Catching a ghost

Stumbling on something different and unusual is always a joy, especially when it is a region not known for producing whisky. My current offering for you is Galveston Single Malt Whisky, produced in Spain and imported through Miami. To say that I had to read the label multiple times would be an understatement. Spain!?! Whisky? Really? Are you sure? Okay, so I bought it, more specifically I bought two bottles. The tasting was one of curiosity and intrigue that led me to search online. What surprised me most is that it appears to be a ghost. I found the site for the importer but nothing else. This bottle is a ghost in the flesh and utterly fascinating.

To find a bottle that has no mainstream marketing or social media presence is highly unusual. Searching online there is nothing. Searching social media there is nothing. Searching the website of the importer there is nothing. Nothing that I could find to show proof it exists or where it is made. This got me even more excited to try it. You see, I love a good mystery.

But first, let's talk about the bottle, standing tall, refined like a General of old on the shelf waiting to be selected. It exudes confidence, power, and mystique. The colors on the label are beautiful and intricate yet they draw your eyes straight to the liquid as if casually flirting as you walk by. The hue is amber, deep yet luscious in her glory as if she knows her allure. It promises a story while being coy. Actually reading the information it is an ode to honor General Galvez (I'll let you do your own history search). There is a brief history on the back in English and the rest is in Spanish. I will say that honor it does.

I will stop here to say that I have had many a sherry cask finished whiskey, some pricier than others. This is nothing like them. It steps outside of the pack and walks a path that bridges the gap between sherry and brandy, more specifically a perfectly aged cognac, and dances its way right into the soul.

It is a double sherry cask finish, aged 12 years in VORS Amontillado casks. This is where the journey goes wild. If you close your eyes and take the initial nosing you will think that someone has swapped your whisky for brandy. Yes, you read that right. To my husband, it smells like a dry sherry but to me, to me, it is all brandy. It is thick in the nostrils and teases in the most enticing way. I took my time, I honestly just could not stop nosing because the aromas wafted and drifted me right out of my body. The expressions were exquisite and exotic. They roll you like a soft breeze until you fall in. It is rich, warm, gentle, and yet the taste, the taste is bold. It is masculine, wooded, old books, fruitcake loaded with currants, sultanas, raisins and blackberry jam, old pipe tobacco that has been out too long in the heat. It is fascinating and I am honestly enthralled.