Latest Tequila News

Tequila’s popularity has soared since the turn of the century, so much so that it became the spirit that saw the greatest increase in its production volume in the U.S. in 2006. That’s not bad for a drink that was traditionally swilled by Mexican farmers and peasants.

Margaritas and "tequila cruda" have both helped tequila’s popularity, but just as rum, gin, vodka, and whisky distillers are gaining momentum, tequila manufacturers are increasingly looking to produce the best possible bottles of their product in an effort to cash in on the luxury spirits market as well. With that in mind, we’ve selected five of the best bottles of luxury tequilas on the market today. These are the best of the best -- don’t you dare serve them with salt and a slice of lime.

Milagro Select Barrel Reserve Reposado Tequila
$76/750 ml bottle

It won’t take you long to see why Milagro’s Select Barrel Reserve Reposado was awarded a double gold medal at a 2007 San Francisco spirit selection.

This luxury tequila is crafted from handpicked agave and triple distilled for the best depth of flavor, character and unparalleled smoothness. After distillation, the spirit is aged for three years in French single-oak barrels before being bottled in unique hand-blown crystal bottles with agave plants blown into the bottom of the glass. In this case, luxury may be an understatement.

In the glass, look for a warm and full-bodied spirit with a pale straw color. You’ll pick up notes of sweet honey and dried flowers on the nose, and flavors of honey, toast, peppery spice, and prune on the tongue.

Gran Centenario Leyenda Extra Anejo Tequila
$250/750 ml bottle

Before even tasting this bottle, you should know that it is one of the first tequilas in the world to receive the “Extra Anejo” designation. And because this luxury tequila is made from only the best blue agave, expect a super-smooth, super-complex bottle of Mexico’s finest.

The Gran Centenario producers marry the finest distilled spirits with 15-year-old tequila reserves to produce a tequila that is of unmatched richness and complexity. The blend -- handcrafted in small batches to ensure quality -- is then aged an average of four years in French Limousin oak barrels for additional depth of flavor

Each bottle of this luxury tequila is packaged in a beautiful leather and burlap case and individually numbered, such is the small production run.

In the glass and on the tongue, this is one of those luxury tequilas that excites. Its dark amber color suggests a richness that’s backed by aromatic flavors of oak, maple, roasted almond, and cloves, complemented by a long, warm, cinnamon finish.

Gran Patron Burdeos Anejo Tequila
$500/750 ml bottle

Not surprisingly, Las Vegas’ Patron Spirits Company makes its own ultra-premium bottle of tequila, the Gran Patron Burdeos Anejo.

Made with only the finest blue agave and grown in the Jalisco Highlands, this luxury tequila is matured in a blend of American and French oak barrels and aged for at least 12 months. Before being bottled, the spirit is distilled a second time and aged a second time -- for another 12 months -- in Bordeaux barrels. This aging is said to be particularly important, as the barrels impart distinctive flavors of vanilla, raisins and dried fruit to the bottle.

Since Patron is all about the luxury market, it’s hardly a shock to see that this special bottle is produced in only very small quantities. But more than that, its packaging sets it further apart from the pack: this one is packaged in a box handcrafted from a single piece of black walnut. Inside you’ll find a crystal bottle that contains the spirit, a crystal stopper for resealing purposes and even a special corkscrew.

Patron’s master distiller, Francisco Alcaraz, isn’t shy about the quality of this bottle: "We triple distill this tequila to add a soft, velvet-smooth quality unlike any other spirit," he says.

Jose Cuervo 1800 Coleccion
$1,800/750 ml bottle

Many weekend tequila drinkers doubtless know distiller Jose Cuervo on a first-name basis, but very few gentlemen know senor Cuervo well enough to appreciate his 1800 Coleccion, a bottle that stands above all others.

Created by marrying a selection of the finest 100% blue agave vintages, the 1800 Coleccion is the crowning achievement of maestro tequilero Luis Yerenas, of the Jose Cuervo estate.

Production of the 1800 Coleccion is a slow and meticulous process, every stage of which -- from the planting of the agaves to their selection and distillation -- is overseen by senor Yerenas. The result is an ultra-premium bottle that’s double distilled and aged in charred barrels of French oak and blended with reserves as old as 50 years.

The 2006 bottling comes in a leather and burlap box that contains an empty pewter and Belgian-crystal decanter -- that weighs four pounds by itself -- specially designed by Mexican artist Alejandro Colunga.

In the glass, this one opens with a deep golden brown color. It starts smoky and smooth, with vanilla, orange citrus and clove aromas and tastes of butterscotch, cinnamon and pepper. The finish is uniquely smooth and lingers like no other.

There’s no doubt that this is one of the world’s finest tequilas, but don’t take our word for it -- try it for yourself: sample a two-ounce serving of the Coleccion at Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco for $380.

Dos Lunas Grand Reserve
$2,500/750 ml bottle

It might surprise you to learn that most expensive tequila in the world is not Mexican but Texan. Dos Lunas distillery owner Richard C. Poe II has said that he wants to create the world's best tequila -- and in the form of the Dos Lunas Grand Reserve, his company may just have done that.

Only the best agave from the Jalisco Highlands are selected for this luxury tequila, distilled for purity and aged for 10 years in Spanish sherry casks before being poured into hand-blown Baccarat decanters. The result is a tequila whose sophistication and refinement matches that of the best French cognacs.

There has only been 1,000 bottles of Dos Lunas Grand Reserve ever made. It’s as good as it is rare, which is why it’s secured in a lockable case that comes with its own special key.

mas tequila

For a drink whose humble beginnings harken back to Mexican peasants, tequila has come a long way in the past 200 or so years. Who, then, would have ever considered that the best tequilas would one day stand beside the best rums, gins, vodkas, and whiskys?

Source: AskMen.com , by James Raiswell

Judges From Three Countries Review More Than Eighty Spirits of Mexico

DENVER, Colorado (February 16, 2008)—Six expert judges from three different countries spent seven days looking for Agave spirit excellence. Judging took place at Royal Resorts Club International and Hacienda Sisal Restaurant between February 2nd and February 8th, 2008. The judges blind tasted over eighty Agave spirits and rated them in six categories: aroma, initial taste, body, finish, smoothness, and quality for price. Agave spirits from all over Mexico were eligible to compete in this inaugural Agave Spirits Challenge and dozens of Tequilas, Mezcals, Sotols and Agave based liqueurs took up the challenge.

Darin Jones, owner of TEQUILA.net was pleased with the number and quality of entries for this first competition. “The final results say it all: There are enjoyable premium spirits produced throughout Mexico, and it was exciting to see Tequila, Mezcal, and Sotol products at the top of the final ratings.”

Tasting three flights a day, each flight comprised of six to eight entries, it took a full week to complete the tasting competition. The final rankings produced the top six spirits, which were then tasted blind, head to head for the final grand tasting held on February 8th.

Winners were announced at the live event held at Hacienda Sisal Restaurant which hosted a buffet of Mexican delicacies, a mariachi band and a free public tasting of all the entries. The top Tequila, Tequila El Gran Jubileo Extra Añejo also captured the Top Agave Spirit award. Mezcal El Zacatecano Añejo was named top Mezcal.

 

The judging committee was a who’s who of the world’s Agave experts. Ricardo Cisneros is Master Tequilier and professor at University of Caribe. Elena Gamarra is a sommelier and professor at the same university in Mexico. Lance Cutler is a winemaker and author of The Tequila Lover’s Guide to Mexico and Mezcal. Shawn Soole is a sommelier and associate editor of Chilled Magazine, and was named one of Australia’s Best Bartenders in 2006. Mark Cannon is a Tequila historian and artist who owns PocoTequila.com . “Tequila Joe” Horrigan is a spirit professional and educator, writer, and owner of TastingAficionados.com.

“It is wonderful to see this kind of attention focused on the various Agave spirits of Mexico,” said Ricardo Cisneros. “Agave spirits are the flavor of Mexico and as such they reflect directly upon our culture and heritage.

Shawn Soole commented, “I know a lot about cocktails, but this tasting opened my eyes to the length and breadth of variety in Agave spirits. I had no idea of the complexity they offer. I feel like I’ve discovered a whole new world of aroma and flavor.”

All entries competed for Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum medals along with “Best in Category” for designated categories. These best of category winners included Tequila Arette Blanco, Vida Tequila Reposado, Tequila Tres Mujeres Añejo, El Gran Jubileo Extra Añejo and Reserva del Señor Premium Almendrado.

Local Cancún artists and designers were present for the Bottle/Packaging design competition held Friday evening at the final tasting. The “Best Overall Presentation” was awarded to Partida Elegante Tequila, “Best Label Presentation” went to Jose Cuervo Platino Tequila, “Best Bottle Design” went to Tequila Rey de Copas, “Most Creative” went to 5150 Tequila, “Most Unique” went to Tequila Sol Azul, and “Most Artistic” was awarded to the family of Del Maguey Single Village Mezcals. Final awards for both the tasting and bottle design competition are available for viewing on the event web site, www.AGAVE.net .

“We want to thank the participants, our judges, and our sponsors,” Darin Jones concluded. “Everyone involved assisted in making our inaugural event a huge success. The Agave Spirits Challenge is unique compared to other tasting competitions, as we take the time to taste the spirit, allowing a complete rating which includes the spirit’s finish and enjoyability, and the fact that it is only open to the wonderful Spirits of Mexico.”

Read more: TEQUILA.net Hosts First Agave Spirits Challenge in Cancun, Mexico

Jess María, MEXICO – During its epochal past, this serene country town of 17,800 roiled with the fiery overspill of volcanic giants to the south. The result today? A brick red loam richer in minerals, some say, than any other region of Tequila Country.

On one of the highest rolling hills above town, the ancestors of Maria Socorro Lpez Garibay built a hacienda in 1860 and over the surrounding 250 acres farmed grains, beans, corn – and a crop called blue agave.

By then the production of tequila – a craft nearly 300 years old – began to demand more and more blue agave from farmers throughout central Mexico. Garibay’s great-great-grandfather, Don Pedro Camarena, pioneered the widespread growth of agave in this region east of Guadalajara. Camarena distilled his own tequila at the first distillery in the region at his tavern in town. Later the family plantation became purely a supplier to mega-distilleries like Jose Cuervo and Sauza, among others.

By 1991, however, the family decided to build its own distillery next to its hacienda. They called it Destilados Olé. And they allowed extended family members to distill, bottle and brand their own tequilas from the blue agave grown on the plantation.

So no one fainted when Maria and her husband, Héctor Lizrraga Castelo, sold their successful trucking business in Mazatlan and bought into the distillery of Maria’s family.

Good choice. A 2006 research report from Pace University in New York City predicted tequila will continue its previous 10-year trend as fastest-growing distilled spirit category in the world at least through 2010.

“Super and ultra-premium tequila brands will accelerate faster than regular tequila,” the report said.

A VISION

Castelo, in his mind, saw an image of an unrivaled bottle he knew could compete in those premium categories. He found a glassblower in Guadalajara to make it.

He tested and refined a recipe that could compete with the biggest names in the premium business – Patron and Herradura.

But he needed a commanding name to match the strength of the bottle and the smooth taste of the tequila.

“Once upon a time,” Castelo, 47, explained, “I was riding around the plantation in the back of a pickup checking the crops with some cousins and nephews. A bull stepped into the road and would not move.

“Just then, one of my 2-year-old nephews yelled at the bull, “Aha, toro!” To get it to move. I knew at that moment, that was the name for our tequila.”

But what makes Aha Toro better than other premium tequilas?

The elevation, climate and soil indigenous to this particular volcanic slope in Jess María and the traditional, artisan distillation process, say Castelo and his chief chemist, Lorena Arriaga.

The blue agave grows in sections on this plantation, each one planted in a different year. Because the heart of the plant, a pineapple-shaped bulb, takes eight to 10 years to mature.

THE PROCESS

Once harvested, the hearts, called piñas, fill a brick oven the size of a large walk-in closet. Behind two steel doors, steam heated to 360 degrees Celsius slow-cooks the piñas for 36 to 48 hours. These days some mass production tequilas flash cook piñas in steel ovens.

When cooked, the core of a piña contains a juicy core of sweet candy clinging to the plant’s fibers. Picture a whisk broom dipped into a vat of melted liquid of sweet potatoes and candy corn then allowed to dry.

Until recently, the family used a stone-wheeled mill pulled by a horse to grind the juice from the piñas. Now, the piñas roll on a conveyor through a press.

And rather than use water to lubricate the piñas as they pass through the press as some distilleries do, Arriaga uses juices captured during the steam cooking to ensure no dilution.

After a week in the fermentation tanks the juice goes into one of the traditional four copper stills, not stainless steel as some distilleries now use.

“Copper absorbs all the bad flavors,” Arriaga said.

But not all the bad alcohol. After the second time through the still, she said, the tequila has three stratified layers – the head, the heart and the tail.

“We need to separate it to use the heart only,” she said. The head, which some distillers will mix into their products, contains the methanol that gives drinkers headaches. Here the head evaporates off an open top in the tank. The tail contains impurities that get thrown away.

The future Aha Toro comes out of the stills and into oak barrels purchased after one year of use by Jack Daniels, the Tennessee whiskey distiller.

The blanco (young) goes to the bottling plant in less than two months. The reposado (rested) ages from two to 11 months. The añejo (aged) stays in the barrels for two years. The tequila turns more golden with age.

In the barrel warehouse, Castelo siphons a sample from a test barrel into a glass goblet and demonstrates how to taste it.

Pour some tequila into your hands. Rub them together until the alcohol evaporates. Cup your hands over your nose, and take a deep breath. Bad tequila will smell like metal or chemicals. Good tequila gives off only the musky, earthy aroma of blue agave.

Swirl the tequila in a glass and watch the legs (drips) run down the inside of the glass. Aha Toro shows few legs that drip slowly.

But will Aha Toro sell?

“While Patron is clearly the premium-market leader, each month we see new boutique offerings introduced at retail stores and upscale venues nationwide,” said Stephen Gilberg, CEO of HappyHours.com, a New York e-marketing consult to alcohol suppliers and wholesalers.

“With limited space at both the back bar and on retail shelves, eventually we will reach trade-level brand saturation which will make it increasingly more difficult for new brands to penetrate the marketplace and compete with the more well-known players.”

But conglomerates in the world spirits industry have showed their own thirst by buying up popular premium brands for big money – Herradura sold for more than $870 million and Cabo Wabo, a brand started by Sammy Hagar, the former Van Halen rocker, sold for more than $80 million.

Given that, Gilberg said, “I don’t expect the entrepreneurial gold rush to end any time soon.”

MASCULINE LOOK AND FEEL

Furthermore, Aha Toro’s bottle makes it a hands-down eye-catcher on the shelves of stores and bars, said Charlie Barnett, a product packaging, design and advertising expert based on Fox Island.

“It fits in with the premium category really well” because of its masculine look and feel and the touch of old-Mexico’s artisans with its handmade pewter labels, he said.

“There’s a saying that the package is the promise,” Barnett said. “A good package, a good bottle, a good label or a good story can get you to the buyer one time, and if the promise isn’t fulfilled by the product, you’re in trouble.”

That first year of Aha Toro production in 1999 yielded sales of 600 bottles. Last year? 240,000. Roughly 5 percent of those sold in the U.S. The rest sold in Mexico, Russia, Japan, Italy, Switzerland, Lithuania, Denmark, Norway and Australia.

“It was scary to start,” Castelo said. “Some brands are more than 50 years old. Many people told us the market is too crowded. Now, I am proud. We weren’t so crazy.”

Dan Voelpel: 253-597-8785

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Source: http://www.thenewstribune.com 

First Family of Tequila and 10th Generation of Jose Cuervo Descendants Showcase New Mexican Artist For 'Reserva de la Familia'

NEW YORK, Feb. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Thirteen is a lucky number for Jose Cuervo International, the world's leading Tequila company. In an exclusive artist showcase, today the company unveils the 2008 edition of Reserva de la Familia -- which is also the 13th edition -- and its new handcrafted wooden box painted by renowned Mexican artist Fernanda Brunet. The event is hosted by Juan Domingo Beckmann, Executive Director of Casa Cuervo, and the 10th generation of Jose Cuervo descendents, here at Galeria Ramis Barquet.

Reserva de la Familia is an award-winning anejo (aged) Tequila made from hand-selected, 100% pure blue agave grown in the Cuervo estate's richest volcanic soils. Reserva de la Familia, the crown jewel of the Jose Cuervo portfolio, is considered to be a collectable masterpiece to spirit connoisseurs around the world for both its superior taste and uniquely designed packaging. Each year since 1995, the Cuervo family has selected a renowned Mexican artist to paint the new handcrafted wooden box for its ultra-premium vintage Tequila -- part of its continuing support for promising Mexican artists and local culture.

This year's edition features the artistry of Fernanda Brunet, winner of the 2003 Acquisition Prize, VI Bienal de Monterrey, Mexico. Brunet's paintings have been showcased in solo and group exhibitions around the globe. Through her work Brunet explores the different dimensions of painting, from erotic images muted by soft tones, light pastels and grays, to landscape elements like oceans and clouds or natural phenomenon such as volcanic eruptions. Full of energy, movement and emotion, Brunet's images refer to the sublime essence of nature while conveying a sense of innocence and naiveté. Brunet's narrations use an ever-growing eccentric palette of rose-colored tonalities and silver, complemented with acrylics.

"In this, our thirteenth year pairing our world-renowned Reserva de la Familia with the outstanding creativity of a fine Mexican artist, we are pleased to unveil our entire collection here in the art capital of the world, including the new 2008 Reserva de la Familia with artwork from Fernanda Brunet," said Beckmann. "My family has always been a strong supporter of Mexican culture and the artists that contribute to it, and we are pleased to carry on this tradition associated with Reserva de la Familia, one of the top Tequilas in the world."

In addition to winning several awards and a double gold medal from the 2006 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Reserva de la Familia is recognized by industry experts as one of the world's finest spirits. Only a limited number of Reserva de la Familia bottles are produced each year, which makes this prized sipping Tequila a much-desired spirit.

This exclusive Tequila is part of a private family tradition dating back to 1795, when the Jose Cuervo family would descend into their private cellar to share the finest Tequila reserves with a select group of family and friends. In 1995, to celebrate the 200-year anniversary of the Cuervo brand, the family decided to share Reserva de la Familia with the rest of the world, and began issuing limited-edition bottles.

Aged in new French and American charred oak barrels, Reserva de la Familia has a full, mellow taste that combines floral, agave, vanilla, nut and Cognac- like flavors and is typically sipped in a brandy snifter either straight or on the rocks. Each bottle is carefully assembled by hand, numbered and dated, hand-dipped in wax and then placed in the handcrafted wooden box. The 2008 Reserva de la Familia is expected to be available in most U.S. states in March for approximately $100 per 750ml bottle (price varies per market).

Jose Cuervo is the largest producer of Tequila throughout Mexico and around the world. In addition to Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia, the Jose Cuervo portfolio of Tequilas includes Jose Cuervo Especial, the world's best-selling Tequila, Jose Cuervo Clasico, Jose Cuervo Black Medallion, Jose Cuervo Tradicional, Jose Cuervo Platino, Jose Cuervo Golden Margarita, Authentic Jose Cuervo Margaritas and Jose Cuervo Margarita Mix. For more information, visit www.cuervo.com.

Jose Cuervo Tequilas are imported and marketed in the United States by Diageo North America, a subsidiary of Diageo PLC. Based in London, Diageo PLC is the world's leading spirits and wine company and is traded on the NYSE under the symbol DEO. For more information, visit www.diageo.com.

Contacts:

Jim Sias
Taylor                      
212-714-5734                
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Bevin Gove
Jose Cuervo International
212-590-0263
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Website: http://www.cuervo.com/

Website: http://www.diageo.com/

At the family-owned store in Boyle Heights, it's wall-to-wall tequila -- and some hanging from the ceiling too.

The sign on the side of the building says Tequila Warehouse, and that's what you'll find inside Ramirez Liquor in Boyle Heights: wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with bottle after bottle of tequila.

Co-owner Alex Ramirez has helped put together a selection of more than 350 tequilas, including coveted bottles. His family has been in the grocery business since the '70s, but, Ramirez says, "my brothers and I decided to take the business in a different direction." Ramirez Liquor opened in 1995 and remodeled about four years ago, taking the leap into maximum tequila coverage: "Before that, we stocked less than 50 tequilas -- the mainstream stuff."

"There are so many ultra-premium tequilas in the market now," Ramirez says. "We try finding out what's coming out in Mexico and what's selling there. Many tequilas aren't sold through the big distributors. You've got to do your homework; it's like putting the pieces of a puzzle together."

736 S. Soto St., Los Angeles, (323) 261-2915, ramirezliquor.com .

Source:
LA Times - Betty Hallock