To understand the importance of the Sherry cask in the maturation process, it helps to know a little bit about Sherry itself. Put simply, Sherry is fortified wine made in Andalusia, Spain from white grapes; however, to quote the amazing and all-knowing, Karen MacNeil, “Sherry, the unsung hero of the great wine classics, is misunderstood, underappreciated, and wrongly cast as the libation of old ladies.” Ernest Hemingway was a famed fan of Sherry as was much of the British Isles for a time. When casks filled with Sherry were shipped from Spain to ports in the British Isles (including Leith in Scotland), whisky distillers would take the empty casks and refill them with whisky. The result was a win for everyone!
