On the eve of 2019, our company signed a unique contract with the Spanish company «Torres», «The most beloved brand in the world» (Drinks International, Great Britain).
Theory and History
Brandy is a result of the distillation of grape or other wine, aged in barrels. The concept of brandy is very wide. So, there are a large number of varieties of this drink: in fact, cognac is also brandy, but made according to very strict standards in a defined region. In addition, there are a number of non-grape brandies: for example, calvados.
Torres is a very big Spanish winery, located in Catalonia. The history of the company began in 1870, and Torres has been manufacturing brandy since 1928. Today Torres products – wines and brandies – are sold in more than 140 countries around the world. And Torres 10 Gran Reserva is the most popular Spanish brandy in the world (among analogues of the Gran Reserva category). This drink has been produced since 1946.
The Torres brandy range, however, is not limited: the company also produces the simple brandy Torres 5 Reserva, Torres 20, Jaime I and Honorable. Even the simplest Torres 5 Reserva is very decent and the rest is better of course.
Torres brandy is aged in barrels according to the very popular in Spain Solera system. Its essence is that pyramids or whole rows of barrels stacked in storeys are placed in warhouse. In each row there can be several tiers: three or four, in some cases five. In the barrels of the lowest storey (it is called «solera»)there are the oldest alcohols, in the barrels of the second (the 1st «criadera») – younger, and so on.
Several times a year (three or four) the barrels of the lower storey are emptied by a third or a quarter. The contents are mixed, bottled and sent for sale. Alcohols from the barrels of the second tier are poured into the vacated space in the barrels of the lower storey, spirits from the barrels of the third storey and are poured into the vacated space in the barrels of the second storey and so on.
It turns out that the old brandy is mixed with the younger one, which makes it possible to achieve a fairly and multifaceted taste: it is believed that young spirits give the taste the necessary «brightness», and the old ones – the maturity, and the exchange of «experience» occurs several times a year. The number on the bottle (5, 10, 20 …) indicates the age of the oldest alcohol participating in this «blend». When we are talking about the long aging brandy (e.g. 10 or 20 years), «solera solera» can be used. The contents of the lower storey barrels are distilled by another «solera» (in other words, they transfer a third or a quarter of the contents barrels of the lower storey of one «pyramid» into barrels of the upper storey of another.
Brandy strength Torres 10 Gran Reserva – 38% vol. Grape varieties: Parellada, Macabeo and Charello (Parellada, Macabeu y Xarel-lo). Aging – up to 10 years in American oak barrels (10 years is the age of the oldest «part»).
Brandy Torres 10 Gran Reserva has a dark brown color with of mahogany and a reddish-amber shade. The fragrance is deep, intense and quite interesting. Tones of vanilla, cinnamon, nuts, spices. The taste is enveloping, rich, soft, balanced and quite bright. The taste of dried fruits is felt in the drink. The finish is long, harmonious, soft, sweet-spicy.