Los Blancos Mas Finos!

Blanco, Silver, Plata, Platinum, call it what you will, we're talking today about the un-aged and un-altered clear distillation of the blue agave. Everybody knows Pale Rider is is a big blanco guy. (They don't call me "Pale" for nothin'!) At the recent Spirits of Mexico event in NYC, the new class of 2012 blancos were tasted
and rated. Click here to read all about the fresh crop!

Spirits of Mexico, sizzling new blancos...

Day of The KAH!

Los Tres Muertos: Even the dead enjoy good tequila!

Apparently the word "kah" is Mayan for "Life", which is interesting because KAH tequila is presented in a bottle shaped like a skull. It speaks to a folkloric feature woven deeply in to the fabric of Mexican culture: Life celebrates death, and death celebrates life. Every year on Day of the Dead, family members visit the grave-sites of loved ones who have passed on, creating a fiesta atmosphere at the grave, often pouring tequila over the departed. They make sure to pour tequila in to their own living souls, to be sure. Tequila is the sangre de vida to Mexicans; the lifeblood of the people, just as as "uisce beatha" (whiskey baha) is to the Irish.

All of this cultura Mexicana is brought together in the new KAH tequila, whose four expressions (blanco, reposado, añejo and extra añejo) are presented in hand-made, hand painted day of the dead style skull bottles, with a different bottle for each age. The bottles are beautiful. Fortunately, the juice inside is pretty darn good, too. It has been well-reviewed, with the añejo garnering the most positive nods. I was planning to start in the middle of the lineup with the reposado, but after learning it was a blazing hot 55% alcohol brew, I decided to go with the añejo, largely based on the review of the notorious Tequila Whisperer, "Lippy". (The repo bottle has a red demon painted on its forehead -- and now I know why!). Añejo comes in the black skull - nice. I have to say that although it's not the most complex tequila I've had, KAH añejo is quite flavorful and enjoyable.

I will certainly collect all four bottles, eventually. In the meantime here are some other reviews and info on KAH.

SKOL! Er, I mean, SKULL!

Review by TasteTequila.com

Tequila Whisperer show on KAH

KAH on Facebook

Family Legacy

Family Values!

First I must say it was a long cold winter of no tequila blogging for the Pale Rider. Got a new job December first and my nose has been firmly pressed against the grindstone for months. Plus, nothing really exciting came across my screen, tequila-wise. In fact, I had a real let down when I found Chinaco in a local store after years of it not being available around here. I bought a bottle and it was, well, awful. Undrinkable. I don't know if the juice had gone bad or they've changed it or what. I used to love Chinaco and this stuff I wouldn't use to make a margarita for Canadian tourists.

But I digress.

So last week, in my local store appeared the first new tequila offering they'e put on the shelf in ages: Familia Camarena "Silver"/Blanco and Reposado tequilas. Camarena comes in an incredibly handsome bottle with a just-as-attractive price. Again, we find a 100% agave offering in the $20 range, which seems to be a big trend in the last couple years. (I wonder if Patrón is getting nervous). I grabbed the blanco, because I always go for a blanco first. As you know I favor blancos, not to mention that if the blanco is good, it bodes well for the rest of the lineup. Plus, I thought, "Well, if it sucks, at least the bottle is pretty. It'll look good in my collection."

I tasted it chilled with a couple pieces of ice. The nose was just what I had hoped for - floral and fruity with a nice huff of agave and spice. Taste-wise, I found it pleasing on a number of levels. A couple of the reviews I've read accuse the blanco of not being a sipper, but I wouldn't totally agree. (If Patrón can be called a "sipper" then surely this offering is!) True, Camarena's mouth-feel is thin and light, but it has a flavorful body with agave, citrus, chili-pepper and earth. It has a peppery pop, a spicy spike! But there isn't a lot of bigness in the body, and there's no bottom end to speak of. It's not too hot or alcoholish, and on a smoothness scale I'd give it a 7.5 out of 10. The most disappointing aspect is the finish, which leaves an ashy residue on the tongue. As a blanco enthusiast, I have come to expect an acrid finish, even from highly-rated tequilas. I "get" that wood-aging irons out some of the speedbumps in the flavor-profile, especially mellowing a bitey finish. Generally I'm saying this juice is pretty thin and one-dimensional.

I later made a basic margarita - or should I say "Cama-rita"? - with Camarena Blanco, and found that it stands up really well in the cocktail, imparting a nice tequila flavor. I'd agree the Cama Blanco is better as a mixer than on its own. It reminds me a little of what I like about Partida blanco, and what I dislike about Don Julio Silver, the former having a nice balance of agave and earth, the latter having too much "dirt".

Most reviews I have come across prefer the Camarena reposado to the blanco, so I look forward to sampling the repo soon.


Soy Muy Guapo!

More interesting than the reviews is the history of Familia Camarena - apparently one of the first-families of tequila for six-generations, and tangentially related to the Cuervos. The Camarenas came to Mexico from Spain in the 1780s and was one of the founding families of the town of Arandas in the Jalisco highlands, where the world's finest blue agave is cultivated. The family owns thousands of acres of plantation-land in the highest elevations (over 7000 feet), producing millions of weber blue agave plants. For generations the Camarenas provided agave for other bottlers, eventually going in to the tequila business themselves in the 1930s under the name Casco Viejo. The Casco Viejo distillery makes the well-regarded Don Agustin as well. The actual Familia Camarena tequila brand label did not exist until 2008, when E and J Gallo partnered with Casco to create Familia Camarena for the US market.

Clearly there is a nice marketing boost going on around the country (see "Taco Truck" campaign pic, below), and as always I am heartened to see other tequilas finding popularity and eroding the ground beneath the tyrant Patrón, while also pulling people away from God-awful mixtos like Cuervo. And while Camarena Silver isn't what I'd call an ulta-premium tequila, it'll find a place on my shelf. At $20 for a 100% agave juice, what's not to like?


Coming to your town: The Camarena "Taco Truck" dishin' out tacos y tequila

Finally, it's T1 Time!

T1, Tequila Uno, the ultra-premium crafted by master-distiller Germán Gonzales, has finally been released in the USA. Here's the letter from Germán himself:

Dear friends and family of T1- Tequila Uno,

It is after a very long year that I can now say the T1- Tequila Uno is in the United States and ready for sale. I am very excited about bringing T1- Tequila Uno into the United States. This brand has been a passion of mine for many years and I have worked hard to create something of which my family and I are very proud.

We (the T1- Tequila Uno team) first introduced the brand at Dori Bryant’s SPIRITS OF MEXICO event in September 2009, as it is one of the pre-eminent tequila events in the United States. The brand did very well, winning awards for each item tasted.

As is normal, trials and tribulations come with any new product. And we did have our fair share of issues! The issues were not major, but, they had to be overcome nonetheless. The original plan was to introduce T1 – Tequila Uno into the United States in early 2010. After several months, we re-introduced our brand at the 2010 Spirits of Mexico event in September, and we are now ready to bring the brand to you. The brand is available in the United States and is already hitting market for this holiday.

The brand, (all types in 100% Blue Agave) is available in:
• Ultra Fino - a double distilled crystal clear Blanco: with hints of fruit and perfect for your favorite margarita or other cocktail.
• Excepcional – a Reposado: rested for just under a year for a light golden color and aroma of spiced citrus, apple, and agave flavor. It is best served neat, on the rocks or in your favorite mixed cocktail.
• Estelar – An Anejo: aged approximately 18 months in oak barrels for a deep golden color and contains the aroma of chocolate, for a velvety smoothness and flavor of the wood.

For you true tequila aficionados, T1 – Tequila Uno can be bought by the barrel. You will work closely with me, to determine the type of barrel – new v old, the type of char and with which product you want to start the process. You also get to pick the date to uncork the product. T1- Tequila Uno will then be packaged and personalized. A barrel contains approximately 37 cases of 750ml bottles packed 6 per case – the final number will depend on how much tequila ‘went to the angels”, (otherwise known as evaporation).

For more information, check out our website – www.t1tequila.com or our facebook page. We would love to hear from you. Please contact us with questions, comments or the name of your favorite retailer and we will get the brand to you. You can also call Kay Olsen at 860-404-1776 for more information. She is on the T1- Tequila Uno team. “From Friends to Friends”

Con un Fuerte Abraso
Germán

People know I am always searching for the absolute Holy Grail of blancos, and T1 might be it! Here's my review from last March:

http://ranchotequila.blogspot.com/2010/03/taste-test-t1-ultra-fino-el-blanco-mas.html

Partida Tequila Taking Growth Step with New Distillery

"Party" is my middle na...er, my first name, sort of...

Dateline SAN FRANCISCO: “We are on a growth trajectory and we’re working to meet increasing demand,” said J. Gary Shansby, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Tequila Partida in announcing Partida’s move to a new distillery. “We’re maintaining the same taste profile ─ characterized by smoothness, elegance and pure agave taste ─ that has made Partida the highest rated tequila in the world.” F. Paul Pacult, America’s leading spirits expert, recently rated Partida Reposado as the best tequila in the world and one of the five finest spirits in the world.

In order to guarantee the product quality from the new distillery, Partida gathered five of America’s top tequila experts in New York including Pacult, Steve Olson, Misty Kalkofen, Phil Ward and Jacques Bezuidenhout to test the pilot run of Partida Blanco from the new distillery in a blind tasting versus the most recent Partida Blanco production from the prior distillery. Partida also tasted in San Francisco with Julio Bermejo, the ‘Ambassador of Tequila’ to the US. The results, by unanimous agreement, were spectacular. “This tasting was the ultimate statement of integrity,” said Steve Olson. “Partida has only one goal, which they achieved ─ to make the same superior product they have always done ─ and to assemble a panel of such discerning critics was a bold and courageous decision.”

Added Paul Pacult, “Partida has always been uncompromising in their quality. They have reinforced their leadership in the ultra premium tequila category yet again with this unprecedented pilot run tasting.”
Julio Bermejo commented, “Since they launched Partida has been at the forefront of distillation technique in the Tequila Valley.”
“I’m thrilled that a panel of such tough critics loved our pilot run product and endorsed the process,” said Mr. Shansby, “and I’m committed to transparency and full disclosure during the distillery change.” Other tequila brands have made distillery changes to accommodate growth but none have been as candid and transparent as Partida or as rigorous in assuring absolute consistency. “We’re staying true to our Mexican heritage and the authenticity of our brand,” continued Mr. Shansby. “This distillery change will ensure that we’re able to maintain the consistency of our product quality even as we expand our production, something we couldn’t be sure of had we remained in the old facility.” Partida is documenting the entire process of the distillery change ─ complete with photos and video ─ in a case study, which will be made publicly available.

In addition to the US panel, Partida tasted with six respected experts from the Mexican Tequila Academy in Guadalajara, Jalisco, the leading tequila authority in Mexico. Francisco Hajnal, Founder and President of the Academy, said, “The Partida samples I tasted from the pilot run are extremely well made and consistent with Partida’s renowned quality – in fact, even better than ever!”

Tequila Partida’s previous distillery in Amatitan is owned by the Partida family. “We are appreciative of the contributions from the Partida family in our early years as we embarked on this exciting journey. Their friendship and contributions to our success have meant a great deal to us.” The new Partida distillery, Fabrica La Autentica, is in the town of Tequila in the state of Jalisco just a few miles down the road. Tequila Partida brought in the same team to run the tequila on the same equipment, with the same 100% pure estate agave from the same location, and of the same age, sugar content, and specifications.

The Partida recipe, known to only four people in the world, will not change. “We got just the response on the pilot run that we were looking for,” said Partida Maestro Tequilero Jose Valdez. “Coming from such esteemed tequila experts, we couldn’t be happier.”