Gonzalez Byass uses own sherry connections to move into whisky

Gonzalez Byass has started using its sherry connections as a means to move into new categories and target different demographics.

The company, which is known for its Tio Pepe and Pedro Ximenez sherries, told the drinks business at the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference all about its unique relationship with the sherry and spirits categories.

Violaine Creuzé, global duty free and travel retail director international e-commerce coordinator at González Byass said: “In travel retail, what is important for us – we have launched a travel version of Tio Pepe with a sleeve for travellers and the other novelty is that we are doing sherry cask-ageing for big brands of whiskies like Whyte & Mackay and The Macallan as well as having made our own whisky and sherry-aged it too.”

Speaking about the sherries, Marta Molina Ballesteros, who looks after international marketing, at González Byass identified how sherry was now targeting younger demographics of drinkers via mixology and had started doing what it could to stay relevant for consumers.

She explained: “We are focusing on mixology to encourage young people. In the UK, Tio Pepe is already well-known and so sales have increased exponentially, but we are also involving mixologists and bartenders to use Tio Pepe for their cocktails in many other countries. Bartenders want to experiment and participate in competitions using sherry.”

Eva Kurnick, international brand manager at González Byass also noted how the company also wanted to “talk about Nomad” and showcase their latest offering – a whisky that was aged in sherry casks in Jerez.

Kurnick highlighted how,“Scottish whisky and Irish whiskey is often just made in one place, but instead of using Tio Pepe casks and sending casks to Scotland, the company said: ‘Okay, lets take whisky to Jerez and age it there’. We tried different sherries and the one that gave the best taste was Pedro Jimanez, so we made Nomad and have just revealed the Triple Cask. This was aged for six years in Scotland and then one more year in Jerez in Pedro Jimanez casks. Jerez gives it, by changing the environment with the humidity and the wind changes, a different sweeter taste.”

Kurnick added: “Our Triple Cask is a top premium whisky aged for six years and then brought to Jerez and had two other different casks used – so it is actually triple-casked. We think this is an authentic thing to do for González Byass as a company because we are producers of sherry, so it is an evolution of what we are already doing. The Nomad Triple Cask retails at around £54 per bottle.”