By Mara de Miguel .
Perhaps a priori, when we talk about whiskey we do not identify that drink with Córdoba , and it does not seem like a traditional flavor to us like salmorejo, oxtail or flamenquín.
What if I said there was a very well-kept secret? For years, the barrels that contain our fortified wines have been responsible for aging and giving that characteristic flavor to whiskeys from around the world .
Although we do not directly produce that grain spirit, we are directly involved in the aftertaste or texture of well-known brands that are made with our ingredients in Kentucky , the Highlands or India.
Córdoba flavored whiskey
For a few years now, the company Casknolia-Tonelería del Sur has been one of those in charge of providing these barrels packed with Pedro Ximénez, Amontillado or Oloroso, in collaboration with different wineries in the Montilla-Moriles area to international companies .
And in reality, the barrels or barrels that seem to be dormant in any alley, have an incalculable value for their flavor, their smell and their know-how , although sometimes we forget, and it is companies from other countries who want to. buy them at any price to get the premium ingredient to make your liquid recipe, above grain or water.
A whiskey tasting center in Montilla
Thus, the Cordoba flavor travels in the form of a barrel to unexpected places, although soon you will also be able to visit the new Cooperage Interpretation Center that has been approved by the Montilla City Council so that Casknolia Cooperage can tell the world, in an educational way, all the secrets of palate with whom they work daily.
Depending on the cut of the wood , mainly American oak , or French oak , (although there are still barrels made of chestnut, beech, cherry or ash) different aromas will be transmitted to the aging of the wines and a very particular taste. . Then the type of toasting or burning that is added to the barrel influences, which will give it everything from subtlety to more spicy or spicy tones.
From Córdoba to 32 countries in the world
Of everything related to the threshold of perception about barrels and whiskeys, the one who knows the most is Rafa Cabello , who is the general director of Tonelerías del Sur and who, after his time in the United States collaborating with distilleries, decided to return and promote this project that will involve the activation of a wine-cultural industry through the trade so deeply rooted in Córdoba as cooperage.
Today their signature casks or barrels reach more than 32 countries under the Casknolia brand and they work side by side with prestigious brands, which look for their creations from Montilla as the cornerstone for their product.
Rafa Cabello insists that he does not sell barrels but rather sells flavors and, therefore, culinary experiences. The most interesting thing about this interpretive center of the history of cooperage, which will be located in the Paraje Salguero de Montilla, is that it will have specific facilities dedicated to the tasting and tasting of whiskeys and liqueurs , where tourists and Cordobans will be able to appreciate the transformation of very Córdoba flavors.