Alexander Murray & Co. Highland 10 Years – Sherry Cask Finish / Rocky Patel Dark Star

46% ABV

Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Sherry Cask Finish

Rise of the Independents 

In the early days of the whisky trade, distilleries sold their spirits mostly in bulk to grocers and merchants who bottled and sold the whisky under their own brand name. These were the original independent bottlers, and they formed an essential element of the business. That is how most of the whisky reached the consumer. But as distilleries started to develop their own product lines and bottle their own brands, their businesses became global, and the independents moved to the margins. 

Little by little, as more distillers updated their business models, the independents shifted from being the principal outlet to sell whisky to being specialty operations that source unique casks and sell them to a discriminating clientele. As time went on and demand for single malt Scotch grew, they became more specialized at finding and selling rare, aged stocks of whiskies from lesser-known distilleries. At times they pushed distillers and blenders to experiment with different cask finishes to achieve different expressions from the same spirit.  

Not wanting to buck tradition and time-tested methods, distillers were often conservative-minded when it came to their practices. So while the distillers and blenders of Distillery X would never release an experimental version of their whisky, doing so through an independent bottler’s brand gave them the freedom to explore and experiment. It’s possible that the cask finishing that is now commonplace in the market was born of these maverick bottler’s experiments. 

Sherry Cask Finishing 

Single malt Scotch finished in sherry casks is said to be a “sherried whisky,” and it’s quite common. Some of the most popular whiskies are sherried, like The Macallan, The Dalmore, Highland Park, Balvenie, and many others which all have a prominent sherry influence. If you drink single malt Scotch with any regularity, you’ve likely tasted a sherried whisky but there is little awareness of the fortified wine called sherry in the U.S. That is unless you’re a James Bond nerd, and there’s nothing wrong with that! There’s a scene in Diamonds Are Forever where Bond, played by Sean Connery, espouses his expertise in sherry. But other than a handful of obscure pop-culture references, sherry suffers from a severe lack of consumer awareness in the U.S., which is a shame because it can make for an enjoyable aperitif or accompaniment for savory tapas in Spanish cuisine. 

Sherry is a Spanish fortified wine from the south of Spain. The most significant sherry-producing region is Jerez de la Frontera in Andalucía. If you were in Spain, you wouldn’t call it sherry, you’d just call it Jerez or Xerez. In fact, the name sherry comes from the British butchering of the name; Xerez became “sherrish,” and that became “sherry.” 

Several factors go into sherry’s impact on a single malt during the finishing process. The type of sherry that filled the casks is at the top of the list. The most common is Oloroso, which is typically a dry sherry that can influence the Scotch with layers of nuts, dried fruit, and spice. Pedro Ximénez, or PX as it is often called, is a much sweeter sherry that can impart notes of raisins, figs, chocolate, and honey. The other sherry types are Fino, Amontillado, Manzanilla, and Palo Cortado. Anytime you see those names on the Scotch label, know that it has been finished in sherry casks and if you enjoy it, seek out other similarly finished single malts. 

Pairing by: Erik Calviño

Tasting Notes: Alexander Murray & Co. Highland 10 Years – Sherry Cask Finish

Dried apricots and green apples are joined by subtle pepper, zest, and vanilla on the nose. A drop of water brings out a mouthful of intense flavors of dried fruit, oak, sweet spice, and vanilla cream. The finish is long and creamy with delicious malt, peaches, and mellow oak. 

Cigar Pairing: Rocky Patel Dark Star

The Rocky Patel Dark Star is covered with an inviting, medium brown wrapper and delivers a balanced and complex combination of nuts, cedar, pepper, and cocoa with a touch of earthiness. Drawing from the cigar after a sip of the ever so slightly diluted single malt introduces tons of fruit and caramel to the smoke. It’s a perfectly complementary pairing.

This article appeared in the May/June 2024 issue. Subscribe today to get the magazine in your mailbox.

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