About Ximenez-Spinola
As you may well know, our distillery has always been characterised as being the only one in Spain, and in Europe, which is exclusively dedicated to the production of wines and brandies which are made from the Pedro Ximénez grape. The majority of experts consider Brandy to be the best thing to compliment a good cigar, due to the fine quality of the raw materials used and given that it is the only beverage in the world that is directly distilled from wine.
We first got in touch with AtladisS.A in 2002, in order to request that their experts participate in a critical tasting of our brandies. They were considered, at that time to be the “Heir” of the Spanish tobacco industry, so our main objective was for them to choose the best brandies to pair with their finest Havana cigars, however it wasn´t until 2012 that the tobacco industry‟s “successor”, Imperial Tobacco Ltd, began to order 3000 bottles of Solera Brandy annually to pair with their cigars for tastings. It was in one of these tastings that an idea surfaced, an idea that my father had already put in place some time ago, which was to select different casks, with different grades of alcohol, tastes and aromas, depending on the cigar that would accompany it.My father`s idea was „approved‟ by the tasters at „Club Internacional PasiónHabanos‟ and after nearly a year of testing, uncertainties, passionate debates and controversial decisions regarding the distribution of the bottles, it has been agreed that half of the total production of 350 bottles of each of the three typologies, will be distributed between the approved testers and PasiónHabanos‟sassociates in Spain and the other half can be freely used by Ximénez-Spínola. Thus meaning, that we can provide our clients with 175 collections of the three typologies.
Our Cigars Club is a distillate with the quality and expressed fineness of a finished wine, which is then distilled and aged in an oak cask for a minimum of 24 years using the traditional system of „Soleras‟. In their artisanal selection, they hope to balance out the bitterness of the last two thirds of a cigar, by adequately combining the sensations of the two products and providing harmony until the final moments. That is to say, the sweet and robust flavours will cancel out the tobacco‟s dryness and bitterness to form a perfect blend of the two. With three different “strengths” and an annual production of just 350 bottles of each type for all the world, it‟s possibly the rarest type of Spanish Brandy of all of those which are currently being sold. The sheer amount of cigars which have been tested by all the team with each of the different strengths, as well as the countless hours which have been dedicated to selecting the Brandy from a range of casks, in order to reach a perfect harmony with each and every cigar, has made its selection, which in itself is costly given that it is distilled from Pedro Ximénez, an „extraordinary case‟ of dedication, patience, and material and professional expenses, which is inevitably reflected in the final asking price.
Honestly it seems quite illogical to have gone through this entire process, to then only place so few bottles on the market, however it would be impossible to produce a greater quantity of such a specific Brandy, without deteriorating the quality of our vintage product which dates back to 1948. Thus, in mutual agreement with the „Club PasiónHabanos‟, we have decided that only 350 people in the world can be owners of one of these collections.
CIGARS CLUB No1
Country of Origin:
Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
Type:
Brandy
Low volume of alcohol (42,59 %). Subtle aromatic intensity, fine figs and raisins. Well integrated and rounded woody notes. 100% distilled from wine. Aged in American oak casks.
Selected as the perfect pairing for the following cigars:
-EL REY DEL MUNDO CHOIX SUPREME
-EL REY DEL MUNDO DEMI TASSE
-FONSECA Nº1
-FONSECA COSACOS
-FONSECA DELICIAS
-FONSECA CADETES
-GUANTANAMERA CRISTALES TUBO
-GUANTANAMERA COMPAYS
-GUANTANAMERA DÉCIMOS
-GUANTANAMERA PURITOS
-HOYO DE MONTERREY EPICURE ESPECIAL
-HOYO DE MONTERREY EPICURE Nº1
-HOYO DE MONTERREY PETIT ROBUSTOS
-HOYO DE MONTERREY DOUBLE CORONAS
-HOYO DE MONTERREY DEX DIEUX
-HOYO DE MONTERREY CORONATIONS TUBO
-HOYO DE MOINTERREY DU PRINCE
-HOYO DE MONTERREY DEPUTE
-HOYO DE MONTERREY DU MAIRE
-RAFAEL GONZÁLEZ PETIT CORONAS
-RAFAEL GONZÁLEZ PERLAS
-RAFAEL GONZÁLEZ PANETELAS EXTRA
