Whether whisky or rum, sherry casks shape the flavor of many fine spirits. Yet who actually enjoys sherry on its own? It is time to rediscover this fascinating tradition!

Williams & Humbert | Premium Sherrys

Let's get straight to the point: I simply cannot wrap my head around the fact that the Sherry category still leads a shadowy existence, even though it has a decisive and unique influence in various areas …?!?

As a brief introduction, I'd like to describe a situation that's happened to me many times, both at trade fairs and at tastings: I present a product with a sherry finish – whether whisky or rum, it doesn't matter – and the guests or visitors rave about how great they find that finish. Then I ask whether they've ever actually tried a sherry itself, and 95% (if not more) of the answers come back negative. At that point I stand there thinking: if something really tastes good to me or I really like it, then surely I want to know why! But when I ask why they've never tried a sherry, the answers are usually nowhere to be found, or people "wriggle" their way around one that doesn't really hold up in the end.

Some readers might now feel "caught out," while others might feel confirmed, but consider this: on the one hand, sherry casks are probably the most widely used cask type for the storage, maturation, and finishing of whisky, rum, and other aged spirits. And that's just one area. On the other hand, if you look at today's rum world, you'll find the Solera aging method featured on a great many bottlings. And where does this aging system come from? Exactly: its origins lie in sherry maturation!

So I'm surely not going out on much of a limb when I say I'd like to see a bit more attention paid to this category. This isn't meant as an accusation or an attack, but rather as a wake-up call: Be open-minded and take a real, in-depth look at the subject of sherry. You will certainly discover fantastic products and come to appreciate the tradition and history behind them! On a side note: a trip to Andalusia is also well worth it, and the catacombs of the bodegas are truly impressive.

To lend even more weight to my words, on this double-page spread you'll find high-quality representatives of this category. Each bottling stands on its own, embodying its own style, age and maturation. Every single one is definitely worth a closer look and a sip – because, as they say, actions speak louder than words!

Facts

• The term Sherry goes back to the Moorish name "Sherish," which at the time referred to what is now the town of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, and so represents the birthplace of this category.
• Sherry is a protected designation of origin tied to the Andalusian triangle of towns (Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa María).
• The exact protected designation of origin is: Jerez-Xeres-Sherry DO.
• Only grapes of the varieties Palomino, Moscatel de Alejandría and Pedro Ximénez may be used to produce sherry.
• The main types of sherry are: Fino, Manzanilla, Amontillado, Oloroso, Pedro Ximénez and Palo Cortado.
  
• Smaller subcategories, which are rarer or barely produced anymore, also fall under one of the main types.
  

Colección Anadas

This special series from Bodegas Williams & Humbert truly deserves your particular attention!

• All bottlings are strictly limited.
  
• Vintage bottlings only.
  
• Only the finest and rarest vintages are used here.
  
• Aged individually in cask.
  
• Alongside the exact sherry type, the label also always states the year of production and bottling.