Interest rises in top tequilas
Sun-Sentinel
Wire Services
Posted May 5 2005
For the great majority of tequila drinkers, the inherent tasting notes of quality tequila -- the spice, the wood, the smoky richness -- are all but lost. In our gleeful frenzy to down tequila shooters and slurp down frosty margaritas, meaningful tequila flavor is secondary to the buzz.
Yet consumer figures suggest a rising interest in the good stuff (as opposed to the standard swill). Tequila consumption increased 5.8 percent in 2004 from the previous year, with Americans spending about $1 billion on the spirit, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. Although tequila sales in the United States ranked ninth in 2004 behind vodka, rum, gin, whiskey and other liquors, high-end tequila brands saw more than 15 percent growth.
So what does that tell us? Well, we're drinking more tequila than before (salud to that), and a growing number of those who like tequila are willing to shell out to experiment in the premium and ultra-premium market.
But things, as with any high-end hooch, get complicated at the top. Like the mind-bogglingly crowded vodka market, there are so many new tequilas being labeled top shelf that it's hard to sort the ordinary from the exquisite; mere cactus juice from the golden nectar of the gods. Pricing doesn't always tell the entire story. For one, a recent severe shortage of the blue agave used to make tequila sent prices skyrocketing. For another, the high-end market saw questionable pricing perhaps to jolt interest in a stagnant market at the turn of the millennium.
So what's a tequila lover to do? To find out what you like within the ever-evolving premium and super-premium segment, the best advice is to keep tasting.
"We recommend trying many different brands to discover the subtle differences among them, to form your personal preferences and even modify them as experience dictates," writes Alberto Ruy-Sanchez and Margarita de Orellana in their good primer on the spirit, Tequila (Smithsonian Books, $25). "The final decision as to the best tequila always rests with the consumer."
At bars where there's a sizable tequila selection, bartenders are happy to let you try sips before you settle. Like the worlds of single malt scotch, single-barrel bourbon, connoisseur-quality brandy and boutique rum, high-end tequilas have become an education unto themselves. The 100 percent blue agave tequilas (the best tequila) are hot now that Americans have begun to discover the distinct flavors of fine tequila.
Use Cinco de Mayo to begin your own education. Instead of a harsh shooter or another sweet-sour froth of margarita, order the most expensive tequila at the bar. Swirl it, smell it, sip it. You'll discover things that are light years from nights chomping the worm (a 1950s marketing trick).
Here are a few key words:
Blue agave: scientific name Agave tequilana Weber, the blue agave is the plant used to produce tequila.
100 percent blue agave: Pure tequila is made entirely from agave. If the label does not specify 100 percent blue agave, it means the tequila is mixed with other sugars during the manufacturing process.
Blanco or plata: "white" or "silver" tequilas that are white (or clear), un-aged tequila. These tequilas have never spent time in wood.
Reposado: meaning "rested" tequilas that have been aged in wood for a minimum of two months, usually about six months.
Anejo: meaning "aged" tequilas that must rest in oak barrels (usually old bourbon barrels) for a minimum of one year.
Gold: an un-aged silver tequila that has been colored and flavored with caramel. Although gold tequilas can be wood-aged, the term is usually used to describe bulk tequila that has been mixed with caramel coloring.
Grand Centenario Anejo: handcrafted, small-batch tequila aged a minimum of 18 months in French oak; aromas of clove, nutmeg, orange and figs; honeyed sweet flavor.
Sol Dios Anejo: twice distilled and filtered four times before it is aged for three years; smooth.
Tequila Corazon de Agave Reposado: 100 percent blue agave; medium-bodied with notes of caramel and toasted almonds.
Single Village: made from the agave in one area by one palenquero (maker of maezcal). Made only from mezcal and water.
Food Editor Deborah S. Hartz also contributed to this report.
Chef2Chef News Desk