Sure, we get ya, tequila is for well-intentioned shots that always led to hard times the next day. Wrong fella! These premium tequilas are designed for aficionados embracing the agave spirit.
Like many spirit categories, premium tequila is seeing massive growth in Asia, where lovers of whisky and cognac are increasingly turning to luxury agave spirits for similar flavour profiles. These aren’t tequilas that get free-poured; they don’t come with little sombreros on the bottle cap or cacti on the label (for the most part) but what they do offer is a sipping experience that separates the boys from the men who know what’s what.
READ: 6 Essential Tequila Cocktails
Don Julio is to tequila what LeBron James is to basketball, and while the brand has a history of making great drops, its newly released Don Julio Reposado Double Cask takes the cake. Matured in American white oak barrels for eight months before a 30-day stint in Buchanan Scotch whisky casks, this innovative new spirit – the result of three years of experimentation by master distiller Enrique de Colsa – has all the delicious flavours you’d expect from a beautifully-aged reposado, but with touches of Scotch’s sweetness on the finish.
Another newbie, CaliFino‘s new extra añejo tequila has been distilled from 100 percent blue weber agave from the Arandas Highlands of Jalisco, and aged in toasted American oak barrels for eight years. You can expect hints of baked agave as well as touches of vanilla sweetness and a lingering heat on the finish, making it perfect for sipping rather than slamming from the cleavage of a willing femme fatale.
Perfectly timed for the wave of popularity high-end tequila is now enjoying in Asia, keep a sharp eye out for Don Fulano Tequila, an artisanal tequila that’s taking the spirit’s conventional markets by storm. Made by a family-owned company that has been distilling tequila for four generations, the spirit is organic, estate-grown, and additive-free. For a true treat, try the Imperial 5-Year-Old Tequila, which has been matured in French oak casks for a massive five years before being bottled, and which boasts plenty of rich, spicy notes, sweet caramel, ripe dark fruits and subtle herbal notes.
Another spirit that’s targeting the high-end club and lounge scene is the visually mesmerising DeLeón Tequila. Certified as the purest tequila on record according to the Tequila Regulatory Council, DeLeón is crafted at a family-owned agave distillery in Guanajuato, Mexico, one of the few states outside Jalisco allowed to produce 100 per cent Blue Weber tequila. The DeLeón fabrica (distillery) is the only tequila producing facility in the world with three natural springs, providing for a superbly pure spirit that’s available in four styles: a blanco Diamante, a honey-hued Reposado, an Añejo aged in premier cru sauternes barrels, and the premium Extra Añejo, the only tequila in the world created at a 102-proof cask strength. DeLeón is presented in distinctive thick-cut glass bottles with the logo sandblasted across the front and topped with a stunning metal stopper designed by rock and roll jewellery artist Bill Wall.
Made from 100 per cent blue agave, Tequila Partida is one of Mexico’s few remaining estate-bottled premium tequilas and one which features a clean, smooth flavour that’s coveted by tequila lovers the world over. Rated higher than any other leading tequila brand in a recent taste test by The Academy of Tequila, the official Tequila tasting board of Mexico, Tequila Partida Añejo is aged in American oak for18 months. Intended to be savoured like a fine cognac or single malt whiskey, true connoisseurs will indulge in this fine tequila, which features deep amber hues, notes of dark chocolate and dried fruit and a hint of vanilla.
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As awareness for true 100 per cent agave tequila increases across Asia, more and more spirit connoisseurs are reaching for the likes of Chinaco Tequila, named after Mexico’s legendary Chinacos freedom fighters. Famed for its Añejo style tequila, a spirit that is aged in former bourbon barrels previously used for reposados tequila, the Chinaco Añejo is rich and honey-hued, and ideal for sipping in a snifter like a fine cognac or whisky. Rich golden amber, Chinaco Añejo has subtle aromas of pear, wildflowers, vanilla, smoke, and baked apple edged with papaya and mango. The flavours are very rich and complex, with exceptional depth, balance, and style, ending in a luscious, spicy, smoky finish that’s ideal for post-dinner digestives.
Sipping tequila has risen to new heights across Asia, but for a truly authentic expression of excellent tequila, sample Tapatio Excelencia Gran Reserva Extra Anejo, a 100 per cent agave Añejo from Carlos Camarena of the La Altena distillery. With the characteristically peppery agave flavour profile complemented by a buttery mellowness, this special Anejo was previously reserved for friends of distillery owner Don Felipe and has been aged in new French oak for around four years. The result is a bright copper hue, with salted nuts and melted butter on the nose, followed by oak and dark chocolate, with a long cocoa and tobacco finish.
Created by the brand that gave birth to the modern tequila renaissance, Gran Patrón Piedra is an ultra-premium, triple-distilled extra-añejo spirit for true agaveophiles. A distinctly different tequila from other Patrón products, Gran Patrón Piedra is crafted using the traditional process of grinding the roasted agave heart or pina with a stone wheel called a tahona. The resulting agua miel, or “honey water” is then distilled along with the crushed agave fibre, before being aged in new American and French oak casks for three years. Bottled in a beautiful lithe decanter at 40% ABV, Gran Patron Piedra Extra-Añejo boasts a medium amber hue, with touches of oak, spice and cigar smoke on the nose, followed by sweet toffee and butterscotch on the palate.
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