There’s More Post-Premium Variety in the Tequila Category

That’s your tequila IQ? If asked, could you explain the difference between an añejo and a reposado to a customer? And just what does the term blanco mean in the book of agave.      
    It’s not just about ego. It’s about revenues and profits in gaining an understanding of the fastest growing spirits category of them all. To know them is to be able to sell them. Customers appreciate owners and operators who can guide them in their study and enjoyment of fine tequilas. Even if you know the category well, new tequilas in all price categories are being launched all the time, and there is always something to add to your storehouse of information about a given brand.

Agavero
    ‘A’ is not just for agave. It also stands for Agavero tequila, bottled at Los Camachines Distillery in Jalisco, Mexico, where the blue agave plant is grown. This officially designated region includes the state of Jalisco, parts of adjoining states and the town of Tequila, for which the spirit is named.
    The master distiller begins the process by hand, blending his own select 100-percent blue agave reposado and añejo tequilas that have been separately aged in specially charred, white oak casks. The reposado tequila is aged for nearly a year and the añejo tequila for no less than two years.
    For more information, visit www.agavero.com.

Cabo Wabo
    Cabo Wabo Tequila was brought to life in 1996 on the back roads of Guadalajara. Red Rocker Sammy Hagar joined forces with a small Mexican tequila maker that had been in operation since 1937.
    Although some of the players have changed since the birth and rise of Cabo Wabo Tequila, it continues to be grown and handmade by a well-established tequila family with deep roots in the tequila fields of Jalisco.
    Cabo Wabo Tequila maintains its smooth, no after-burn flavor by sustaining its respect of long-standing tequila-making traditions. The agave is baked in wood-fired adobe ovens and double-pot-distilled the old-fashion way for a rich, soul-warming taste. The Red Rocker’s Reposado tequila is barrel-aged in oak casks for 4-6 months.
    For more information, visit www.cabowabo.com.

Casa Noble
    Casa Noble, too, is reverent to the mysticism and tradition of tequila. Its 100 percent Blue Weber Agave is grown on its own 3,000-acre estate; the tequila then is handcrafted using traditional methods of small batch production. Tequila Casa Noble Crystal is a handcrafted, triple-distilled, 100-percent blue agave Blanco Tequila that has been recognized by the San Francisco World Spirits Competition with a double gold medal as one of the world’s finest tequilas. Aged in French White Oak Barrels for one year, Casa Noble Reposado is a handcrafted, triple distilled, 100 percent blue agave tequila that has been described as smooth, sensuous and full-bodied and is packaged in a blue porcelain, handmade decanter.
    Matured in French White Oak barrels for five years, Casa Noble Añejo has an exceptional bouquet and a deep golden color. The black porcelain decanter is decorated with accents and labels made of 18-carat gold, hand-painted by local artists. Production is limited to 2,000 cases a year, making this a sought after item.
    For more information,  visit www.casanoble.com.

Cazadores
    Cazadores Tequila has a special aroma and well-defined taste that has won the Golden Star of International Quality in 1990 in Madrid, Spain, and the Grand Prize of America for Quality and Service.
    The tequilas of Cazadores include Cazadores Blanco, an unaged, 100-percent blue agave tequila; Cazadores Reposado, another 100-percent blue agave tequila that is aged between two and 11 months, in new, small, American white oak barrels; and Cazadores Añejo, an 100-percent blue agave, aged no less than 12 months, in new, small, American white oak barrels.
    For more information, visit www.cazadores.com.

1800
    From the Cuervo family of tequilas, 1800 tequilas are made from 100-percent blue agave from the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico. For each of the three unique tequilas — 1800 Silver, 1800 Reposado and 1800 Anejo — special care is taken with every step of the tequila-making process. All aspects of the production process are monitored carefully to develop the rich flavors that 1800 tequila has to offer.
    For more information, visit www.1800tequila.com.

El Diamante Del Cielo
    El Diamante del Cielo is produced in three different varieties: Añejo, Reposado and Blanco. The handcrafted tequilas feature 100 percent pure blue Weber agave grown exclusively in the optimal conditions found in the Jalisco region of Mexico. Respectful of the heritage of tequila making, the agave is harvested by hand by authentic jimadors, a tradition passed from father to son in Mexico for centuries.
    Cielo most recently captured four Double Gold Medals, one Gold and one Bronze Medal at the 2006 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
    For more information, visit www.handcraftedtequila.com.

El Mayor
    Made exclusively from hand-selected agave plants grown in the Highlands of ose Cuervo
The Cuervo portfolio includes Jose Cuervo Gold; Jose Cuervo Black Medallion, a relatively new launch for mixing with a variety of cola cocktails; Jose Cuervo Clasico, a silver premium mellowed in oak barrels; Jose Cuervo Tradicional, an 100-percent blue agave reposado tequila; Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia, the top-of-the-line 100-percent blue agave tequila released by the Cuervo family on the 200th anniversary of the company’s founding in 1995 (its 12th release launched earlier this year); and three unique flavors: Citrico, Oranjo and Tropina.
    For more information, visit cuervo.com.

El Tesoro
    The El Tesoro tequila collection of El Tesoro Platinum, El Tesoro Reposado, El Tesoro Añejo and Paradiso Añejo reflect the craftsmanship, art and science of a by-gone era. Master Distiller Carlos Camarena insists that the crushed fibers stay with the fermented liquid through the first distillation.
    When El Tesoro comes off the second distillation at 80 proof, it is bottled in used bourbon casks from Kentucky and aged in the Camerena’s stone-lined, humidity-controlled cellars, deep underground. These barrels are aged up to three years, resulting in a treasure of a tequila.
    El Tesoro received Double Gold medals for the entire El Tesoro collection at the 2005 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
    For more information, see your Beam Global Spirits & Wine distributor.

Jose Cuervo
    The Cuervo portfolio includes Jose Cuervo Gold; Jose Cuervo Black Medallion, a relatively new launch for mixing with a variety of cola cocktails; Jose Cuervo Clasico, a silver premium mellowed in oak barrels; Jose Cuervo Tradicional, an 100-percent blue agave reposado tequila; Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia, the top-of-the-line 100-percent blue agave tequila released by the Cuervo family on the 200th anniversary of the company’s founding in 1995 (its 12th release launched earlier this year); and three unique flavors: Citrico, Oranjo and Tropina.
    For more information, visit cuervo.com.

Juárez
    Distilled at the Distiladora Gonzalez in the Jalisco region of Mexico, Jaurez has grown to become the No. 4 best-selling tequila brand in the United States. It also has the distinction of being the top-selling tequila in Mexico. The product of fine, hand-selected agave plants, Juarez is distilled under direct supervision of the Mexican government to guarantee consistency and quality control.
    For more information, visit www.luxco.com.

Patrón
    From the finest, most expensive Weber blue agave plants, grown in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico, to the centuries-old distillation process, Patrón is produced with attention to detail. It has been estimated that some 60 pairs of hands touch each bottle of Patrón in the distilling and manufacturing process.
    Founded in 1989, Patrón’s exclusive line of tequilas includes Patrón Silver, a crystal clear, pure ultra-premium tequila; Patrón Añejo, a delicate blend of uniquely aged tequilas aged in small white oak barrels for a minimum of 12 months; Patrón Reposado, aged in oak barrels for an average of six months to incorporate the fresh, clean taste of Patrón Silver with a hint of the oak flavor found in Patrón Añejo; and Gran Patrón.
    For more information, visit www.patronspirits.com.

Sauza
The Sauza portfolio includes  Sauza Blanco, a premium, 51-percent agave, Silver tequila; Sauza Extra Gold, also a premium 51-percent agave tequila; Sauza Hacienda, a premium, 51-percent agave reposado tequila; Sauza Conmemorativo, a super-premium, 51-percent agave, añejo tequila; Sauza Hornitos, a super-premium, 100-percent agave, reposado tequila; and Sauza Tres Generaciones (3Gs), a family of ultra-premium, 100 percent agave tequilas that includes plata, reposado and añejo tequila.
    For more information, visit www.sauzatequila.com.

Tarantula Tequila
    Tarantula is a premium tequila at a Happy Hour price.
    McCormick Distilling followed in the steps of tequilleros; the Tarantula process employs fine yeast, classical ovens and copper stills. The Plata possesses a crisp, distinctive taste of agave, and the Reposado is taken a step further, aged in choice oak barrels until achieving a smooth taste and amber color.
    For more information, visit www.mccormickdistilling.com.

Zircón Azul
    Zircón Azul is smooth and has an exceptional flavor that makes it fine sipping tequila. From the fields to the processing plant, everything is done in the old-world way. Zircón Azul is produced and bottled in Arandas Jalisco, Mexico, using all natural products. Zircón Azul is 100-percent reposado tequila aged in white oak barrels for flavor, color and smoothness.
    For more information, visit www.zirconazul.com.