There was a revolution of kinds over the previous few a long time: Increasingly, customers of spirits need to know what’s within the merchandise they buy and luxuriate in—and who makes them and the place they’re from. Provenance and manufacturing strategies have develop into top-of-mind concerns for discerning drinkers.
The Tequila trade has lengthy been a pacesetter in requirements that guarantee high quality. It’s a protected D. O. spirit (denomination of origin), that means it may possibly solely be made in Mexico, with Blue Weber agave, underneath tight rules coping with power, age, and geography, amongst different concerns.
At this time, although the time period is broadly mentioned (and broadly misunderstood), “components” have develop into a frequent dialog subject.
That’s not a nasty factor: Many producers are taking the chance to debate the intentions behind how they make their spirit, in addition to the stability of conventional and fashionable strategies of manufacturing. “Components” have lengthy been part of the distiller’s artwork throughout most spirit classes together with Scotch, Rum, Vodka, Gin, and Cognac, even when the phrase itself feels like some new addition to your bottle. Components have typically been used with care to foster the expertise customers rightfully count on from their most well-liked spirit; they need it to style the identical every time they buy a bottle.
The Tequila class’s requirements on this space are, in truth, unusually stringent. Whereas Cognac, for instance, permits as much as 4 % in components by quantity, and Rum as much as 2.5 %, the Tequila trade throughout the board agrees on a restrict of simply 1 % of unlabeled additive per 100% of liquid weight Tequila. Nonetheless, the second a spirit touches a barrel—and almost all of them do—it’s troublesome to even use the time period “additive-free,” as compounds like glucose from the wooden/cask, and advantageous particulars of taste imparted from the barrel’s earlier use for a spirit or wine, will discover their method (usually fortunately) into the completed product. It’s almost not possible to check for additive utilization throughout batches, and regardless of some producers’ claims, there isn’t any official additive-free label certification in place with the Mexican governing physique.
Like all spirits within the U.S., Tequila bottles don’t must disclose the usage of components inside manufacturing. A notable vary of makers, nevertheless, embody simply the straightforward trinity of agave, yeast, and water, counting on the plant’s pure composition and complicated strategies to attain excellent taste. The very best makers have their very own alternative ways to prepare dinner, ferment, and distill, along with their very own distinctive recipes.
And making Tequila doesn’t cease on the liquid you see within the bottle. The safety of the land and people who develop the agave is vital. Agave takes a minimal of 5 to six years within the floor earlier than it has sufficient sugar content material to reap, a really totally different timeframe from grain or cane-based spirits that may develop in only one season. That’s the reason water conservation, pest management, and assist of the sector employees and growers ought to be thought of as an element within the value you pay for every bottle of your favourite Tequila.
Around the globe, the title Jose Cuervo is synonymous with Tequila—and rightly so. Nonetheless Mexican-owned, the home is the oldest family-run Tequila firm on the earth and is now, astonishingly, in its eleventh technology. With that longevity comes perspective. The household’s ancestors had been among the many nation’s first farmers to domesticate agave for spirit manufacturing, and as such, the corporate is dedicated to supporting the Mexican rural communities which are Tequila’s basis. Their ethos is to guard each the trade and the setting that produces the valuable liquid for generations to return.
Cuervo’s Tradicional Blanco, rooted in additional than 230 years of custom, embodies these commitments, from harvest to shelf. The agaves are cooked for 36 to 40 hours in conventional masonry brick ovens, after which—at La Rojeña, the oldest distillery in Latin America—are handed by way of curler mills in a four-step course of to extract the juices. The ultimate product incorporates simply protected nicely water, yeast for fermentation, and Blue Weber agave, and affords herbaceous citrus notes balanced by spicy, candy fruit and a clear end, excellent as a sipper on the rocks or in your favourite cocktail.
The crown jewel of the Cuervo Household portfolio is the beautiful Reserva de la Familia by Jose Cuervo assortment, small-batch artisanal Tequilas handcrafted with meticulous care. The Platino Tequila is produced following the Esencia de Agave course of, a set of proprietary strategies recognized solely by the distillers. This particular methodology permits the agave notes to retain their unique character and shine by way of within the aroma and taste of the completed Tequila. This award-winning traditional, now made organically, additionally options simply agave, yeast, and water and no components. The result’s a shiny, unaged Tequila that includes a particular candy and spicy palate with notes of melon, honey, and hay, culminating in a clear end highlighted by heat cinnamon spice.
The tremendous premium class in america is led by the long-lasting 1800 Tequila , named for the yr Tequila started gaining recognition past its humble origins in Jalisco, Mexico. For 1800 Blanco, a particular choice of white Tequilas are blended for added complexity and taste with out components, the bottling incorporates a floral, fruity aroma with hints of spice and black peppercorn, with a balanced candy prune and roasted pepper taste. Agave hearts are hand-harvested at peak maturity earlier than they’re cooked in conventional masonry brick ovens for over 36 hours after which double-distilled in copper pot stills. 1800 Tequila is named the World’s Most Awarded Tequila and continues to boost the bar in pursuit of 1 aim: serving to folks discover one of the best style in Tequila and in life.
The #1 Tequila in Mexico stays Gran Centenario—the Tequila that Mexicans drink. Steeped in over a century of Mexican craft and heritage, Gran Centenario brings household and associates again to their dwelling roots, celebrating tradition and custom in Mexico and world wide. Gran Centenario Plata presents vibrant fruit traits of pear, lime, and citrus, complemented by delicate black pepper undertones. This blanco Tequila is exclusive in that it’s matured in American Oak pipónes for 4 to six weeks, contributing to its distinctive straw coloration. The floor contact ratio of the pipónes is smaller than an everyday barrel, which permits for much less publicity to the wooden, making a nuanced taste profile when in comparison with different blanco Tequilas.
Based by Eleventh-generation Tequila maker Juan Domingo Beckmann and handcrafted within the Tequila Valley, Maestro Dobel Tequila affords fashionable expressions of Tequila demonstrating its makers’ mastery of innovation and smoothness. The meticulously crafted, unaged Maestro Dobel Blanco advantages from Dobel’s double-distillation course of, designed by maestro tequileros to intensify the complexity of aromas and flavors developed by way of a wholly pure course of. Additionally that includes solely 100% agave, water, and yeast, this Blanco is even Kosher licensed. The flavour leans candy, that includes caramel, honey, maple, walnut, and vanilla tones, alongside a virtually indescribable softness. The agaves used to supply Maestro Dobel Blanco are harvested previous to the area’s wet season to create a larger focus of carbohydrates, including depth of taste and producing a notably clean and complicated blanco. The crops are jicama minimize, that means the jimadores take away as a lot because the inexperienced leaves as attainable.
With greater than 2,000 registered Tequila manufacturers in Mexico, these qualities embody the great paradox of blancos: from simply three components, these spirits provide all kinds of intriguing pleasures, masterfully deploying the only components to supply distinctive bottlings for each style.
To search out out extra about Tequila – its historical past, heritage, and memorable manufacturing strategies, go to tequilafacts.org.
