Post by ♥ COVID-19♥ on May 3, 2009 21:18:06 GMT -6
Once again, my favorite liquor store – Union Square Wines & Spirits – fails to disappoint. Each year, they conduct a tequila tasting in honor of Cinco de Mayo; very often, they’ll combine it with a bourbon tasting in honor of the Kentucky Derby since it also falls on the first Saturday of May; attendees can choose between margaritas, mint juleps or – for the more adventurous – a little of both. This year, however, it was mostly tequilas – but not exclusively, as I’ll attempt to explain …
Although the tasting included – and actually began with – a collection of red wines from Uruguay, Argentina and Chile, I skipped these and went straight for the tequilas. With all of the tequilas, I made sure to taste in order from youngest (blanco) to oldest (añejo), stopping off at mid-range (reposado) along the way. This little plan of mine was conveniently facilitated by the tequila company representatives themselves since that was exactly how they served their wares.
First up was a tequila I had never even heard of before, much less tasted -- Leyenda del Milagro. Upon being served a small sample of the Silver (blanco), the marketing rep told me that this young tequila is completely unaged – it goes right from the distilling process to the bottle. “So it never gets put in a barrel?”, I asked, unknowingly playing straight man. “That’s right”, she replied, “it never sees any wood”. I of course paused for a moment waiting for her to fill in the silence with a punch line which never occurred; although I considered volunteering to do so myself, I chose to decline – after all, I wasn’t here to work. The blanco had that familiar taste that we generally tend to associate with tequilas – a bit sharp, likely due to its lack of aging. Next up was an unusual one, a Silver Reserve that had been aged for no longer than 9 months in a wood barrel; this one was definitely smoother. The reposado was next; due to the fact that this is aged in barrels for up to a year, this had a much milder taste. Finally, the añejo. Since this is aged in barrels up to a year and a half, I sniffed at it a bit to see if I could detect any wood, but couldn't; however, it did have a most definite wood taste to it as well as a very pleasant vanilla or caramel aftertaste. As with all añejos, this is considered a sipping tequila, more like a cognac or fine scotch and is not for use to be mixed in a cocktail. The Silver Reserve was used to make a margarita -- and instead of using triple sec, she mixed it with Clement Creole Shrubb Orange liqueur. An excellent choice to make a very different taste for a margarita! Instead of a strong lime – only flavor, the orange from the liqueur added a more balanced, citrusy taste. I definitely want to try this one the next time I make a margarita, regardless of what tequila I use.
The second tequila was Corralejo . Perhaps the most distinctive thing about this one was the packaging – it really threw me off quite a bit. While the blanco is in a clear bottle, the reposado is in a blue bottle and the añejo in a red bottle. Red, white and blue – are they trying to tell the U.S. market something? So much for subliminal marketing. The reason why it threw me off was because when I first looked at them, I though all the bottles were clear and the tequila itself was colored, but the company’s marketing rep was quick to correct me. The blanco, with no aging, has a real bite to it – if you like a strong taste to your tequila, you may have found it here. The reposado is aged 4 months in 3 different kinds of oak barrels; this one had a distinct citrusy taste to it, alternating between orange, lemon and lime at different points. The añejo is aged over a year in American oak barrels; while this is supposed to be the sipping tequila, I really didn’t find it all that flavorful to recommend.
The only “famous” tequila at this tasting was Patron and they were next. I won’t spend too much time on this one since I would imagine just about everyone has a reasonable familiarity. Their marketing representative told me that the aging differs from weeks with the Silver (who knew it was aged at all?) to 8 months with the reposado (giving it a golden color, almost suggesting a nectar) to a whopping 2 years for the añejo; obviously the darkest of the three, I could swear it had a caramel taste to it – was caramel added to it for taste and/or color or did the look of it just confuse my taste buds?
Siete Leguas means “7 leagues”; the name is based on what Pancho Villa called his horse. When riding into battle, Villa boasted that his horse could run 7 leagues (approximately 21 miles) without stopping or resting. But the history of this tequila is far more interesting than just its name. If you look at the bottles and packaging, they’ll resemble another more familiar tequila – and with good reason. From 1989 to 2002, Siete Leguas re-sold their tequila to another distributor, who marketed it under the name Patron. In 2002, Patron then decided to make their own tequila so they no longer needed Siete Leguas and the business relationship between the two companies ended, with a predictably bitter lawsuit ensuing. Siete Leguas wound up losing the case, the result being that they had to re-design their bottles so they looked slightly less like the more famous Patron bottles; the outer packaging, however, remains virtually unchanged.
Siete Leguas prides itself on not putting any additives in their tequila, unlike others (Don Julio is one they claim that is notorious for this). Their un-aged blanco still has a strong resemblance to the Patron; at a cheaper price, some Patron fans might want to consider opting for this one if/when they can find a bottle. The reposado is aged for up to 8 months in French oak barrels (they claim that regulations require a minimum of 6 months); it definitely had a different taste from the other reposados I tried and I would have to say that it’s probably the French oak barrels that’s the reason (most of the other companies use American oak). Although they do offer an añejo, it was not officially on the tasting menu because the store could not get any in stock; luckily for us, however, their marketing representative was able to bring one in and offer it to those who were curious. I personally found it to be very smooth, but with a scotch-like finish, giving a little bit of a burn on the sides of the tongue; the marketing rep thought that it was more similar to a cognac, so we slightly disagreed on it in that regard, but the net result was that it was a very nice taste. Their añejo is aged for up to 2 years in American oak barrels.
Last but definitely not least was a very nice surprise:
Hacienda de Chihuahua. A short lesson on tequila here: tequila is made from the agave plant but can only be called tequila if it comes from a region called Tequila in the Mexican state of Jalisco; just like sparkling wine can only be called Champagne if it comes from that region of France or brandy can only be called Cognac if it’s from there. Anything else made of agave that doesn't come from Jalisco cannot be called tequila. Because Hacienda de Chihuahua is in Chihuahua – a region north of Jalisco – it can’t be called tequila (and because mescal comes from a region south of Jalisco, it likewise can’t be called tequila). As a result, there’s a slightly different taste because of the terroir (soil). Also, instead of being called tequila, it’s known as Sotol . Arguably, this stuff may have been the best of the bunch; we were only treated to reposado and añejo versions, both of which were aged in French oak barrels – 6 months for the reposado versus 2 years for the añejo. While these taste like tequila, make no mistake, there is definitely a difference.
So which one did I purchase? Here’s my surprise “Sixth Sense”-like twist ending:
Literally just a few weeks ago, renowned bourbon manufacturer Maker’s Mark came out with a Mint Julep version under their brand. Technically, this was obviously not part of the tequila tasting, but in honor of the fact that it coincided with Kentucky Derby day, they were invited and were provided their own special area separate from the tequila manufacturers.
Maker’s Mark Mint Julep is rather sweet – containing simple syrup in addition to the mint – but with ice, very refreshing. It goes down soooo smooth that it’s potentially a little dangerous. Preferably, serve it with shaved ice and a sprig of mint for the scent and you’ve got a delightful treat for a sultry late afternoon cocktail hour. Compared to the other tequilas, I found this one to be so irresistible – especially given that its price was discounted 15% due to the fact that it was a special tasting – I decided to pick up a bottle. It’s post time, kids.
