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Not for margaritas: The rise and growth of sipping tequilas

Premium tequilas show that with craftmanship, the agave spirit can be nuanced enough to enjoy on its own instead of tossing into cocktails.

Not for margaritas: The rise and growth of sipping tequilas

A growing number of premium tequila brands have entered the local market in recent years. (Photo: Clase Azul)

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After having to play second fiddle to whiskies and gins, tequilas are starting to get the limelight here. Earlier this year, LVMH’s wine and spirits division, Moet Hennessy, launched the Volcan XA in Singapore, a premium tequila from Volcan de Mi Tierra, a joint venture between the luxury conglomerate and the Gallardo family, a name synonymous with tequila production in Mexico.

Patrick Madendjian, Moet Hennessy Diageo’s managing director for Singapore and Malaysia, said tequila has become “one of the fastest growing spirits categories”. “It was a natural progression for Moet Hennessy to introduce tequila into its portfolio [and] align with the evolving preferences of the market,” he added.

The Volcan XA is one of the growing number of premium tequila brands that have entered the local market in recent years. These tequilas are known as sipping tequilas; spirits you savour on their own – preferably neat – instead of swishing them into cocktails like margaritas.

WHAT MAKES A TOP QUALITY TEQUILA?

For consumers, identifying a premium tequila can be a tricky task, especially where just about every tequila brand is marketing itself with words like “traditional”, “artisanal” and even “ultra-premium”. Throw in a brooding celebrity as its brand ambassador, wrap the tequila in fancy packaging, and voila, a premium spirit is born. Caveat emptor.

How does one tell apart a premium tequila from an average one? Take a leaf from the wine world – zoom in on the provenance: The world’s top and most expensive wines come from the best vineyards, the best grapes. For tequila, the agave plant, which the spirit is made from, plays a crucial role in determining the spirit’s taste.

A farmer begins to harvest agave plants at Volcan de Mi Tierra. (Photo: Volcan de Mi Tierra)

The agave, which thrives in hot and dry lands in the Americas and the Caribbean, takes between seven and 12 years for the plant to reach full maturity for harvest. Once fully grown, it is nature’s startling rendition of a morning star weapon – its spiky, fleshy leaves grow in a rosette, sometimes reaching a height of over two metres.

A premium tequila would use only mature agave for production, said Viridiana Tinoco, master distiller of premium tequila producer Clase Azul. “Some producers use young agave of up to only three years when the plant has not fully developed,” she added.

Using a curved blade called a coa, a farmer or jimador removes the leaves to take the core of the plant known as the pina. The pinas are cooked in ovens before they are crushed under a tahona (stone wheel) or shredded by a mill, extracting their juice, which is then transferred to a tank for fermentation. The fermented must is then distilled twice – as required by law – before being bottled or placed in barrels for ageing.

A farmer removes the leaves of an agave plant to reach the core known as the pina. (Photo: Volcan de Mi Tierra)

Gabriel Lowe, co-founder of agave spirit bar Cat Bite Club on Duxton Road, said the traditional method of crushing the pinas with the tahona “generally produces softer, sweeter agave spirits without the added sweetener that is allowed to be included”. “The other method of shredding the agave, which will produce more yield, tends to create a more bitter and less delicate spirit,” he added. “If you want the best quality, look for [tequilas made from] 100 per cent tahona-crushed agave pinas.

You’d want to make sure you don’t confuse mezcal with tequila, too.

By law, tequila must only be made from a variety of the agave plant called blue agave or blue Weber agave. Named for the blue-green colour of its leaves, blue agave has a high amount of fructose, which converts to alcohol during fermentation. Tequila must also be produced in one of five authorised states in Mexico: Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacan, Nayarit, or Tamaulipas. On the other hand, mezcal, another agave spirit, can be produced anywhere in Mexico and be made from a variety of agave plants, including blue agave. Thus, all tequilas are mezcals but not all mezcals are tequilas, comprende?

Mezcal producers roast the agave in ovens while tequila producers tend to steam the plant, a difference that accounts for the smokiness found in mezcal and the fruitier notes in tequila.

Clase Azul’s Tinoco also believes terroir applies as much to tequila as it does to wine, a statement she understands may surprise some people. After all, terroir isn’t a word you’d usually associate with tequila. Popular culture has all but stripped tequila of any mystery or nuance, typifying it as an antidote downed by tough guy characters in the movies.

Workers prepare to cook the harvested pinas in an oven. (Photo: Volcan de Mi Tierra)

Different regions bring different tastes to tequila and top tequilas will reflect such characteristics in their flavour profiles, said Tinoco. The majority of tequila production is concentrated in Jalisco where there are two tequila regions: Tequila Valley, also known as the Lowlands, and Los Altos or the Highlands. Despite its name, the Tequila Valley isn’t exactly low-lying, with an altitude that ranges between 1,100m and 1,600m. The Highlands are areas considered higher than 1,600m.

“In the Highlands, it’s colder and we get more rain; the red clay soils are richer in iron and minerals, which help the agave plant grow better and develop its sugars,” said Tinoco. “With tequilas from agave grown in the Highlands, you’d find sweeter and more floral notes, [while] those from Tequila Valley tend to be more citrusy and a little harsh in the mouth.”

This does not mean tequilas from Los Altos are always better than those from the valley, added Tinoco, it all boils down to personal preference. Clase Azul sources their blue agave only from the Highlands.

Tinoco would prefer that you don’t mix her tequila into a cocktail. “If you really want to, okay,” she said, “but not all the time, please.”

CNA Luxury picks four top tequilas for your next party.

CLASE AZUL, TEQUILA REPOSADO

Tequila Reposado. (Photo: Clase Azul)

A reposado is an aged tequila that has spent between two months and a year in steel tanks or oak barrels. Clase Azul’s reposado, the producer’s signature tequila, is aged for eight months in American whiskey casks. The spirit offers a light golden hue, nutty aromas and notes of chocolate, honey and orange peel.

S$385, from Pinnacle Wine & Spirits

HERRADURA, SELECCION SUPREMA

Herradura Seleccion Suprema. (Photo: Herradura)

Established in 1870 in Jalisco’s small town of Amatitan, Herradura has a reputation for making some of Mexico’s finest tequilas. The Seleccion Suprema is an extra anejo, a tequila that must be barrel-aged for at least three years – Herradura has aged this for 49 months in American white oak barrels. Expect spicy aromas and a creamy texture with notes of cinnamon, vanilla and dried fruit.

S$460, from Malt & Wine Asia

CODIGO 1530 ORIGEN, EXTRA ANEJO

Codigo 1530 Origen. (Photo: Codigo 1530)

Codigo 1530 is a premium tequila brand you’d have spotted in your favourite bar recently. Aged for six years in French white oak barrels that used to hold Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, the Origen offers an expressive, luxurious sip. The bouquet is reminiscent of caramel and vanilla while the palate offers notes of dried figs, raisins and cinnamon.

S$598, from Codigo 1530

VOLCAN DE MI TIERRA, VOLCAN XA

Volcan XA. (Photo: Volcan de Mi Tierra)

The Volcan XA from Volcan de Mi Tierra is a blend of reposado, anejo (one to three years of barrel-ageing) and extra anejo tequilas. According to Volcan de Mi Tierra, the reposado brings the right level of smoothness and sweetness, while the anejo and extra anejo add elegance and complexity.

S$373, from Bottles & Bottles

Source: CNA/st
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