Tequila
Tequila is one of the fastest-growing spirits in the U.S., with America consuming even more than they do in its homeland of Mexico. The biggest growth is in the premium and super-premium categories, as drinkers discover the pleasure of sipping rather than slamming good tequila. Tequila is in fact a type of mezcal, but one that has a specific “domain of origin” status and which must be made from a single species of agave, the blue agave. Tequila must be made in certain designated areas in Mexico, the biggest being the state of Jalisco, where the town of Tequila is located. Rack “tequila” must contain at least 51% blue agave sugars, and the remainder can be just about anything, including corn syrup. However, quality tequila will state on the bottle that it is made from 100% blue agave. Anything less than this (think Cuervo Gold) is called a mixto. Within Mexico, tequila can be bottled at anything from 62 to 110 proof, but within the U.S. it must be at least 80 proof. Blanco (silver or white) tequila is sold unaged, reposado tequila must be aged at least two months in white oak barrels, and añejo (aged) tequila are aged for twelve months minimum. Finally, extra añejo must be aged for at least three years. A new variety of tequila, generally called cristalino, is aged tequila that has been filtered to remove color, giving it the appearance of a blanco but the flavor of an añejo.
Top Tequila Posts:
Understanding the Different Styles of Tequila
A Visit to Casa Herradura
A Visit to the Don Julio Tequila Distillery
New mezcal brands are sprouting up left and right. Add newcomer Zomoz to that ever-growing list. The brand launched last June as a joint venture among several Mexican and Mexican-American entrepreneurs: Diego De La Vega, Marlene Avitia, Eloy Cantu, and Mike Fonseca. The name means “we are” in Spanish and is meant to speak to…
Hear me out on this: What if you don’t want to drink alcohol… but you don’t mind replacing it with cannabis… and yet you still want to drink cocktails? That’s the promise of MXXN — pronounced “moon” — which is a hemp-infused non-alcoholic spirit designed for cocktailing. The idea? You won’t be consuming alcohol, but…
The popularity of agave spirits has exploded in recent years with mezcal showing particularly impressive growth. Unlike most tequila, however, mezcal is more of an artisanal product, often made entirely by hand and with frequently far lower yields. It is not uncommon for a new mezcal producer to hit the market with only a few…
Mala Mia Mexcal launched earlier this year with four expressions: Espadín, Ensamble, Cuishe, and Tepeztate. Traditionally distilled by Saturnino Martínez Méndez in the village of Santiago Matatlán in Oaxaca, the operation uses agave aged anywhere from 6 to 26 years of age, cutting them down whole. (This is the inspiration for the name Mala Mia,…
When we first tasted Casa Dragones over a decade ago, we were blown away by what was, at that time, a very unique joven expression, made in the lowlands on column stills from both aged and unaged tequilas by the first, and then only, female Maestro Taquilera, Bertha Gonzalez Nieves. It’s a serious understatement to…
Each year we have the treat of seeing a special edition from the tequila pros at El Mayor. This year is no exception, and it’s even more special since the company is celebrating its 25th anniversary. To mark the occasion, the company has dropped another Extra Anejo bottling, aged for 39 months in surprisingly traditional…
I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for some festivities in the form of holiday revelry. Naturally, the holidays mean gift-giving time is nigh, and you’re going to want recommendations for what to wrap up and stash under the tree. As always, this year we want your gift-giving to make a statement, but we…
Our fifth year producing a top 10 tequilas and mezcals list has a little twist on it: We didn’t pick any of the mezcals we tried this year for inclusion on the list. While we liked plenty of them, none made quite enough of an impact to earn a spot here. That said, we’ve got…
It’s really easy to get really cynical really quickly about a tequila brand founded by a self-described “serial entrepreneur and angel investor.” Because what venture capitalist hasn’t lifted themselves up by the bootstraps to eventually found their very own vanity tequila brand? Admittedly, founder Karan Khanna’s involvement is obfuscated by the roles of founding consultant…
As agave spirits continue their march toward becoming the most-sold liquor category in America, we’re seeing more market differentiators than ever. One of the latest is Quintaliza’s Reposado Tequila, which according to the brand is both additive-free and certified organic. And here’s where things get interesting: the product is “finished in oak barrels that previously…