Liber’s Spell in a Bottle: Embrujo Single Malt Review

Scotland has spent centuries perfecting whisky. Spain is famous for wine, sherry, brandy and gin. Whisky? Not so much. Then Alan discovered Embrujo Single Malt Whisky, produced by Destilerías Liber in Padul, Granada Province. Actually, that’s not entirely true. He’d had his eye on it for a little while.

As he puts it:

“I’ve had my eye on this whisky for a while and decided to buy a bottle for a friend we will be visiting soon – a friend whose drinks cabinet I have helped empty far too many times.”

A perfectly sensible plan. However, browsing the website, another thought occurred to him.

“It’s not often I treat myself. So balls to it, I got one for me too – under the guise of doing a review/taste test for Spain Buddy!” 😉

I have absolutely no problem with this level of purchase.

Meet Embrujo

Destilerías Liber was founded in 2001 by seven entrepreneurs who set out to create a genuinely Spanish single malt whisky.

Their location in Padul, just south of Granada, wasn’t chosen by accident. The distillery draws its water from the Sierra Nevada, whose crystal-clear mountain springs provide one of the key ingredients in every bottle.

Today, the company produces an impressive range of spirits, from whisky and gin to rum, vodka and liqueurs, but Embrujo remains one of its flagship products.

Bottled at 41.5% ABV, it doesn’t try to disguise its Andaluz roots. Instead of borrowing heavily from Scottish traditions, it embraces its own identity with confidence. Even before Alan opened it, he had a feeling this was going to be something a little different.

Why the name “Embrujo” stopped us in our tracks

There was another reason this bottle immediately appealed to us. Its name. Embrujo roughly translates as enchantment, spell or magic. For most people, that’s simply an evocative name for a whisky. For us, it means something much more personal.

Just a short hike from where we live lies the Cueva de los Letreros, one of Europe’s most significant collections of prehistoric rock art. Dating back to around 5000 BC, the cave paintings form part of UNESCO’s Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin World Heritage Site.

Most visitors have heard of the Indalo, the prehistoric figure that has become the symbol of Almería. But another fascinating character appears alongside him. El Brujo – The Sorcerer. Although the cave figure is known as El Brujo, the similarity to the word Embrujo immediately made us smile.

When we first moved from Lanzarote to mainland Spain, we spent four years living out in the Almería countryside. It was peaceful, beautiful and exactly what we needed at the time. Eventually though, we realised we missed being part of a proper community.

So we started exploring the towns and villages of Almería, looking for somewhere that simply felt right. Then we arrived in Vélez-Blanco and fell in love with it instantly. The castle. The mountain views. The surrounding forests. The white houses. The slower pace of life. But most importantly, the people.

Before leaving the town, we wandered into Estanco y Papelería Arcas and bought a fridge magnet of El Brujo – joking that his witchy skills could well bring us back. Magical? Doubtful. Coincidence? Almost certainly. Except, within six months we’d packed up our home, loaded the three dogs into the car and moved to the town that has now been our home for more than a decade. Are we taking that fridge magnet down? Absolutely not! He still has pride of place on our fridge door.

So when Alan came home with a bottle called Embrujo, made just over the provincial border in Granada, it already carried a little bit of magic before the cork had even been removed.

A lifelong whisky drinker

Alan isn’t someone who buys every interesting bottle he comes across. Quite the opposite. As he says:

“I don’t think I’ve ever drank (apart from the odd Irish) anything but Scottish whisky. I drink it neat, no ice, and definitely no mixers.”

He went on to add:

“Obviously I’ve consumed the American stuff – but that’s only palatable accompanied by copious amounts of coke.”

We’ll leave the bourbon enthusiasts to write their own rebuttals.

The point is that Alan wasn’t someone desperately trying to convince himself that a Spanish whisky could compete. If anything, he expected Scotland to remain comfortably ahead.

What does it taste like?

We’re not whisky critics. We’re certainly not going to tell you it has “notes of antique leather armchair” or “the lingering aroma of a Victorian library after rainfall.”

Although if anyone insists…

…we’d suggest Embrujo contains subtle hints of the crystal-clear waters of the Sierra Nevada and perhaps just a touch of the soul of a mountain goat. 

Far more useful are Alan’s own tasting notes.

Alan’s tasting notes

“It’s exceptionally smooth from the very first sip.

It definitely holds its own against Scottish single malts, and is enjoyable to drink. I can’t see it competing high end, but it is most definitely excellent value at €28 for a decent single malt.

I only ever drink whisky neat. No ice, no water. This is exactly the sort of whisky you pour, sit back with, and savour slowly with a smile.”

That’s probably the highest compliment you can pay any whisky. Not one you knock back like you’re back in 1988. One you make last.

Before opening the bottle, Alan also wrote:

“I have been advised by a certain individual not to drink it all at once when I get to opening it…..”

That “certain individual” would be me. Having seen how much he enjoyed it, I stand by that advice.

Best enjoyed neat

There are endless debates about adding water, serving whisky over ice or even mixing it into cocktails. Alan sits firmly in the “leave it alone” camp. For him, Embrujo is best appreciated exactly as it comes from the bottle. No ice. No water. No mixers. Just a proper whisky glass, a comfortable chair and enough time to enjoy it.

For your very first taste, we’d be inclined to agree. The distillers have already done the hard work.

What should you eat with it?

A whisky this good deserves something better than a packet of ready salted crisps or a fistful of salted peanuts.

Some perfect Spanish pairings include:

• Jamón Ibérico
• Manchego cheese
• Marcona almonds
• Dried figs
• Dates
• Membrillo (quince paste)
• Dark chocolate with around 70% cocoa

The saltiness of the ham and cheese complements the whisky beautifully, while the figs, quince and chocolate draw out those gentle honey notes that Alan enjoyed so much. If you’re entertaining friends, you could easily build an entire Spanish grazing board around a bottle of Embrujo.

There’s much more than whisky

One of the nicest surprises was discovering that Destilerías Liber is far more than a whisky producer.

Its range includes gin, rum, vodka, vermouth, liqueurs and orujos, all crafted using the same Sierra Nevada water that makes Embrujo so distinctive.

But what really caught our attention was what happens behind the scenes.

While Embrujo and the company’s own brands are growing in popularity, Destilerías Liber also produces spirits for other businesses through its “producción a la carta” service. In other words, not every bottle leaving the distillery carries the Liber name.

The company says that major brands trust its expertise to develop and produce whiskies, gins, vodkas, rums and liqueurs on their behalf. Those commercial partnerships remain confidential, which is hardly surprising, but it speaks volumes about the quality of the distillery’s work.

Even more impressive is the recognition it’s received in international competitions. At the World Whiskies Awards 2023, Embrujo was awarded a Bronze Medal, while its stablemate, Liber Single Malt, won Gold, was named Best Spanish Single Malt, and took the title for Best Single Malt 12 Years & Under.

That tells us this isn’t simply a distillery producing an interesting Spanish whisky. It’s a distillery capable of competing on the world stage.

A reminder that great whisky doesn’t only come from Scotland

Scotland has earned its reputation. Ireland produces exceptional whiskey. Japan has become one of the world’s great whisky-producing nations.

Perhaps it’s time Spain started appearing in those conversations too. Embrujo doesn’t try to imitate a Scottish single malt. Instead, it celebrates exactly where it comes from. The pure waters of the Sierra Nevada. Traditional Andalusian craftsmanship. A character that’s unmistakably Spanish.

That’s precisely what makes it interesting.

Our verdict

If you’re curious about Spanish whisky, Embrujo is an excellent place to start.

It impressed a lifelong Scottish whisky drinker. It introduced us to a distillery we’ll almost certainly be buying from again.

And while I still can’t claim to enjoy whisky myself… I’ll happily put together the cheeseboard while Alan pours another glass.

Because if every sip really does contain the crystal-clear water of the Sierra Nevada… and just the tiniest hint of the heart of a mountain goat… who am I to argue?

If you’d like to discover Embrujo whisky for yourself, or explore the rest of the Destilerías Liber range – including gin, rum, vodka, ron miel, vermouth and liqueurs – visit their official website at https://destileriasliber.com/.

Something tells us this won’t be our last order from Liber. I’m already eyeing up a bottle of their ron miel.

Liber offers Spain Buddy readers a discount!!

Interested to try this whiskey, or any of the other products from Liber Distillery? They have kindly offered a 10% discount to our visitors using the code SPAINBUDDY10 on checkout when ordering from their website.