Tequila Talk

@Victor Very true but guidance is always appreciated. My brother and sister-in-law recommended the Clase Azul and they both really like it. I find it a bit on the sweet side and a bit overpriced IMO. I'm looking for recommendations on Tequilas and Mezcals that are good but don't cost an arm and a leg.

@TracerBullet intel is always useful, but in the end we are stuck/blessed with ourselves to make the decisions.

I've heard people go nuts over Clase Azul as long as I have been following tequila, which is about 12 years. I have never been particularly impressed by it. Yes, it is a good product, but I like MANY tequilas as much or more, including all of the El Jimador products, two of which you should be able to find in my county for under $ 20. (@TracerBullet lives 30 miles up the road from me)

My top "preiswert" tequila recommendations: 1) all the El Jimador products (he is the guy harvesting the agaves), 2) Corralejo Reposado excellent, inexpensive, and much preferred over their blancos and anejos, 3) 1800 Reposado (their anejo is rather tannic) 4) Tanteo Jalapeno Infused Blanco, a little pricier, = approx $ 45 but quite a showpiece once YOU adjust to its flamboyant nature. Surprisingly this one becomes a crowd pleaser

Other brands I like a lot are 1) Casa Noble, though sometimes they need a lot of air to completely blossom, 2) Don Julio, and 3) Chinaco, especially the anejo. Jose Cuervo Reserva de La Familia Extra-Anejo is excellent, but it is now rather tough to find at a good price. Avg world asking price for this as of today is $ 176.

This is not an exhaustive list. I could name others I like a lot. As for mezcal I've liked most of those I have tasted also, but rarely have I thought that I could not live without buying a bottle of any of them. My go to Mezcal is Del Maguey Chichicapa, but even that has shown batch variability (@numen got a bum bottle 10 years ago from which I have also tasted). Chichicapa avg world asking price as of today on wine-searcher.com is $ 75. I see that one place in NOLA has it for sale for $ 38. That would be a steal.

@Victor Thank you for your recommendations. I will have to pick up a few and see what I think!

@TracerBullet you are very welcome! I look forward to hearing of your experiences.

@TracerBullet - the next bottle of tequila I buy will most likely be that one. I saw a Rick Stein programme where he visited the distillery and it looked very authentic and traditional. Seems to get good reviews too.

@RianC I had read that it got great reviews and is pretty reasonably priced. @Victor is correct though, it really depends on what you think, not the reviewer. I still found the Fortaleza Reposado much more to my liking than the Clase Azul and some of the more 'common' tequilas I had tried. But I have not really tried too many so take that for what it is worth...

Is there any way to be certain that you will not be stuck buying a bottle that you do not like? No, there is no way but one to be certain in advance that you will like what is in any bottle. It happened to me with Lagavulin 16, Ardbeg Uigeadail (second bottle), Talisker 10, Highland Park 12 yo, Aberfeldy 12 yo, Buffalo Trace, Elijah Craig 12 yo, Knob Creek bourbon, Old Charter 8yo...The ONE way that you can be certain that you will like what is in the bottle, at least initially, is to taste from the bottle you are about to buy in advance of having made the decision to buy it. How often do you get that opportunity?

Otherwise we do the best we can. There is no substitute for getting the experience of tasting the products available. But, even with experience, the next bottle or batch can be different, and lesser, to our own tastes, than the one we already experienced and liked. We make our choices and choose our risks. For example, I know that having tasted @numen's subpar bottle of Del Maguey Chichicapa 10 years ago that I would still be willing to bet $ 80 on a new bottle of it today, when my current bottle is empty. There is ALWAYS some risk involved. I assert that those who claim otherwise are merely lacking in experience.

Last night's cocktail: a Satin Sheet, recipe courtesy of Difford's Guide, although I used mezcal instead of tequila. It's essentially a Margarita made with (homemade) falernum as opposed to Cointreau.

I do not know when I will get around to cracking these open but, at least they are in my possession. I have a hit list of tequilas which have peaked my curiosity.

@fiddich1980 Nice! I have been look for the still strength! Nothing here yet.

@TracerBullet Thanks. I was pleasantly surprised that the Still Strength (batch 17- S?)showed up in Alberta, Canada. It also sold out pretty quickly. My hope of ever seeing the Winter Blend version are pretty much nil. Very much like rum, there is a lot Tequilas which are adulterated with additives. Three brands which "do not" or are purported "not have additives" are El Tesoro, El Tequileno and, Fortaleza.

@fiddich1980 What does "still strength" mean?

Duh

@Nozinan most tequila are bottled at 38% < 40%. The Fortaleza Still Strength was apparently, only available from the distillery and was at or near still strength. When Fortaleza decided to bottle this version(Still Strength) of their Blanco they bottled it at ABV 46%. Is it an improvement over the Blanco at ABV 40%? I would not be able to say unless I had picked up their standard Blanco at 40%.

There could be a group Tequila tasting in the near future.

@fiddich1980 I’m just wondering if still strength has a standardized definition or whether it is like batch strength. Does that mean that it slid bottled as it comes off the still, no water added?

@Nozinan I would not know but, if you find out. I would appreciate your findings. Whisk(e)y connoisseurs find such terms problematic, ie. Tamdhu's Batch Strength. Cask Strength in older Amruts all seemed to have the same ABV depending on the type of product. For me, I'm just pleased that I have the opportunity to try a Tequila that is above 40 percent

@Nozinan @fiddich1980 I would imagine that "still strength" does indeed mean bottled as it came off of the still without water added to it. If water is added to it then it should be called "still weakness".

@Victor "still weakness" Ha!

@TracerBullet @Nozinan @Victor

There were a couple of questions aired regarding Fortaleza. If you have the time this video provides some answers.

@fiddich1980 - Still not got a bottle yet but will do some day soon. Really like the presentation of them and did see the still strength bottling was available a while ago. I'm after the reposado.

Let us know how you find them, if/when you open them.

@RianC This is my absolute favourite. Sadly down to the last couple of inches. I need to start looking for a replacement which I’m sure is going to cost well more than what I paid for this one. This is another one that got the @Victor seal of approval. I’ve spent a fair bit of money on his always reliable recommendations, and I don’t regret any of it.

@BlueNote Don Julio 1942 pricing is now between $290-$305 CND, in Alberta(as of this post Craft Cellars has it for $290). They usually sell out very quickly. It has become a "status" product. The SAQ sold it last in their lottery at $190.00 CND. The KGBO has it, but reserves the right to sell it only to licensee it holders.

@fiddich1980 Wow, that’s not very good news. I guess I’ll have to make this last couple of inches last. I’d certainly spring $200+ if I could find a bottle.

@fiddich1980 Yikes!! craftcellars.ca/product/don-julio-1942/ Not sure if the link works, but the point is $290 for the Don Julio 1942.

Yesterday in video from the LA Rams' Superbowl victory parade in LA, victorious quarterback Matthew Stafford could be seen brandishing and taking swigs from a bottle of Don Julio 1942!

www.youtube.com/watch

This is the sort of reason why that bottle has gotten so expensive.

When I was at Tales of the Cocktail in 2017 the CEO of Sazerac Company explained that, within the global alcoholic beverages marketplace, the easiest place for there to be a supply shortage and huge market price hikes is with tequila. The supply is inelastic-- it takes 7 to 12 years to mature the agaves-- and the demand is variable.

Sipping a Tequila Tromba Blanco. I figured his would be a good reference baseline line for exploring agave / Tequila.

Nose: fresh cut grass, clean, citrus notes, mild spices, cooked/baked agave, unripe pineapple

Palate: baked sweet agave, pineapple, baking spice, mild black pepper, alkaline

Finish: pickled jalapeno pepper, vegetal, touch of sweetness followed by a slight off putting metallic finish, transitions to "green plant like flavour"

Overall: A clean balanced blanco for mixing but, sippable.

@fiddich1980 I really like the Tromba line. Very smooth.

Really interesting reading this thread and yesterday tasted some 1800 Anejo at a mates house. Was really surprised as there were flavours in there that were new to me.

So, given all the positive comments about it, this morning I stumped up £99 for a Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia Extra Anejo. Limited time deal on Amazon. Seems like it will be worth it.

I learn so much from you all. Cheers.

@Timp Good deal Tim. I just saw it for $230 Can,

@Timp - my bottle arrived yesterday - not opened it yet but may later. Hopefully it's at least as tasty as the one I had in a bar recently. Nice presentation too, for what its worth.