paxarete is a sherry-based concoction that is used to treat casks destined for aging whisky. It was extensively used in the scotch whisky industry from the late nineteenth century until it was banned in 1990. Its origins lie in Spain, in the Pajarete range of hills between Villamartin and Prado del Rey, forty miles northeast of Jerez. The area is known for its vino de color, used as a coloring and flavoring ingredient in the production of sweet sherry styles. It is made by adding reduced grape must to fermenting wine, which is then fortified and aged in solera.
Paxarete is produced by adding this vino de color to a blend of oloroso and PX sherries and some grape must.
Whisky producers in the nineteenth century greatly prized the character given by ex-sherry casks. By the 1870s there was, however, insufficient sherry being imported to Scotland to meet demand. A blender called William Phaup Lowrie is credited with coming up with the solution, making new casks and then treating them with paxarete.
Its use soon became standard practice, either for new casks or for rejuvenating previously filled casks. Cooperages and distillery filling stores would have a cask of “pax” on hand and add the wine to the emptied cask. Some injected it into the empty cask with compressed air. It was also prized as a “secret ingredient” for Christmas puddings.
Its end in scotch came in 1990 when it was decreed to be an additive that affected the flavor of the spirit. It is still used, legally, by distillers in the Americas and East Asia.
Allen, H. W. Sherry and Port. London: Constable, 1952.
Buxton, Ian, and Paul S. Hughes. The Science and Commerce of Whisky. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry, 2015.
By: Dave Broom