Capn Jimbo's Rum Project Forum

[Capn Jimbo]

More mythbusting...


More and more we are all exposed to reviews and posters speaking glowingly - or hatefully - about the dreaded or revered "sherry profile". These are put forth on the basis that they hold a very old belief - a myth - that there is "leftover sherry" in the used sherry barrels. See our nearby post (here).

Fact One: the "sherry profile" is actually a sort of apricot and orange overtone, not sherry.

Fact Two: although there are some minor effects due to compounds retained in the barrel, Macallan has found that it is the wood - not the previous contents - that have the major effect on profile, not "leftover" sherry or bourbon.

Fact Three: the Spanish oak used to make sherry barrels has perhaps 40 times the tannins of American oak. Tannins are catalysts that promote oxidation and the creation of new flavors and aromas, ie new compounds. The idea that "absorbed sherry" remains unmodified is incorrect.

Fact Four: the single malt industry actually uses 300,000 to 400,000 used bourbon barrels annually, compared to only 18,000 used sherry barrels (Whiskeywise.com). But you don't notice much comment about single malts "bourbon profile".

Fact Five: Sherry barrels are very, very expensive to use. One source noted that the use of ex-sherry barrels costs about $300 per fill, compared to about just $40 per fill for ex-bourbon barrels. Typical estimates state that ex-sherry barrels are ten times as expensive as ex-bourbon.


Bottom Line:

If you remember butt one thing (pun intended) it's that the previous contents are not nearly as important as the wood itself (species of oak) in iinfluencing aroma and flavor.

The notion that there is leftover bourbon or sherry, akin to simply pouring a pitcher of old spirits into the barrel, is simply hogshead wash. Otherwise all rum and whisky would taste like either bourbon or sherry.

Of course, they dont.
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