eedcxsww
08.06.2021 3:29:14
Reposado is aged in oak barrels for up to 12 months, and best for mixed drinks and sipping — or shots. [links]
See full version: I tasted my way across Mexico; s tequila distilleries — here; s what you should be drinking
Reposado is aged in oak barrels for up to 12 months, and best for mixed drinks and sipping — or shots. [links]
But t hat was several thousand miles and lifetimes ago — t oday, I am nurturing an impossibly good tequila añejo in an agave field in the Mexican state of Jalisco.
I had more later — only after the stuff was drowned in a pitcher of lime juice, salt, and sour mix.
Some of the world's best tequila is produced in this mountainous, semi-arid, starkly beautiful landscape, and s ales are on fire. Tequila has nearly doubled the growth of vodka in the past 15 years . Higher end, premium tequilas have grown eight fold during the same time. Names like Patron, Herradura, Espolon, and Casa Noble have climbed to the top shelf, bumping up next to the Macallan single malts and Remy VSOPs.
The industry is also constantly experimenting because of what Trent Fraser — CEO of Volcan, a startup distiller — calls tequila's "versatility of consumption."
A bright morning sun bounces off the Cerro del Pandillo mountain onto the El Tesoro Distillery's endless rows of agave plants. This is the second leg on my tour through Mexico's famed "Tequila Trail."
Gran Patrón (Patrón’s ultra premium range) is responsible for one of the most special limited releases within the category—Burdeos is a rare and rich Extra Añejo that is aged in American and French oak before being re-distilled and finished in Bordeaux casks, resulting in a deep amber déluge of velvety vanilla, dried fruit, honeyed wine, and black pepper notes. It’s a dessert unlikely to be forgotten.
On the nose, expect earthy tones, citrus blossom, and baking spice, and on the palate, black pepper, cooked agave, and smoke leading into a long, complex finish.
"Many purists contend that Blanco is the purest expression of the agave plant, but this Reposado would give them a run for their money, just with slightly darker and deeper flavors than what a Blanco might offer,” says Erik Delanoy, a longtime New York City bartender. How does Tequila Partida achieve this? The award-winning highland spirit, which took home a 97-point score and a Chairman’s Trophy Award from the 2019 Ultimate Spirits Challenge, is aged for four additional months more than the minimum requirement for the Reposado category, which is two months. [links]
If you’re looking for a solid Añejo for the price of a Reposado or Blanco (and an organic one at that), Tres Agaves is your best bet. It’s the product of a fully organic operation and is double-distilled and aged for approximately 18 months in ex-bourbon and Tennessee whiskey barrels. The Tres Agaves Añejo expression is one of vegetal and cooked agave notes with plenty of baking spice and caramel, a palate that is shockingly complex and balanced given the price point. [links]
Not only is the Chamucos bottle appealing to the eye, but a foreshadowing of the care that’s gone into what’s inside it. The brand has been practicing organic farming for 18 years and is the only certified non-GMO Tequila on the market, among many other efforts, so this is a bottle you can feel especially great about buying.
Las Vegas bartender Alexandra Farrington, an expert when it comes to artisanal tequila production, recommends sipping on this Blanco expression by Caballito Cerrero, a cult favorite among agave enthusiasts. “This liquid is a time machine in a bottle—it has a richness uncommon for unaged spirit, [with] vegetal notes, mineralogy, and just a slight sweetness,” she says.
Only 5,000 bottles of this limited-edition Don Ramón extra añejo were produced. Made with 100% blue agave from the Tequila Highlands, this expression has been aged for three years in American oak barrels. The tequila provides notes of toasted coconut and vanilla, with some cocoa powder and dark roasted coffee, Hurley notes. But that’s only part of the selling point for him. [links]
It also does pair nicely with food,” says Chasse, “and if you’re having a fancy day, with a fine cigar.” here
The baked yam, toasted oak, caramel and vanilla notes come from the two and a half years of wood aging this añejo.
“Añejos and extra añejos should embody the flavor of the wood with the soul of the original spirit,” says Hurley, so that the cooked agave flavor shines, complemented by notes of toasted oak, caramel, vanilla and cocoa powder.” here
Good to Know: How should you drink a sipping tequila? Hurley and Chasse suggest trying it neat in a tequila glass (a short, stemmed flute). Add a few drops of water to open up the flavor. Medina prefers to sip his aged tequila in a snifter with one large cube of ice, which melts slowly, keeping the spirit cool but not diluting it.
Begins with notes of smooth caramel and slightly spicy vanilla. This tequila soon reveals itself fully with a delightful burnt sweetness of banana and dark, dark chocolate. Perhaps it is the mixture of dark chocolate and burnt sweetness, but I could also detect coffee notes. Finishes in the same smooth way that it began.
Presented in a slender-necked tall and rather striking rust-orange/brown bottle. more
Now you enjoy both the flavour and the confused expression on the faces of your friends as they wonder how you can possibly sip that fire-water and enjoy it.