The fifteenth meeting of the Spanish Club of Liquor Bottle Collectors (CECBL) was held in Jerez de la Frontera on September 26 and 27th, 2025, despite the city’s location, which made travel difficult for foreign visitors, specially for the last part of the tryp from international airports or train station, a large number of people attended.
A total of 53 people, including their companions, attended, representing countries as far away as India, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Colombia, as well as European countries such as France, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Of course, Spain was also represented, including a collector from Tenerife.
This meeting celebrated the Club’s 15th anniversary, a significant milestone during which the Club has steadily grown, now accounting to 148 members.
Here below, we are pleased to sum up all events of this 15th Meeting.
On Thursday the 25th, a large number of attendees began arriving at the Hotel Jerez & Spa during the afternoon, with the rest joining gradually throughout the following day.
That evening, a welcome cocktail dinner was held at the same hotel, bringing all attendees to shake hands and greetings for the first time.
The following Friday, the traditional sightseeing day began early, while some members took the opportunity to make a trip to Gibraltar and do some shopping in advance, taking advantage of the numerous liquor and tobacco shops on the main street, as well as another site of obligued visit, The Spirit of the Rock, a mini-distillery where one could buy a set of gin, rum, and vodka, as well as other flavored gins.
At 9:00 a.m. we picked up the bus at the hotel to begin our day, heading first to the Páez barrel factory, where they have been making barrels and casks for aging wines and spirits for many years, to produce aged or reserve wines, brandy, cognac, rum, and whisky.
It was a very interesting visit because for most of us, it was our first time visiting a barrel factory, and we were able to see firsthand the different stages of manufacturing, from the arrival of the oak wood to the finished barrels and casks: drying the staves, assembling and fitting them together, bending the wood into the barrel body, and toasting it (to varying degrees).
To finish the barrel, the grooves for the ends are cut, the ends are assembled and fitted, the final hoops are added, the tap hole is drilled, and a final sanding is given. It still needs one more step before going to market: wine seasoning. This process involves filling it with wine for a specific time so that it absorbs the smells, a process also carried out in the company’s own cellar.
Below you can see several photos of the visit.
Next, we boarded the bus again to head to the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art to see their dressage show. The trip was short and the facilities magnificent; the show wasn’t particularly brilliant, but it was very technical, showcasing different types of movements and dressage styles. Afterwards, we took a group photo with the building where the show took place in the background.
Back on the bus to Sanlúcar de Barrameda, specifically to Bajo de Guía, at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River, where we had lunch on the terrace of the Avante Claro restaurant, overlooking the Guadalquivir and Doñana National Park.
After lunch, we boarded the bus again to go to Bodegas Barbadillo, located a short distance from the restaurant. During the visit, they showed us the extensive winery and explained the different fermentation processes of the must.
During the wine tasting, Francisco Odero, a collector of Jerez wine labels and an expert on everything related to wineries and Jerez wines, offered each collector a fine set of sherry , and jerez wines and brandy labels.
After the visit and tasting, we went to the winery shop where all their products were available for sale (regular bottles), as well as a single 10 cl miniature of vermouth, which many of us took advantage to buy.
Back on the bus and back to the hotel to rest for a while and get ready for dinner.
Finally, at 9:00 p.m. we boarded the bus again and went to the Pedro Nolasco restaurant, located within the González Byass winery, where we enjoyed a magnificent dinner.
After the dinner, during the dessert, and because Miguel Ángel Domínguez hadn’t been able to attend, we had to move to plan B; a video call carried out by Luis to let him know about the gift we had all contributed to buy him as a gratitude for his kind gesture in Segovia giving us all a miniature of Tomintoul commemorative of the Club’s founding meeting.
Since he couldn’t open the gift box himself, and with his prior authorization, Nicolás, as the member closest to his city, opened the package on his behalf. First, a small package was opened containing a commemorative Louis XIII miniature from the Hong Kong Club’s 25th anniversary, which we acquired thanks to Miguel Bilbao’s relation with Man’s Chan, who supplied it, and Alberto Durán, who brought it from Hong Kong, so that he could see it. Then, another small gift was opened: a J. Dupont cognac set.
It was a very special moment, celebrated by all those present, and I know how moved and grateful Miguel Ángel was.
Afterwards, the traditional auction of special miniature bottles took place, as always very lively and excellently conducted by our partner and official auctioneer, Alberto Durán. You can see the miniatures that were auctioned in the following photos.
On Saturday morning, we had our traditional exchange day in a large room at the hotel, where there were plenty of amusing anecdotes and many miniatures changed hands. Some tables were even almost empty, as Gilles Oudot and Jorge Cardenal told us.
During the morning, Mr. Francisco Odero, a collector of bottle and miniature bottle labels, once again presented all attendees, and especially those of us who did not attend the tourism event, with a set of several brand-new labels for both large and miniature bottles. The Club is very grateful for his kindness and generosity and presented him with a certificate of appreciation.
We also had the opportunity to collect the commemorative miniatures for the 15th anniversary of the CECBL and for the current meeting, both Chichibus from the Seven Gods of Fortune series, specifically those of the gods DAIKOKUTEN and JUROJIN, respectively.
Following this half-day meeting, and lunch:
the Club’s General Assembly was held, where all agenda items were approved, and after discussion, it was finally decided that the next meeting, to be held on September 25th and 26th, 2026, would take place in the city of Salamanca, as Nicolás, one of the club members, lives there.
The day concluded with the participants moving to Damajuana Jerez Bar, a traditional Jerez establishment, where the closing cocktail reception was held, animated by a flamenco singer and a guitarist.
It would be impossible to end this report without paying a heartfelt and affectionate tribute to our dear Pilar, who passed away on June 3rd. May she rest in peace. A warm embrace to Rubén, who maintained a dignified presence, considering the difficult time he was going through. Thank you, Rubén.
Alberto Puga / Luis Campos, November, 2025