Review: Very Rare PX sherry

Category: Pedro Ximenez

Origin: Bodegas Emilio Lustau

Bottling: Marks & Spencer

ABV: 17%

Cost: £7.50 for 35cl from Marks & Spencer

What they say:

Rare Pedro Ximenez NV

• An extremely rich style of Sherry, this Pedro Ximenez is unctuously sweet with note of raisin, and citrus peel.
• About this bottle: Flavours of spice and even a hint of roasted coffee are mouth coating with a piquant acidity to balance the long lingering finish. Manuel Lozano of the famous Emilio Lustau House dries white Pedro Ximenez grapes in the sun to concentrate flavour and sugars. Fermentation is stopped by fortification with fine grape spirit preserving these intense flavours before again in a unique solera, for 8 years.
• Grape Variety: Pedro Ximenez
• Country of origin: Region: Andalucia

What I say:

Following our favourable response to M&S Oloroso Sherry I decided the PX was also worth a shot – for purely educational purposes! Actually I had been finding I favoured a lot of the PX sherried whiskies or towards that style with more sweet, nut and chocolate, as opposed to the slightly fruitier presentation of the Oloroso.

Colour:

Blood and walnut

Nose:

Rich, raisin, cinnamon, nutty, musty oak wood, sweet icing/frosting, black cherry, walnut, hazelnut, chocolate

Taste:

Thick and syrupy, richly sweet & viscous, nutty, dark fruits, molasses, figs, raisins, dates, black cherries, kirsch liqueur, hazelnut and walnut

Finish:

Sweet, cloying, fruit and nuts

Overall:

Another excellent example of Sherry, the finest selection bottled by M&S. Here are the flavours I love present in all these PX whiskies, this is lacking the malty notes of whisky but is carried by that syrupy sweetness.

Score: 87/100