Down the Tequila Trail

It is time for another Great Taste Tour and this time we ventured back to the land of Tequila.  We set our sights on Mexico to hopefully learn more about the mystique behind what makes this agave nectar so amazing.  We had a great group of people that consisted of many from Oregon and few from North Carolina, overall it was a very well rounded group of liquor store owners and employees. 

We arrived in Guadalajara on a Sunday and I was immediately reminded of what a beautiful city it is.  The

Tequila: It’s as simple as 1…2…3

The irrepressible and enthusiastic David Ravandi, a telling combination of practical and romantic mixed up in one persona, visited Portland this week to speak long and lovingly about his primary passion: his new Tequila brand, Uno Dos Tres.
Ravandi had a three part vision for his new tequila: First, it had to be organically made and organically certified.  Second, it had to be only of the finest quality.  And third, it had to be done in the authentic and traditional style of original tequila from the heartland of tequila.
Looks like he succeeded on all three counts.

Organically Certified
Despite romantic wishful thinking, Mexico is not largely organic. Quite the opposite, actually.  Poor and undeveloped is not the same thing as organic, and agrarian countries tend to depend fairly heavily on

Any extra CASH laying around?

Tequila Herradura, one of the oldest and most respected 100 percent blue agave tequila brands since 1870, announces the launch of its exclusive Buy-the-Barrel program, an exceptional opportunity for tequila connoisseurs to order their very own Herradura Double Barrel Reposado. When bottled, each barrel yields approximately 240 bottles of specially crafted tequila reposado aged for an additional month, ensuring every ounce captures flavors and notes directly drawn from the selected barrels.

Connoisseurs have the option of traveling (at their own expense) to the Hacienda near Guadalajara, Mexico, to select their own Herradura Double Barrel Reposado. Once chosen, the tequila is placed in bottles adorned with personalized labels, including the purchaser’s name, number and bottling date. The barrel itself then is varnished, branded and shipped with a framed certificate of ownership. Price per barrel is approximately $10,000 and the order process takes about 45-60 days.

The all-natural aging process, rooted on 140 years of dedication to the craft and tradition, begins with 100 percent blue Weber agave rested in toasted oak barrels for 11 months, creating Herradura Reposado’s distinct color with a cinnamon and oak aroma that provokes a rich and smooth taste. To enhance this tequila, it is matured for an additional month in a new toasted barrel handmade specifically for this extra aging. This process provides the tequila’s uncommon smoothness and complex flavor notes of cooked agave, dried fruits and sweet brown spice.

“We are proud to introduce Casa Herradura’s first Buy-the-Barrel program, which embraces the tequila aficionado and includes them in our celebrated selection process,” said Mark Bacon, director of Casa Herradura Tequilas in North America. “We felt it was important for us, as a tequila institution, to share the art of making this fine spirit with our valued customers, such as Emmitt Smith. We believe this program provides a great opportunity to partake in an unrivaled experience with our supporters as they select a unique expression of our tequila.”

Agave Spirits Tequila or Mezcal, it’s a growth market

By Hoke Harden

Anyone who has been paying the slightest bit of attention the last ten years or so has noticed the explosive growth of Tequila in the U.S. market. 
Here’s some more news: that growth is going to continue. But it isn’t just Tequila that’s going to continue, and not just in the U.S. Mezcal has entered the mix, so it’s now about the entire agave spirits category. And agave has gone global, so it’s a worldwide phenomenon.

When Tequila did that, and became “respectable”, it encouraged the emergence and growth of many smaller artisanal brands in the market. Store shelves and back bars are