French brandy producer St-Rémy has launched a limited edition oloroso Sherry cask-finished expression as the fifth bottling in its Cask Finish Collection.
Created by Cécile Roudaut, St-Rémy master blender, each expression in the Cask Finish Collection is a “distinctive exploration into the encounter between French brandies and wood”.
For the latest bottling, Roudaut selected 10 casks that previously held oloroso Sherry from the Spanish city of Jerez. The casks brought notes of red fruits, cherry, fig, dates, fresh butter, ginger and liquorice to the brandy.
Roudaut said: “The dance between brandy and Sherry wood is like an expressive tango. The oloroso Sherry casks create incredibly rich notes of red fruits, figs, dates, and cooked and candied fruits to St-Rémy brandy.”
Roudaut’s time working in the wine industry inspired her cask selection. Prior to working in spirits, she learned about the winemaking process and grape varieties, and explored the influences of casks.
St-Rémy launched the first bottling in its Cask Finish Collection, a brandy finished in French Chardonnay casks, in September 2018. It was followed by three expressions aged in rum, Islay Scotch and Cabernet Sauvignon casks in July 2019.
“Since its successful launch in 2018, the St-Rémy Cask Finish Collection has become an important part of our range,” said St-Rémy global brand director Hervé Buzon. “Every new release is highly anticipated, and demand is strong, we have to carefully manage allocations for the limited number of bottles issued.”
St-Rémy Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish (40% ABV) is limited to 17,800 bottles and available in 700ml and one-litre formats.
The new expression will launch this month in Canada, Mexico, Norway, Finland, UAE, Taiwan, Russia and China. From 2021, the product will be available in global travel retail markets such as UAE, Australia, Germany, Canada, New Zealand, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Singapore.