Tequila El Viejito 1937 Plata NOM 1107 (37% Abv.)

Indalecio Nunez Muro founded the El Viejito distillery sometime around 1937 in the town of Atotonlico, the "highlands" region of the state of Jalisco. A region of land that many claim to have the best soil, water and altitude to grow the agave. It's NOM 1107 or distillery designation has graced the labels of such brands as Porfidio and Las Trancas - although thanks to the convoluted CRT Norma this doesn't necessarily mean that this tequila was produced here but perhaps the distillery was exporting the product. Yes, distilled tequila can be sourced from other distilleries. Which leads to an interesting tidbit that El Viejito distillery has supplied contract tequila to many major brands including Cabo Wabo and Patron tequila back in the day. Supposedly Tequila el Viejito, S.A. de C.V. once supplied up to fifty percent of what Patron bottled, distributed and sold in the United States. Then in the mid 2000s Patron approached the Nunez family and made an offer to purchase the distillery. The family decided to sell because they felt the location was inconvenient and they could relocate the distillery to a more ideal spot. The "new" El Viejito distillery in Atotonlico was built sometime in 2007 - Norma regulations do not require one to take a new NOM number - therefore, the family was able to transfer the NOM 1107 over to their new facility. Patron continued to source tequila from the new El Viejito up until around 2012, but the contract is now over and the new El Viejito distillery is no longer supplying them. Of course Patron eventually built a state of the art distillery and perhaps continues to operate the old El Viejito distillery in Atotonlico to meet the world's demand for Patron tequila. The Patron thing is another story entirely and I highly suggest you do some research on it for yourself.

The ripened mature blue agave is harvested from the highlands region. No clue if the agave is estate grown and/or sourced from farmers selling on the open market. Depending on size the harvested agave is halved/quartered and steam-cooked in brick ovens in a two step process. First for roughly 17+ hours, allowed to rest, then cooked for another 12+ hours. Thereby breaking down the long chemical structure of the sugars into simple sugars - desirable for the fermentation process.

Once the cooking and cooling phase is complete the cooked agave is transported by a conveyor belt to the mechanical roller mills. The cooked agave fibres pass through and are pressed between rollers - the pressing action is complimented with the injection of water in strategic locations optimizing sugar extraction. The water source is from an estate well that is filtered with reverse osmosis and run though a softening process to remove excess minerals. It must be noted that the distillery recycles the bagazo as compost later on being used as a natural fertilizer.

The resulting mosto is pumped over to the fermentation tanks. Fermentation takes place in the distillery's large semi-enclosed stainless steel tanks (37000L capacity) with the aid of the distillery's proprietary yeast formula.

Once the fermentation is complete the next step is the double distillation process with the distillery's four large stainless steel pot stills with copper condenser coils (4 910L capacity Alambiques). The first distillation of the mosto results in a ordenario with an alcohol concentration of 25-28% - the solid particles, part of the water, some heads and tails are removed - leaving mostly the middle section or the heart of the distillate. In the second distillation the ordenario is distilled reaching an alcohol concentration of 55% - a more refined product as the heads and tails are removed once again - being discarded with stillage and ends up at the compost area like the bagazo - and the heart of the distillate results as the tequila blanco. El Viejito has a 55% Abv. Blanco offering so assume that this is filtered and bottled for commercial purposes while the other Blanco offerings are filtered and diluted to desired proof. Then there there is the aging - no idea at what proof the Blanco is when placed in the barrels and rested months and/or years for El Viejito's Reposado, Anejo and Extra Anejo offerings **Note - apparently El Viejito has large stainless holding tanks on site generally maintained at fifty percent capacity where each new batch of Blanco, Reposado, Anejo and Extra Anejo is blended with previous batches.

Appearance: Colorless and crystal clear. Long uniform slow legs in my Riedel glass. Aroma: Mild agave intensity, floral (hibiscus?) and citrus. Flavour: Earthy agave, some honey-like sweetness, hints of orange peel, spiciness (white pepper?), and mild smokiness. Semi-oily on entry with some minerality and alcohol in the back of the mouth. Nice mild heat in the mouth that leaves a subtle numbing sensation on the gums and palate. Surprisingly well balanced. Finish: Enjoyable medium finish, cooked agave notes, spicy pepper that lingers and hint of alcohol. A great sipping Blanco tequila that I savoured during my latest House of Cards binge watching marathon. This was the first offering that I've ever knowingly had the chance to try from NOM 1107 and now would like to try the whole El Viejito lineup. Don Indalecio passed away in 1982. So glad that his family carried on with his tradition and continues producing great old-school tequila. **RECOMMENDED**

Tromba Tequila Blanco NOM 1499 (36% Abv.)

To begin with, the Tromba (Big Rain) Tequila brand was created by gentlemen from Australia, Canadian, and Mexico. This 100% Agave Tequila is produced at Distillery Casa Tequilera de Arandas, technically known as NOM 1499. Having already reviewed a tequila from this particular distillery, I will not bore you with too much detail other than the subtle differences between the two marcas. An interesting fact about this particular brand is that one of its founders, Marco Cedano Nunez, was the original master distiller of Don Julio tequila. Just right there this gives Tromba a little more pedigree as I was a huge fan of Don Julio Tequila prior to Diageo started messing around with it (early 2000s).

The ripe blue agave is sourced from the Highlands region near Arandas, Jalisco. *No idea if this is the distillery's estate grown agave or sourced from farmers selling on the open market/guild. Apparently the harvested agave is slowly cooked for a longer duration in the distillery's autoclaves - focussing on taste rather than yield. I'd assume the rest of the production methods for Tromba mirrors the other brand that I've previously reviewed. Although, I'll guess that Mr. Marco Cedano Nunez has a hand in the distillation process of Tromba's small production runs, therefore, I can foresee some subtle differences. The desired fermented extracted agave juice is distilled two times with the distillery's copper pot stills. Prior to bottling, Tromba's blanco tequila is filtered and diluted to 36% Abv. for Canada and Australia markets; and filtered and diluted to 40% Abv. for the US market. The Tromba lineup includes a Reposado and Anejo albeit with the different alcohol percentages for above mentioned markets.

Appearance: Crystal clear/colourless, forming thin slow legs on the sides of my Riedel glass. Aroma: Cooked agave, crisp and earthy, some sweet honeyed smokiness, floral (mint?), citrus (lime?) and pepper. Flavour: Mild earthiness with crisp cooked agave notes, hint of sweet honey and lime?, buttery accompanied with hints of spicy pepper(s). A little light with some numbing sensation on the gums and palate - medium bodied - slightly oily/creamy and some alcohol in the back of the mouth (surprising at 36% Abv.). Finish: Nice medium finish with cooked agave and a lingering pepper and mint aftertaste. My only minor complaint, which is not a big deal, is that it's a tad soft at 72 Proof (36% Abv.). This particular tequila got many compliments at a party where it was sipped neat and mixed into Palomas & Batangas. An enjoyable tequila with a flavour profile that'll definitely keep you guessing. Solid tequila coming out of Casa Tequilera de Arandas. RECOMMENDED

Circulo Tequila Blanco NOM 1535 (40% Abv.)

First thing first, I'd like to confess that I have always been a huge 1921 Tequila fan albeit it the tequila produced at El Olvido distillery of Agabe Tequilana Productores y Comericalizadores, S.A. de C.V. (NOM 1079) in Jesus Maria, Jalisco. The tahona was even utilized in earlier batches - something many tequila geeks speculate on even to this day. Therefore. I'll save you the trouble of many google searches and say, "if you ever come across a bottle of 1921 (some state 'Stone-Milled' on the back label), Don Alejo, El Olvido (great bargain reposado) or some early lotes of Oro Azul (wax tops), grab it chances are you won't not be disappointed". Fast-forward to today, NOM 1079 doesn't exist but NOM 1580 does - which just so happens to be the same distillery but with a different name, Destiladora El Paraiso. The owner claims that a change was made to distance itself from marcas that were no longer produced at the distillery. The reason why I mention this is when I found out that 1921 tequila was moving to another distillery, Destileria Morales (NOM 1535), I sought out as much 1921 Tequila (NOM 1079) as I could to hoard in my pantry. The rule of thumb in the tequila world has been - label/presentation, owner, or distillery change means production change which equals quality change - usually for the worse. This logic seems to fair well in most cases. Don't get me wrong the new 1921 Tequila from NOM 1535 was good but not NOM 1079 great. Subsequently, the 1921 brand has moved on from Destileria Morales to Casa Tequilera de Arandas (NOM 1499).

Circulo Tequila is produced at Destileria Morales (NOM 1535) in the Los Altos region of Jalisco. Apparently the brand name is inspired by the ancient civilization of Guachimontones. The mature ripe agave is sourced somewhere in the red soils of the Highlands region - assume it's Destileria Morales' estate grown blue agave. Once at the distillery the agave - depending on the size - the pinas are split into halves or quarters then placed inside traditional stone ovens. A slow three phase steam cooking process lasting approximately 72 hours begins - 24 hours of continuous steam cooking; followed by a 24 hour resting period; and finally a 24 hour cooling period with the oven doors open. The lower section of the ovens contain a drainage system in which two types of the liquids drain in to - the first to drain are the bitter juices which are discarded followed by sweet nectar that is collected in a separate container and later used to enrich the juices extracted from the cooked agave. 

Once the the cooking and cooling phase is completed the cooked agave is transported to the shredding machinery where the pieces of cooked agave are broken down into smaller pieces to facilitate the milling phase. Supposedly the five section mill used at Destileria Morales is one of the largest in the tequila industry. The cooked agave fibres pass through and are pressed between rollers - the pressing action is complimented with the injection of water in strategic locations optimizing sugar extraction. The juices of the agave drip down into a channel where it is filtered and transferred to a recollection bin. 

Fermentation takes place in the distillery's large open stainless steel tanks (41700L capacity) - the distillery's 'champagne' yeast is prepared in smaller stainless steel tanks - the yeast is enriched with agave nectar and nutrients. Fermentation tanks are filled proportionately with sweet nectar, agave juices and the prepared yeasts. Two types of fermentation is used the distillery - alcoholic fermentation (3 days) and malolactic fermentation (4 days) both of which are enhanced by classical music audio. The use of classical music during fermentation is a method used by the likes of master tequila distillers Leopoldo Solis and Cirilo Oropeza. **However, it's not known which master distiller is actually involved with this particular brand.**

Once the fermentation is complete the next step is the double distillation process with the distillery's 5 large stainless steel pot and column stills (3500L capacity Alambiques) which contain copper condensing coils. The first distillation of the mosto results in a ordenario with an alcohol concentration of 25-28% - the solid particles, part of the water, some heads and tails are removed - leaving mostly the middle section or the heart of the distillate - the heads and tails goes back to first distillation. In the second distillation the ordenario is distilled reaching an alcohol concentration of 55% - a more refined product as the heads and tails are removed once again - and the heart of the distillate results as the tequila blanco. The distillations are done slowly at temperature controlled conditions - which most likely allow a generous cut of heads and tails to remain in the distillate - most of the flavours reside in the heads and tails. 

The blanco tequila is stored in various stainless steel tanks where it is left to oxygenate naturally for a minimum period of two months. For bottling the blanco is adjusted with purified water to 40% Abv. - the tequila is filtered again through a gravitational filtration system. For the Reposado, the tequila is adjusted to 42% Abv. - filtered and poured into new custom made American white oak barrels for an aging period of two months to a year. Once the Reposado is done aging, the barrels are dumped into the stainless steel tanks, then diluted to desired alcohol proof and filtered prior to bottling. The Circulo tequila information packet mentions an Anejo and an Extra-Anejo - no clue if this is possible future expansion of the brand's lineup.

Appearance: Crystal clear, forming medium uniform slow legs in my Riedel glass. Aroma: Lots of fresh agave, roasted agave/earthiness, hints of floral and mint?, faint fruit (citrus and pear?), spice. and alcohol. Flavour: Cooked agave, earthy, spice (almost jalapeno like) and wavering hints of mint. Semi-oily on entry with some minerality and mild subtle sweetness. Mild numbing sensation on the gums and palate. The spiciness really packs a punch in the back of the mouth. Finish: Nice medium finish with cooked agave and a jalapeno-like spice that lingers, as does some mild alcohol. This is a very very nice sipping tequila. Smooth? No. That's ok with me as I like the old school "fuerte" tequila. Would I mix it in a cocktail? Maybe. I would definitely enjoy this as a sipper first just to enjoy and appreciate the complex flavours this blanco has to offer. Surprised. I may also have to revisit some NOM 1535 products while I'm at it. RECOMMENDED

Montejima Aged Tequila NOM 1137 (40% Abv.)

Currently Montejima Tequila is being produced at La Cofradia NOM 1137 in Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico. I won't go into great detail on the process at this distillery since I have already covered this distillery in a past blog post. But I will point out the small differences that sets this brand apart from the others produced at La Cofradia. Founded in 2010, this maquila is a 100% agave tequila. The brand decided to used the term "Aged" instead of Reposado to describe its tequila - perfectly allowable due to recent revisions in the Consejo Regulador del Tequila's Norma. 

The mature blue agave is sourced from somewhere within the lowlands region of Mexico's Jalisco state - no clue if the agave is sourced from La Cofradia's estate fields. The halved agaves are cooked in traditional stone-walled hornos. The cooked agave is put through a wood chipper and extractor-like press device. The mosto is placed in large stainless vats to allow natural open-air fermentation (not sure if Montejima adds yeast(s)). After the fermentation process the juice is double distilled with La Cofradia's Alembic stainless steel pot stills - some brands are triple distilled at this distillery. After distillations the tequila meant for the Blanco is filtered and diluted to the desired alcohol gradation - in this case 40% Abv. (80 Proof). Tequila destined to become an aged product is placed in white oak barrels for two to six months. The length of aging is unclear. As is if the barrels are new or used and what type of char is done inside the barrels. It's unknown at what alcohol gradation the tequila enters the barrels but would guess anywhere between 46 to 50% Abv.. Then prior to bottling the aged tequila would then be filtered and diluted to 40% Abv..

Appearance: Dark blonde - with gold hues. Medium length - slow legs that coat the sides of my Riedel glass. Aroma: fresh baked agave, caramelized sweet honey candy?, citrus (Meyer lemon?), spice and herbs (jalapeno and peppermint?). Flavour: cooked agave, subtle wood, vanilla, caramelized honey (mild sweetness), spice, and hint of citrus. Semi-oily upon entry, mild numbness on the gums and roof, flavours nicely coat the mouth and then a spice (mild jalapeno?) and a dash of peppermint noticed in the back palate. Nothing too overpowering. A nice harmonious balance. Finish: Medium finish with an enjoyable mild sweetness, spice, peppermint and cooked agave that lingers for minutes. A great sipping tequila. RECOMMENDED 

AquaRiva Reposado Tequila NOM 1499 (40% Abv.)

AquaRiva is the brainchild of Cleo Rocos, the officially recognized 'Tequila Queen of the U.K.', collaborating with Stuart Freeman - both whom co-founded the The Tequila Society of United Kingdom. Note: Unlike most celebrity endorsed/owned tequila marcas - Ms.Cleo Rocos is in fact listed on the CRT's NOM list as the title owner of this tequila. 

This 100% agave tequila is produced at NOM 1499, otherwise know as Distillery Casa Tequilera de Arandas, in the Arandas region of Jalisco. Currently there are 40+ contract tequila brands (marcas) and 10+ distillery owned brands being produced at this distillery - 100% agave and mixto.  AquaRiva sources 8+ year old blue agave from the Highlands region of Jalisco - known for its red, mineral-rich volcanic soil. The agave pina halves are cooked in large stainless-steel autoclaves for 8-14+ hours. The cooked agave is shredded with a mechanical shredder then the agave juice is extracted with a conventional roller-mill system - water sourced from the Highlands being used in conjunction with this process. The extracted juices are captured in tanks and transported by pipelines to large stainless tanks for open air fermentation. Proprietary yeast(s) and sourced water is added and the mosto is allowed to ferment for days till it reaches the desired alcoholic gradation (between five and seven percent). It takes a few hours to be transported through pipelines to the distillation stills. The fermented juice is distilled two times with one of the distillery's copper pot stills. The first distillation (la primera) takes the mosto to about 20-25 percent alcohol - this is the "tequila ordinario" - removing undesirable products. The second distillation (la segunda) takes the alcohol gradation of 20-25 percent to anywhere from 40-55 percent - no idea if tequila at Casa Tequilera de Arandas is distilled to proof (only a handful of distilleries do this ie. La Altena) but suspect it's distilled at a higher proof then filtered and diluted with sourced water. AquaRiva Reposado tequila is the result of being rested anywhere between 3 and 6 months in used American Oak Single Cask whiskey barrels - no idea which brand of bourbon or whiskey.

Appearance: Light golden colour with medium - skinny legs in my Riedel glass. Aroma: cooked ripe agave, corn?, marzipan?, smokey/peppery, and subtle hint of alcohol. Flavour: loads of cooked agave, caramel, hints of wood, mild spice (black pepper?) and cinnamon, honeyed smoked almond candy?(guessing where the marzipan came from), hints of citrus and pineapple?, and slightly herbal. Semi-oily and mild tingling on the palate. Finish: medium duration, cooked agave, and a mild lingering spice. Not overtly complex yet I found this reposado nicely balanced with an interesting flavour profile that'll keep a person guessing. Look forward to trying this tequila in some cocktails a la Margaritas. RECOMMENDED 

Gracias a Dios Mezcal Espadin Joven 45% Abv.

This mezcal is produced in the Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca region of Mexico - a.k.a. the "World Capital of Mezcal" - by master mezcalero, Oscar Hernández Santiago. The factory or palenque plants thousands of agave seeds which will eventually germinate and grow 8 to 10 years before they can be harvested to produce mezcal. The palenque produces roughly 3500 litres of mezcal per month. This mezcal is made from organically certified 8 year old  Espadin maguey. Gracias a Dios is one of the few mezcal brands which is Fair Trade and organically certified. Typical of most mezcales, the mature maguey is cut in halves and slowly roasted for days in a covered underground. rock-lined, wood-fired pit. Then the cooked agave is crushed with wooden mallets and a large stone tahona pulled by a donkey. The resulting crushed agave pulp and juice is placed in open oak vats where it is left to ferment for 3-15 days (depending on the conditions). The fermented juice is then distilled two times to desired proof with one of the palenque's small copper pot stills. This mezcal is definitely a handmade and a traditional product.

Appearance: crystal clear, medium slow legs that cling to my Riedel glass. Aroma: roasted agave, spice, herbal, pear, and scorched earthiness. Flavour: roasted agave, that smoked earthiness, semi-sweet honey, spicy arbol chile pepper?, pear again?, oily and lots of minerality; a full attack on the palate with that slight numbing sensation. Nice indeed. Finish: medium duration, peaty (scorched earthiness), hot pepper fade. This mezcal is nicely balanced with intense flavours that keeps one guessing. It is very pleasing mezcal. 

I really dig the label design on the bottle. Guessing the name, Gracias a Dios, is taken from the Zapotec saying, "Quish Dios" - meaning "Thanks to God". Seek out a bottle to add to your collection. You won't be disappointed. RECOMMENDED 

Hacienda Vieja Blanco Tequila NOM 1412 (38% Abv.)

I make no secret that I am a huge fan of the juice coming out of Destiladora de Los Altos. This distillery isn't producing stuff to appease the frat party or the nightclub demographic. One of my favorite bargain tequilas is their Reposado and let's be honest it's a steal. If you ever see Hacienda Vieja Reposado Tequila on the shelf and you're going to a party - grab a bottle or two - no one will be disappointed. Hence, why I raved about it in one of my past posts. 

Appearance: Crystal clear - forming medium uniform legs in my Riedel glass. Aroma: Lots of cooked agave, earthiness, some honey-like sweetness, white pepper, mint?, pineapple citrus and alcohol. Flavour: Cooked agave, earthy, a lot of spiciness and mild sweetness, dry citrus tart snap, licorice-like note (anise?), and subtle hint of fresh green herbs. Semi-oily on entry, with the spicy agave notes intensifying from the front to the back of the palate - slight numbing sensation around gums and roof of mouth. Finish: Medium-light finish, spiciness and agave with a slight alcohol burn. Not at all surprising this is the base of the aged products coming from Destiladora de Los Altos. A good value and fun sipping tequila that would definitely be interesting in a cocktail. Still wonder why people continue to reach for an industrial or mixto tequila instead of a 100% Mexican owned and produced brand like this one. Do yourself a favour and grab a bottle of the Hacienda Vieja Blanco or Reposado.  RECOMMENDED