Tequila

[gblick]

Looking again at the recent sales brochures I have, the el Jimador Anjeo is 100% agave. The other expressions are not.

No tequila says "mixto" on the label. Basically, if it doesn't say "100% agave" on the label, it's mixto. El Jimador and others will even use the word "agave" several times on the label to trip you up, but if you don't see the words "100% agave" you can be pretty confident it is not.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the anejo has always been 100% agave (when it first came out it was over $100 per bottle, too), but yes the blanco and reposado are now mixto (like I mentioned earlier, above).

True, it never says mixto on the label, you will know it by the absence of the term "100% agave". But, like I said, there was once 'some' 100% agave blaco and reposado in the El Jimador line. When I get time, I'll post a pic of my bottle.

[Martian]

In addition to Brown-Foreman, Heaven Hill is now in the tequila business. HH is now part owner of Tierra de Agaves that makes La Certeza and Lunazul.
Herradura Silver won a silver medal, Herradura Resposado won a gold medal, and the Herradura Anejo won a double gold Medal at the 2007 San Francisco World Spirits competition. La Certeza also won some medals. The Blanco won a bronze medal, Reposado won a silver medal, and the Anejo won a bronze.

[bent]

I am definitely not an expert on tequilas but I have tried many different bottles---el tesoro repasodo, el jimidor, cabo wabo, patron, etc.....my favorite so far has been Milagro Select Barrel Reposado Reserve. it is kinda pricey but for those who take it neat, I'm sure it will fit your tastes.

[goldenwill]

You should look for tequilas with 100% BLUE agave. Nobile is good, also Milagro. They are standouts because of the blue agave they use.

[Frodo]

You should look for tequilas with 100% BLUE agave. Nobile is good, also Milagro. They are standouts because of the blue agave they use.

FYI tequila can only be made with the Agave Weber (blue agave) variety. With Mixto tequila you can use up to 49% sugar/molasses but the agave content has to be (by law) exclusivly blue agave. This is in comparison to mezcal that can use several varieties of agave which give different flavours - kinda like using different grape varieties in winemaking.

I make no claims to know the rules for agave spirit made in places like South Africa that are sometimes called "tequila"...

[ILLfarmboy]

I'm sitting here with a glass (Riedel Bourbon) of my very first Tequila; Gran Centenario Plata (blanco). I wanted to try a quality blanco for my first because I want to get a feel for the spirit apart from any barrel notes before moving on to try an Anjeo. Wow! I'm realy digging this stuff. The nose isn't unlike many unaged spirits I have tried except it is less ethanol and slightly peppery and vegatal with an indefinable smokiness or perhaps the vegatal character combines with the pepperyness to give something like the impression of smokiness. That has to be it, right? It can't be smokey in the same way that scotch distilate is infused with peat smoke? The taste is an amped up representation of the nose. For a green unaged spitit it sure is flavorful. It has a nice finish, very peppery.

My original intent was, on the advice of an acquaintance, who knows my penchant for pairing whiskeys with food, was to pick up supper from town, fajitas Del Mar, from my wife's favorite Mexican restaurant, and after first sampling this Tequila by itself, to try it as an accompaniment to the food. Things didn't work out that way. But tomorrow is another day.

Edited to add: I just noticed while reading the back of the box that "Gran Centenario Plata rests in French Limousin Oak casks for 28 days....." So some blancos receive some aging? less than a month?

[Virus_Of_Life]

Edited to add: I just noticed while reading the back of the box that "Gran Centenario Plata rests in French Limousin Oak casks for 28 days....." So some blancos receive some aging? less than a month?

Glad you saw that Brad, I was going to point out that GC Plata was one of the few that does get some age. As pointed out I think previously in this thread Herradura is another that gets some age, but also has a 92 proof purely unaged silver.

Good choice with GC, I think the batches vary as I have had some bottles that were amazing and another that was merely good.

[Schpyder]

I'm sitting here with a glass (Riedel Bourbon) of my very first Tequila; Gran Centenario Plata (blanco). I wanted to try a quality blanco for my first because I want to get a feel for the spirit apart from any barrel notes before moving on to try an Anjeo. Wow! I'm realy digging this stuff. The nose isn't unlike many unaged spirits I have tried except it is less ethanol and slightly peppery and vegatal with an indefinable smokiness or perhaps the vegatal character combines with the pepperyness to give something like the impression of smokiness. That has to be it, right? It can't be smokey in the same way that scotch distilate is infused with peat smoke? The taste is an amped up representation of the nose. For a green unaged spitit it sure is flavorful. It has a nice finish, very peppery.

Hi Brad! Great choice, Gran Centenario's offerings are great across the board. You'll find most really good tequilas have that same vegetal characater that you pick up in the GC Plata, and it becomes more pronounced as the tequila gets older. As for the smoke, the piña (heart of the agave plant) is actually baked to hydrolize the sugars before milling to extract the juice. It can pick up a lot of flavor from this process, depending on the producer and how rustic they go with it.

If you want to try something on the opposite end of the spectrum, give an anejo a try, especially the GC, or Don Julio or Herradura.

[Martian]

The Herradura Anejo won the double gold medal at the 2007 San Francisco World Sprits Competiton. The reposado won a gold medal, and the silver won a silver medal. I really like the reposado but don't like the silver (blanco). Go figure.

[Frodo]

Not suprising if you are used to whisky. Reposado has some barrel age whereas the blanco may have up to 60 days in oak - no more.