Use of Alternative Wood for the Ageing of Brandy de Jerez

Abstract

The use of alternative types of wood has arisen for the aging of the Brandy de Jerez, on a pilot plant level. In particular, besides the use of American oak, two more types of oak have been studied, French oak and Spanish oak, allowed by the Technical File for the ID Brandy de Jerez, and chestnut, which, though it is not officially allowed, is a type of wood which had been traditionally used in the area for the aging of wines and distillates. All of them have been studied with different toasting levels: Intense toasting and medium toasting. The study of the total phenolic composition (TPI), chromatic characteristics, organic acids, and sensory analysis have proven that chestnut leads to distillates with a higher amount of phenolic compounds and coloring intensity than oak. This behavior is the opposite as regards the toasting of the wood. Among the different types of oak, Spanish oak produces aged distillates with a higher phenolic composition and a higher color intensity. Regarding tasting, the best-assessed samples were those aged with chestnut, French oak, and American oak, and the assessors preferred those who had used a medium toasting level to those with an intense level.

Aroma of Sherry Products: A Review

“…The composition of a Sherry brandy is determined by: The grape variety from which the initial wine distillate is obtained (mainly Airén, Palomino, and Pedro Ximénez grapes) [ 110 , 111 ]; The fermentation and production conditions of the base wine [ 112 ]; The processing and nature of the initial distillate, a mixture containing varying quantities of holanda (low-grade spirit), medium-grade spirits and distillates (high-grade spirit), with at least 50% of the total ethanol content coming from medium and low grade spirits [ 19 , 113 , 114 ]; The origin and conditioning of the wood cask, i.e., the type of oak and its toasting intensity [ 115 , 116 ]; The preconditioning of the cask with wine, i.e., the type of wine that it has previously contained and for how long [ 13 ]; The previous length or frequency of use of the barrel, i.e., whether it is used to produce brandy for the first time after its preconditioning with wine or it has been used several times to hold and produce brandy [ 117 ]. …”

“…The origin and conditioning of the wood cask, i.e., the type of oak and its toasting intensity [ 115 , 116 ];…”

Characterization of a Spirit Beverage Produced with Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo L.) Fruit and Aged with Oak Wood at Laboratorial Scale

“…Oak is the wood traditionally used in the ageing of wine spirits, especially wine originating from the French region of Limousin (mainly of Quercus robur L species). However, some research has been performed concerning the use of other oak species or other wood species in the aging of spirits [18][19][20][21][22].…”

Application of Functional Data Analysis and FTIR-ATR Spectroscopy to Discriminate Wine Spirits Ageing Technologies

“…The contact of wine distillate with wood is recognised as a pivotal step of the aged wine spirit production, during which its quality increases and sensory fullness can be reached. Scientific evidence exists on the key role of several physicochemical phenomena, particularly the extraction and oxidation reactions involving the wood-derived compounds of low molecular weight, on the chemical changes (quantitative and qualitative aspects of the beverage's volatile and non-volatile composition) and sensory changes (colour, aroma, and taste) occurred [1][2][3]. Besides, they mainly depend on the ageing technology, the kind of wood used (oak and chestnut), and the length of the ageing process [1,4,5].…”