Since 2014
A story of family, vermouth and neighbourhood.
Some stories begin with a business plan, spreadsheets and market research. Ours doesn’t. Ours starts long before that, at a family table, with my grandfather serving homemade vermouth and, without knowing it, passing on a passion that would one day become a way of life.
I’m Lisard, and this is the story of Magatzem del Vermut: a project I started in 2014 with my wife, Esther, and which has since become the world’s largest stock of vermouth, located in the heart of Valls’ old town.
The origins: a family legacy
Vermouth was always made at home. My grandfather made it, and that family ritual — a glass before lunch, a slow conversation, a drink shared with friends — left a mark on me from a young age. For me, vermouth has never been just a drink. It is memory, identity and a way of understanding life without rushing.
When I decided to take the leap and open my own business, I was clear about what I wanted to share: the great product vermouth is with the people in my town. I wanted the people of Valls, and everyone who visited us, to discover that behind that short word — vermouth — there is a vast universe of nuances, stories, small producers, herbs, styles and traditions.
Esther believed in it from day one. Without her, none of what I’m telling you here would have been possible.
2014: the first step on Sant Antoni Street
Magatzem del Vermut opened its doors in 2014 on Sant Antoni Street in Valls. We started with a simple but ambitious idea: to offer as many vermouth references as possible, with products no one else had, and to do it with the care and passion the product deserves.
The response surprised us. Customers came back, recommended the shop, asked us for new brands, brought us labels they had discovered on their travels. In less than a year, the shop had become too small. And not only because of the volume, but because of the kind of project we wanted to build: a space that breathed history, had its own character and was part of the historic centre’s fabric.
The move to Plaça de l'Oli
For us, Plaça de l'Oli is much more than an address. It is one of the most charming corners of Valls’ old town, and when we had the chance to move there, we didn’t hesitate.
The premises we’re in now used to be a salt cod shop. An old-school shop, with its shelves, counters and soul. When we renovated it, we made a decision that I think defines who we are: not to ruin anything. We kept the shop’s original foundation, the tools, the structure, the character of the space. What was once a salt cod shop still lives on in every corner of Magatzem del Vermut, only now, instead of cod, there are 286 vermouth references.
This philosophy — respecting what was there before, adding without erasing — is the same one we apply to the whole neighbourhood. We fight every day to keep Valls’ old town alive. We believe that local shops, places with history and lively streets are what make a city a city, not just a map.
It’s not always easy. The reality of business in the historic centre is complicated, and we often miss greater involvement from the town council in ensuring this area has the conditions it deserves. But we keep going. Every day. Because we believe it’s worth it.
286 references (and once, 398): the largest stock in the world
When we opened, we had no intention of breaking any record. We wanted to run a good vermouth shop, well stocked enough for customers to have plenty to choose from. But customers kept pushing us forward: they asked for vermouths we didn’t have, they asked about brands from faraway regions, they introduced us to labels we didn’t even know. And we kept expanding.
Month after month, year after year, the catalogue grew. We reached 398 different references at the same time. Today we keep around 330 in the warehouse and 286 in the shop, a figure that remains, as far as we know, the highest in the world.
And here’s something that makes us proud: there is no competition in this category. From the very first year, we have been the only ones, and we still are. There is no other place on the planet with this concentration of vermouth references under one roof.
Giving small brands visibility
A key part of our work, perhaps the least visible from the outside but the one I value most, is helping small brands gain visibility. There are local producers, artisanal makers and family projects that make extraordinary vermouths and have no place in the major commercial circuits. We open the door for them. We put them on the shelf alongside the best-known brands and let the product speak for itself.
That is, for me, one of Magatzem’s most beautiful missions: to give a voice to those who would otherwise not have one.
Vermut Montseta: a tribute to grandmother
If Magatzem is the project, Vermut Montseta is the soul.
Montseta is our family’s vermouth. The brand, the name, comes from my grandmother, whose name was Montse. Montseta is her nickname, the affectionate way we called her at home. Giving her name to the vermouth we make was, for me, the most honest way to complete the circle: starting with my grandfather making vermouth at home and ending with a vermouth that bears my grandmother’s name.
It is an artisanal vermouth, made with care, with time, without haste. And above all, absolutely delicious. I say that without modesty because the awards speak for themselves.
Award for the best vermouth in Catalunya
In 2018, our Montseta Rosat was recognised as the best vermouth in Catalunya. It was one of those moments when you stop, look at the glass, think of your grandfather, your grandmother, Esther, and all the customers who have trusted us, and you don’t know whether to laugh or get emotional. We did both.
The kitchen: every tapa, a delicious dish
Another moment that marked a turning point at Magatzem was the day we opened the kitchen.
At first, we were a vermouth shop. But vermouth calls for something to go with it: an olive, a preserve, a slice of cheese. And as customers sat down, chatted and ordered, it became clear that we had to take another step. We opened the kitchen and decided, from day one, that every tapa leaving here would be an exquisite dish.
We didn’t want to make "tapas to accompany vermouth". We wanted to make dishes. Small dishes, yes, but real dishes. Careful ingredient selection, thoughtful preparation, considered presentation. Today, when I see customers enjoying one of our tapas with a glass of Montseta in hand, I’m certain that step was worth it.
Every day is a challenge
I don’t want to tell this story as if everything were easy. Every day is hard. Small retail, in the old town, in such a specific sector as ours, demands resilience, patience and a lot of passion.
There are problems that are beyond our control: lack of parking, signage, upkeep of the surroundings, municipal decisions that directly affect the viability of local businesses. We say it plainly because it’s the truth: we would like to see greater involvement from the town council in making the old town a welcoming place for businesses and visitors.
But as long as we can raise the shutter every morning, we will. Because we believe in this project, in this neighbourhood, in this city and in this product.
What we are today
Today, Magatzem del Vermut is:
- The world’s largest vermouth stock, with 286 references in the shop and around 330 in the warehouse.
- A meeting point in the heart of Valls’ old town, in Plaça de l'Oli.
- The birthplace of Vermut Montseta, awarded the best rosé vermouth in Catalunya in 2018.
- A small kitchen with big ambition, where every tapa is an exquisite dish.
- A platform for small brands, for artisanal producers, for vermouths that would otherwise have nowhere to shine.
- A space that respects the past: the salt cod shop that came before us still lives on in every corner.
But above all, we are a family — Esther, me, the team that supports us, the customers who stand by us — that chooses every day to keep believing in a way of understanding business, the neighbourhood and vermouth.
An invitation
If you come to Valls, come and see us. Step into Plaça de l'Oli, open the door, let us tell you about the vermouth you’d most like today. Try a tapa. Discover Montseta. Ask us about any label. Stay a while.
Because this is more than a shop: it is a way of keeping alive what my grandfather already knew decades ago: that vermouth is, above all, a wonderful excuse to make peace with life.
Magatzem del Vermut
Plaça de l'Oli — Valls
Since 2014