El Tequileño Tequila. Premium tequila from the top shelf - blogger Thomas Heie Nielsen tries tequila

Now, this review can't technically pass for a novel review, as it's not rum, which is Thomas Heie Nielsen's specialty - no, this time he dives into the tequila brand El Tequileno from Mexico

Post by Thomas Heie Nielsen

Most people have probably tasted the well-known supermarket tequila with the red hat and have bitter and bad experiences with it as well as a nasty hangover and have thought, never again tequila. Well, you can think again. Quality tequila is entering the Danish market and it's really exciting.

I set out to taste the new products from the El Tequileño distillery in the city of Tequila, Mexico. After a long journey by plane from cold snowy Denmark to Mexico and a burning hot and bumpy taxi ride to the distillery ... well, it's not that exotic. I wish. I have been to an online masterclass with the people from El Tequileño.

Our Danish host at the zoom meeting introduces one of the people behind El Tequileño, who is directly through from Mexico and asks what time it is over there. He replies that it's 11:30 local time. Back home in Denmark, it's 18:30. "Then you can have a couple of tequilas before lunch", our Danish host says, to which our man in Mexico replies "It's always tequila time in Mexico" and he tells us that they often taste the first tequila between 7 and 8 in the morning at the distillery. Tough life. But then we're off and running.

El Tequileño, founded in 1959 by Don Jorge Salles Cuervo in the city of Tequila, is one of the most highly respected and popular premium tequila brands in the world. The distillery took its name after the city. A name that is not entirely coincidental. The city of Tequila is the place where the agave-based spirit was first distilled, and it's also where the drink takes its name from.

In addition to this historical heritage, Tequileño is also special in that it is one of the very few tequila distilleries that publishes its tequila under its own name. Normally in the tequila industry, distilleries sell their tequila to independent bottlers, who then sell it under their own name. At Tequileño, they handle the entire process themselves - from sowing and harvesting the blue agave, distilling, processing, blending and bottling the final tequila. Today, the 3rd generation of the family continues to run the distillery following the original ideas, traditions, recipes and craftsmanship.

Mezcal vs. Tequila:
Before I start tasting the products, let's get the definitions of tequila, mezcal and agave spirits straight. Tequila is a type of mezcal in the same way that scotch and bourbon are types of whiskey. All agave-based spirits fall into the category of mezcal. Mezcal can be made from a wide variety of agave plants. But if it's to be called tequila, it can only be made from the blue agave plant (agave tequilana)

El Tequileño's tequilas all come from the blue agave plant, which takes 6-7 years to grow in the highlands of Jalisco before it can be used for tequila. The plant's long prickly leaves are chopped off with a very sharp tool, similar to a razor-sharp pizza peel. The plant now looks like a giant green pine cone. The plant is then transported to the distillery where it is chopped up into slightly smaller, but still quite large pieces and baked in some very large ovens. The plant is then cut into shreds by a machine and pressed. The juice flows into large open fermentation vats that can hold up to 30,000 liters where yeast and mineral-rich water from El Volcan Del Tequila is added and fermented for 48 hours. Finally, it is distilled in small copper pot stills and then bottled or aged in wooden barrels to round out the flavor a bit. The distillery does not use commercial yeast. They use their proprietary yeast strain, which they have been using for 60 years.

El Tequileño Blanco 38%
The aroma is fresh, spicy and herbal. There are notes of baked agave, fresh herbs, anise and freshly ground black pepper. The taste is mild and slightly spicy. There is a slight bitterness and dryness in the mouth, as if from unripe citrus fruit.

El Tequileño Reposado 38%
A reposardo tequila must be aged in barrels for between 2 months and 12 months. This one has been aged for 3 months in American oak barrels. The spirit is made from 100% blue agave. This tequila has a little more fragrance and spice and you can sense the barrel influence. The taste is like the Blanco version, but softer, rounder, with a hint of vanilla and baked agave. This tequila is spicier and more characterful and the finish lasts longer.

El Tequileño Platimun Blanco 40%
El Tequileño Platinum Blanco is made from 100% agave from the Tequileño distillery's own fields in the Jalisco highlands. It is aged in American oak barrels for a minimum of 14 days before bottling. The aroma offers notes of baked agave, citrus, spices, anise and black pepper. The taste is more spicy, peppery and full-bodied than previous tequilas. There is also a nice citrus touch to the flavor.

El Tequileño Cristalino Reposado 35%
This is a relatively new form of tequila. The tequila is first aged for 4 months (becoming a reposado or añejo tequila), which gives it a greater flavor complexity. It is then carbon filtered. Carbon filtration removes the color, leaving you with a completely shiny and clear tequila. But it also removes the spicy oak notes that aged tequila typically has. The result is a lightly aged but clear tequila that has some of the characteristics of both aged and unaged tequila. Cristalino Reposado is full-bodied, fruity and spicy. Notes of unripe pineapple, pear, green grapes, spices, agave and a hint of vanilla. The aroma is almost like a dry but spicy white wine. The taste is relatively full-bodied and spicy, dry and finishes slightly bitter. The aroma promises a little more than the taste delivers.

El Tequileño Reposado Gran Reserva 40%
The tequila has been aged for a minimum of 8 months in American oak barrels and has subsequently been blended with 15% half-year-old añejo tequila aged in American oak barrels. Mild, soft and friendly fragrance notes hit the nose. Banana, caramelized pear, nutmeg, vanilla and caramel. The taste is delightfully spicy, slightly fruity and dry. There are notes of agave, vanilla and light oak notes from the barrel.

El Tequileño Añejo Gran Reserva 40%
This barrel-aged tequila is two years old and consists of tequila that has been aged in ex-Burbon, New American Oak and French Oak. There is also some 6-year-old añejo tequila in this blend. The age and barrels are evident in the aroma, which is characterized by oak, vanilla, orange and baked agave. The taste offers notes of oak, vanilla, baked agave, sweet spices, oranges, dried fruit and caramel. A spicy, mature and competent glass.

I have now tasted my way through six quality tequilas. They all appear lightly spicy in different ways, with tart and bitter notes as well as fresh herbs, unripe fruit and, of course, the flavor of the agave plant. There are many of the same notes that you find in good gin. Something tells me they would go quite well with a tonic or perhaps a splash of vermouth in a large glass with plenty of ice cubes.

Tequila Hotel:
In 2021, El Tequileño built a hotel with 25 luxurious rooms in connection with the distillery. Here you can rent a room for a great tequila experience or simply use the place as a relaxing vacation with good Mexican food and culture.

Tequila Facts:
A tequila must contain between 35% and 55% alcohol. There are over 2000 tequila brands.

Fun Fact:
March 18th is National Tequila Day in Mexico.

Relaterede produkter

El Tequileno Reposado Tequila 50 cl 38%

EUR 41,25

El Tequileno Blanco Tequila 50 cl 38%

EUR 35,50

El Tequileno Cristalino Reposado Tequila 70 cl 35%

EUR 85,50

El Tequileno Platinum Blanco Tequila 70 cl 40%

EUR 85,50

El Tequileno Reposado Gran Tequila 70 cl 40%

EUR 91,25