looking at ‘genuine’ sherry casks and how they may not necessarily result in better whisky. Last but not least, there’s a small section on ‘genuine’ marketing and transparency about sherry casks.

The article itself is too long for the format of this blog, so I decided to make it available as a PDF: Sherry casks in the whisky industry

There is also a Korean translation available (thank you, Eui-Jeen).

Feel free to comment below.