González Byass, one of Spain's best-known sherry bodegas, traces its origins back to 1835, when Manuel María González Angel founded the business with the help of English agent Robert Blake Byass. The firm was expanded further by the second generation of the González family, including Manuel Críspulo González y Soto. The González family took full control in 1988. Not just a sherry producer, González Byass is known for numerous industrial and cultural innovations.
In 1862, when Queen Isabel II visited the firm, a new bodega called La Concha was commissioned from the engineer Gustav Eiffel. Another bodega, Las Copas, was built in 1972. The Byass family withdrew from the company in 1998, but the fourth and fifth generations of the González family continue to run the business today.
One of their most famous innovations is the fino sherry Tío Pepe. Interestingly, used barrels from this renowned sherry producer are used by Scotch Whisky producers during the maturation of premium spirits, with Dalmore distillery using 30-year-old barrels in their 18-year-old single malt.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nik Frost
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