Sherry is fantastic.

[John Barleycorn]

or like the time Grumpy asked for a Jack and soda, and the simple heifer said, "Orange soda?"

This is why I cannot be indifferent in the war between "pop" and "soda". Normally, I wouldn't mind the regional difference, but soda already means something, especially within the context of a drink order. And when some other use of the word gets in the way of ordering a drink I have to take an uncompromising stand against it.

[Badfellow]

Spain produces "solera method" sherries that are second to none and, as you have discovered, are a rather affordable indulgence.

Here's a simple sherry drink from the 2006 Astonishing New Drink Recipes archeives: The Nutty Drunkard. Enjoy.

[kowalski]

sherry is unbelievably fucking disgusting in my opinion.

[peetie44]

This past week, I needed dry sherry for a recipe. The best I could find was called medium. Hand to heart. I must have been very bad in my previous life, to have been sentenced here .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW_u-htXz5M

C'mon, Savage...you know this one...let's dance!

[ThirstyDrunk]

I just realized that like over 75% of the chicks I have dated and/or lived with had a name that ended in "y".

[Badfellow]

sherry is unbelievably fucking disgusting in my opinion.

Oh? Try stomaching this Sherry...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te1CVVlaJzA

[Badfellow]

Amontillado is the stuff.

Just sayin.

[John Barleycorn]

Whether one likes sherry or not, I think we should all appreciate the fact that sherry is a terrific source of used casks for the Scotch and Canadian whiskey industries. In fact, I suspect that the existence of Lahey's beloved cheap sherry may have a lot to do with the fact that over the last 100 years Scotch manufacturers have had increasing demand for such barrels but the drinking of sherry itself has come to be seen as old fashioned by your average drinker.

[Savage]

And if one is composing a salad, nothing beats sherry vinegar. No, not even that overpriced motor oil Basalmic, Italian in name, but dredged up and bottled in New Jersey.

[The Limey]

Whether one likes sherry or not, I think we should all appreciate the fact that sherry is a terrific source of used casks for the Scotch and Canadian whiskey industries. In fact, I suspect that the existence of Lahey's beloved cheap sherry may have a lot to do with the fact that over the last 100 years Scotch manufacturers have had increasing demand for such barrels but the drinking of sherry itself has come to be seen as old fashioned by your average drinker.

Scottish whisky has always been a recycling industry. Virgin wood simply destroys the delicate and light Scotch and historically Scotch producers have used sherry butts, primarily as the English were the target market and the major consumers, in fact britain consumed almost all the sherry produced. Made popular in Britain when Drake sacked Cadiz and stole the cities supply of sherry. British families founded many of the companies and 'houses' and whipped the industry into shape. The sherry was imported in butts and the Scots found these to their liking for Scotch. After the title "sherry" was protected sherry had to be bottled in Spain. The transportation of butts ceased and the industry collapsed. Sherry butts rot when empty in a matter of days to a week or so.

They attempted to solve this by treating the butts with sulphur candles, but this spoils the whisky. If anyone has ever tasted 'fireworks' or cordite, and other sulphur compounds such as burnt rubber in their whisky, this is why. Luckily the opportunity to use bourbon casks and hogsheads was opened up and is now the staple in Scotland. Bourbon barrels cost around £150-200 and sherry casks cost around £850+. Some distilleries are still almost exclusively sherry casked (Glenfarclas and Aberlour for example).

Funny that now, i know of very few Brits that likes the stuff - i think it's foul. The palest and driest sherry is "Fino" (all sherry is basically dry but is later sweetened usually with Pedro X) and the sweetest is Pedro Ximenez (made from dried grapes) or the truly awful Moscatel. Oloroso is the interesting one, it's dry (the sweetened ones are called Amaroso). Oloroso has the highest %age at around 20% as is used as the main body of the "cream sherries" which are the most easily drinkable sherry.

I prefer port - another old British infatuation. It was British merchants that fortified the Portugese red wine initially to preserve it's freshness. I say i prefer port, i haven't drunk any for many a year.

[John Barleycorn]

I didn't realize that they were no longer able to use sherry casks as easily as they used to. What a shame.

[Savage]

This past week, I needed dry sherry for a recipe. The best I could find was called medium. Hand to heart. I must have been very bad in my previous life, to have been sentenced here .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW_u-htXz5M

C'mon, Savage...you know this one...let's dance!

I danced around the table, but I spilled the drink. Note to self: drink first, then dance.

[The Limey]

I didn't realize that they were no longer able to use sherry casks as easily as they used to. What a shame.

At Midleton Distillery (Jameson, Powers, Redbreast etc.) they import the casks during the winter as they are slower to rot. I think i read somewhere that sulphur candle use has been phased out.

If anyone wishes to try a heavily sherried whisky then go for one of the Aberlour A'bunadh batches, or Glenfarclas 15.

I've just had a taste of the missus' bottle of Dry Oloroso Solera Reserva. It's at 20%. The flavour is both overpowering and quite distasteful to me, but i never drink wine anymore either, she loves it though.

[perfectly pickled]

stocked up on a few cheapish sherries to see how they compare, plus a bottle of tawny port. prbably a mistake to start with the port cos it's so fucking delicous I went & bought another bottle, and will probably do so again.

[BBoozer]

stocked up on a few cheapish sherries to see how they compare, plus a bottle of tawny port. prbably a mistake to start with the port cos it's so fucking delicous I went & bought another bottle, and will probably do so again.

Repeat after me: "port is not sherry, port is not sherry". They are two different worlds, entirely. I like 'em both, but I like sherry as an apéritif and port as an after-dinner wine, to accompany the dessert.