How do you get a society that historically skews toward sherry, vermouth, and red wine interested in aged, fine whiskey? Patience, investment, and public outreach. Which is exactly what Distilleria y Crianza (DYC), the main player in Spanish whiskey, has been doing over the past decade. Its not that Spaniards don’t drink whiskey. They do, and DYC sells a massive amounts of whiskey each year in the domestic market. But whiskey in Spain is viewed primarily as a mixer — among both the old and new generations. DYC is trying to change that with more education, outreach, and a modern visitor experience at the distillery.
Tucked away in a small valley at the foot of the Sierra de Guadarrama on the Eresma River, near the medieval city of Segovia, DYC has been producing whiskey since 1959. With six pot stills (four actively double distilling, and another two held in reserve) churning out new make, and several column stills producing neutral grain spirit for blending, DYC is not small.
A full scale commercial distillery shipping up to 1.2 million cases of DYC whiskey per annum, almost exclusively for a domestic Spanish audience, under the ownership of international whiskey behemoth Beam Suntory, DYC is the main player in the Spanish whiskey market. Boasting an 8 year blend, 12 year single malt, 15 year single malt, double wood, and a 20 year single malt, DYC has its bases covered.
But despite the volume, DYC has charm, history, and character. Located on the North side of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range, the climate is cool with frequent low cloud cover. It is no accident the setting feels somewhat Scottish: founder Nicomendes Garcia Gomez traveled through Scotland in the 1950s learning the secrets of Scotch production, and even built two distinct cupolas on premises.
While DYC’s claim to be the highest distillery (by altitude) in the world seems dubious (at 1036 m above sea level), the elevation and unique climate certainly add interesting variables to the whiskey resting in its 32 rack houses — 18 on the hill and 16 in the valley. DYC is also one of the few distilleries in the world with milling, fermentation, distillation, aging, bottling, and packaging all on premises, giving it a compact feeling that is easily walkable — when the distillery began expanding in the 1960s and 1970s, everything was kept close together.
An eager entrepreneur with a vision, founder Garcia Gomez was no stranger to the liquor business. Garcia Gomez’s family had been producing the popular Anis La Castellana, a leading brand of Spanish liquor (still produced today), since 1894, the source of the family fortune. The distillery site itself also has a long history: in use since the 15th century, the site has alternately been a paper factory, flour mill, and convent.
At first blush, Jim Beam’s purchase of the distillery in 2005 is somewhat confounding (Suntory’s stake in the distillery came with their purchase of Beam in 2013). What interest did a large scale bourbon producer have in acquiring a 50 year old Spanish whiskey property producing primarily for a domestic Spanish market?. A closer look, however, reveals the brilliance behind Beam’s purchase: a foothold in Continental Europe, access to an established bottling and distribution facility, and reliable transport link to nearby European markets.
Jim Beam’s acquisition of DYC put them at the heart of European whiskey. A stroll through the rack house reveals rows and rows of Jim Beam stamped casks….aging DYC whiskey. Its a perfect closed system: Barrels of Jim Beam whiskey produced and aged in the U.S., transported to Spain, dumped and bottled at DYC for European distribution, and then refilled with DYC-produced new make spirits for aging in Spain. Simple and efficient.
One noteworthy aspect of DYC today is its commitment to the environment. Distilleries do not always have the best track record for environmental protection and good relations with adjacent communities. DYC, under the umbrella of Beam Suntory, however, has been a leader in environmental initiatives. As examples, DYC is helping to reforest the area around the distillery; it is returning 98% of the water used in whiskey production back to Eresma River; the distillery is giving excess energy produced on site from gas back to the town. DYC was also an early and vocal proponent for women’s rights in Spain, among other social issues.
DYC is taking their visitor experience seriously. Tours are exclusively in Spanish (reservations required), but private tours can be arranged in English through the visitor experience section on the website. Once a month, though, DYC offers their 20 year old single barrel experience. For 200 euro, visitors are taken out to the old Royal Glass factory nearby, are taught how to blow glass for their own 20 year single malt bottle. Visitors are then treated to lunch by a Michelin start chef, and provided a tour of the facility.
Deeply connected to the nearby town of Segovia, a trip to DYC can easily be paired with a visit to medieval city. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985, Segovia is best known for its towering Roman Aqueduct running through the middle of town, its Cathedral, and Castle, which, with Neuschwanstein in Germany, served as the inspiration for Disney’s iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle. In operation since 1786, Meson De Candido, a restaurant serving Spanish and regional Segovian fare, sits at the base of the aqueduct, and is well-worth a visit for the food and the ambiance.
Garcia Gomes died in 1989, but his legacy lives on through DYC. Construction on site heralds further expansion of the distillery, and DYC is diligently working to help transform the image of whiskey in Spain from a mixer with coca-cola to a luxury product meant for sipping neat. This evolution doesn’t happen over night, but with the success of their Double Wood and 15 year expressions, and their 20 year bottling experience, DYC is leading the way of changing Spanish drinking habits and creating a space for quality whiskey in Spain.
