WHAT IS THE SOLERA SYSTEM?
In the immensely popular Glenfiddich 15 YO variant, the company uses a Solera system common in the maturation of quality sherry wherein 15yo malt from three different types of casks is married together in a wooden vat, which is constantly topped up to ensure the quality is maintained.
Solera is a process for aging whisky by fractional blending in such a way that the finished product is a mixture of ages, with the average age gradually increasing as the process continues over a length of time. The purpose of this labour-intensive process is the maintenance of a reliable style and quality of the beverage over time. Solera means literally "on the ground" in Spanish, and it refers to the lower level of the set of barrels or other containers used in the process; the liquid (traditionally transferred from barrel to barrel, top to bottom, the oldest mixtures being in the barrel right "on the ground"), although the containers in today's process are not necessarily stacked physically in the way that this implies, but merely carefully labelled.
The Solera and Criaderas Method: The Solera method is more precisely called the Solera and Criaderas method. This method of fractional blending ensures that every bottling contains a small amount of much older liquid as only about one third to one half of the bottom solera cask is removed for bottling; this cask is then topped up from the first criadera (the next oldest), which is then replenished using the second criadera and so on until the last which will be refilled using spirit from the latest maturation, named sobretabla. In the case supra, because the level is restored with mature 15 year old whisky from the upper layers, this maintains the development of the blend, focussing on consistency. This system guarantees the homogeneity created by mixing the different productions, making this product as similar as possible year after year. The process of filling the barrels from criadera to criadera is called rocío.
The Solera System In Whisky
The notion of the Solera system being used in whisky production is interesting. Many distillers are moving away from age statement whiskies in favour of a mixture of ages. Age statements are a useful marketing ploy and help justify spending exorbitant amounts of money for a bottle, but don’t make the liquid inside taste any better.
This Glenfiddich 15 Year Old expression is a special single malt that exemplifies the family's tradition of innovation. Aged in European, American, and New American oak to carefully release the virgin cask flavours, the whisky is then mellowed in unique Solera vats before being married in huge Portuguese oak tuns. Bursting with flavour, the unique maturation process gives this whisky a warm spicy flavour. Silky smooth with multiple layers of sherry oak, marzipan, cinnamon and ginger, it is full-bodied and satisfyingly rich.
The Solera system is unique to Glenfiddich in the Scotch whisky world and uses an idea borrowed from Spanish sherry-makers. The 37,000 litre Glenfiddich Solera Vat has been kept at least half full since it was built and filled with 15 year old Glenfiddich in 1998. As 15 year old Glenfiddich whisky is always used to refill the vat, the whisky is allowed to be given a "15 year old" age statement. But, since the vat has never been emptied, a little of every batch that has ever been in the vat remains behind, mixing with the next batch and creating an award-winning whisky that has much greater depth and character than its 15 years might suggest.
Glenfiddich have picked up on the idea of a Solera vat being used in whisky production. For their 15 year old, Glenfiddich uses a variation of this method. They
use an enormous 37,000 litre vat which gets filled with whiskies aged for fifteen years in different types of
casks. All of the whiskies are combined in the vat and left to blend. The vat
is only ever a third to half emptied to be bottled. The whisky is labelled as their
"15 year old Single Malt Scotch Whisky". For Scotch whisky, the
stated age must refer specifically to the age of the youngest whisky in the components of that mix.
The solera system, by design, imparts consistency of taste and colour on a liquid. People enjoy consistency with their whisky, and distillers spend money adding colouring to whiskies to create this (illusion of) consistency. Bad batches do happen, which can cost distillers time and money and damage reputations if they are provided to the market too frequently. Perhaps the solera system is worthy of consideration for more widespread use.
This is what Glenfiddich says about its 15 YO: Exemplifying the family’s tradition of innovation, the 15 Year Old expression is created using a technique pioneered by their Malt Master and its warm, spicy flavours are transformed with the alchemy of the Solera Vat. Aged in European oak sherry casks and new oak casks, the whisky is mellowed in their unique Solera Vat, a large oak tun inspired by the sherry bodegas of Spain and Portugal. Never emptied, and kept half full of whiskies since 1998, the Solera Vat is the culmination of curious minds and the pioneering spirit of our family. It’s also the secret behind this whisky becoming the first 15 year old expression to enter the top ten best selling single malts.
No comments:
Post a Comment