Alcademics

In September 2010 I visited several sherry bodegas. Here are pictures and a few notes from Bodegas Williams & Humbert. 

(The bodega is absolutely enormous.)

(There's a horse show inside the bodega for visitors.)

(For barrel tasting, the venenciador (in this case, the chief oenologist) inserts the venencia into the barrel to pull out a cup of liquid, then pours above a glass to aerate.)

(From a high perch in the bodega, you can see nearly the whole thing. Center in the picture is a tour group.)

• They make Dry Sack - actually a medium sweetness sherry
• Huge tourist visitor center- enter through the bodega and go to the horse show
• Brandy de Jerez is very popular in the Philippines
• Bowmore 1964 was aged in their casks
• Macallan new casks prepared here
•     New wood with aged sherry added to them
•     The sherry is not sold afterward- too woody
• Fino was first developed in an industrial way in the 1920’s and 30’s
• Dry sack is the top selling medium sweet sherry in the world. 
•     Tio Pepe is top selling fino. (Not made here.)
•     Harvey’s Bristol Cream is the top cream. (Not made here.)
• Dry sack is blended with PX right at the beginning  before it enters the solera system
• 15 year oloroso is very yummy. 
• I also liked Gran Dulque de Alba XO
• They make the Dos Maderas rums
• Liked the VORS amontillado, VOS Palo Cortado