Isaac Castelló and Pilar Martínez left their jobs 4 years in the past to dedicate themselves to the manufacturing of artisan liqueurs. He, an economist, labored within the banking sector. She, a biologist, within the meat sector. After the nice reception of their natural liqueurs, gin and ratafia, the couple is now engaged in a brand new enterprise: the manufacturing of the primary whiskey in Catalonia, from malted barley.
The couple from Llançà (Girona) provides that it’s going to not solely be the primary Catalan milkshake however 100% from the Empordà area. The first bottles will go on sale within the spring of 2024. They started to make it in 2021: “The whiskey should spend at the very least three years within the barrel,” he explains.
Its historical past dates again to 2018, when the Quevall distillery was born. “We have been fed up with our work and we determined to alter our lives. We shared a passion for liqueurs and we knew that what’s bought within the grocery store could be very industrial. We determined to make artisanal liqueurs, like these of earlier than, pure and with out components,” says Isaac .
Workshop in a home with numerous historical past
His household owned an outdated home from the eleventh century that had been a dependency of the monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes. They restored the basement and opened their workshop there, in the midst of the highway to the historic convent. Sales of natural liqueurs and ratafia (created from completely different fruits, herbs and spices) have been on the rise and through the pandemic in 2020 they thought of venturing into whiskey.
Barrels of the primary Catalan whiskey relaxation within the basement of a XI century houseIniusdiario.es
The distillate made by the Llançà distillery follows the Scottish recipe: “Spring water is critical, which we’ve got close to the workshop, yeast and malted barley”, explains Isaac, who acknowledges that this final ingredient is scarce in Catalonia. “We contacted some farmers from Lleida who produced this sort of barley, which can also be used for beer, however in small portions,” he explains.
Own equipment
Last 12 months Isaac and Pilar designed their very own mechanism to malt the barley, which they are going to now purchase from farmers within the space: “Malting is a strategy of germinating the cereal in order that it releases the molasses that enables the fermentation of the sugars. We have constructed a system with infrared that makes it doable,” he explains. The barrels are additionally from the land: “Scottish whiskey is saved in sherry barrels, so we determined to reuse the Empordà wine barrels,” he provides.
Isaac and Pilar fill a barrel of whiskey every month. It is a gradual manufacturing course of that lasts about three weeks: we cook dinner the malted barley 3 times, we ferment the ensuing juices and we do two distillations.
Artisanal cooking strategy of malteadaniusdiario.es barley
The result’s an unctuous and dense whiskey with an incredible style of cereal, in keeping with the specialists. “It has a specific contact that’s our style, that of the realm.” They hope to place the primary bottles on sale in Easter 2024. “There is a whiskey market, if we speak about good whiskey. It’s like speaking about bread that there are completely different cereals and qualities,” he explains.
An journey stuffed with surprises
Isaac acknowledges that the mission isn’t going easily: “If I came upon beforehand, I do not know if we might have launched,” he explains. “You have to maneuver numerous grain and as soon as it is completed you must empty 400 kilos of barley from the pot with a rake to fill a truck and take it to a farmer to feed his cattle,” he explains.
Nor did they rely on the rise within the worth of vitality. “They are cooked with 1,000 liters of scorching water and from 1,000 liters of barley juice we acquire 80 liters of whiskey,” he explains. Every week the three liquor retailer staff, Isaac, Pilar and an worker work there.