Gran Duque de Alba Spain’s Finest Brandy

Andalucia is the vast, hot region in the south of Spain known for its passionate and colorful flamenco, long siestas, and even longer nights in traditional tabancos where sherry is the drink of choice. Here groups of friends, or tertulias, will finish an evening with a long pour of brandy and a round-up of the day’s gossip and politics. Many questions are raised and discussed, but brandy is always the answer!

Brandy de Jerez can only come from wine grown, aged, and distilled in the famous sherry “triangle” of Jerez, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa María. The premium range of Gran Duque de Alba brandies are made in the cellars of Williams & Humbert in the biggest of these towns, Jerez, whose name is synonymous with the region and wine style.

For over 25 years, Williams & Humbert has been a pioneer in sustainable practices in the Jerez region. During this time, they have eschewed traditional, chemical pesticides in favor of a more wholistic approach to managing their vineyards. A key part of this strategy has been the introduction of pheromones to control pests. They also closely monitor the vines by drones and have conducted extensive research into the soils to adapt their viticultural practices to the natural environment.

In 2015, the winery took an even more important step when they started to implement entirely organic farming principles in their vineyards. In Añina and Carrascal, they planted a new 40- hectare / 98-acre parcel for organic production and they are now aiming to make a certified organic range of sherries.

The key? It’s all about oak! But, not oak to impart flavor or mask the character of the wine. The oak in brandy production is central to the renowned solera system, which resembles a tower of casks, traditionally stacked three or four rows high. The barrels must have already been used in aging one of the main sherry styles of wine, such as fino or oloroso, for at least three years before it can enter into the solera.

For Gran Duque de Alba Brandy, the wine is distilled 100% in pot stills then enters the solera. Brandy de Jerez has to age for at least six months in barrel but is usually aged for much longer — the Williams & Humbert brandy soleras have an average age of 12 years.

The winery draws from the solera for bottling around three times a year. They pull from the oldest barrels and then top up the younger ones so that the average age of the wine in each barrel is continuously increasing. The resulting brandy is uniform in style from the extended blending process and also rich and complex from aging.