Navazos Palazzi, the joint venture between spirits bottler Nicolas Palazzi and sherry bottler Equipo Navazos has previously released sherry aged brandy and rum. Recently, they introduced their first sherry aged whiskeys.
There are two single cask Navazos Palazzi whiskeys, a malt and a grain whiskey. Both were distilled in Spain at the Beam Suntory owned DYC distillery in Segovia. They are around five years old, and the grain whiskey is made from 100% corn.
The whiskeys were aged in Palo Cortado sherry casks and released at cask strength. Palo Cortado is apparently a very rare sherry, but I couldn't tell you much more than what I've read on a particularly unhelpful Wikipedia post about it, so feel free to add info in the comments if you're a sherry buff.
Navazos Palazzi Malt Whisky, 52.5% ($100)
This has a sweet, fruity nose with apples and cherries. The palate is a light, sweet sherry with just a touch of malt underneath, leading to a fruity finish. This is a nicely done, sweet sherry cask whisky that's easy to drink.
Navazos Palazzi Grain Whisky, 53.5% ($100)
The nose has very sweet sherry notes, like a Spanish brandy. The palate is a massive hit of dry sherry with lemon rind and vanilla which ends in a deep sherry finish. Given that this is a grain whiskey, I wasn't expecting a lot from it, but I really like it, maybe even more than the malt. It might taste more akin to a brandy de Jerez (or just sherry) than a whiskey, but it's very tasty and I like those drier sherry notes. It's also fun to drink in tandem with the Malt, just to note the differences.
The thing I love about these Navazos Palazzi spirits is that they really push the boundaries of sherry cask aging, infusing more sherry into the spirit than you might think was possible and just barely retaining the character of the original spirit, though it is retained. It's fun and interesting stuff.
