Latest news with #BlancoTequila
Forbes
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
SF World Spirits Competition Crowns The World's Top Blanco Tequila
The Blanco Tequila finalists from the 2025 SFWSC Five Tequilas are finalists for the World's Best Blanco Tequila at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The SFWSC is among the world's largest and most prestigious spirit judging events. Consumers and the beverage industry closely follow its results. The Top Shelf 2025 Awards Gala, a highly anticipated whiskey industry event, will announce the winner on November 9 at Hotel Nikko in San Francisco. Below are brief backgrounds and tasting notes on the finalists. The Tequila is crafted using traditional methods: stone/brick ovens for cooking, roller mill extraction, fermentation in stainless steel tanks without fibers, and double distillation in stainless pot stills with copper coils. The Tequila is rested for 15 days in stainless steel tanks before bottling to ensure a smooth palate. On the nose, the Tequila offers aromas of cooked agave, citrus, herbal notes, and a hint of savory character. It's smooth and creamy on the palate, showcasing cooked and green agave, black pepper, subtle caramel, and a trace of earthiness. The finish is long and slightly sweet, with lingering spice notes. Cutwater's Tequila is produced by Orendain, one of Mexico's well-known and historic family distillers. The label features a hand-drawn skull of a Rayador, a Black Skimmer sea bird, which reflects its maritime-inspired branding. Cutwater's Tequilas have been perennial medalists in international spirit competitions. The Tequila presents cooked agave notes of caramel and butterscotch, alongside herbaceous hints of raw agave and cut grass on the nose. The palate exhibits pronounced sweet and caramel flavors of cooked agave. The finish is long and sweet, featuring lingering caramel and herbaceous notes. An Australian-owned brand, Sesión Tequila is produced in Mexico under the supervision of master distiller Francisco Quijano. The Tequila is light and fresh on the nose, with subtle cooked agave, caramel, and spice notes. It's sweet and herbaceous, featuring citrus, both cooked and raw agave, green pepper, and mint. The finish is long, with lingering white pepper notes. Blanco Tequila shots with salt and lime slices Don Vicente Tequila is made at the El Pandillo Distillery in Jesús María in the Jalisco Highlands. Renowned Master Distiller Felipe Camarena crafts it. This high-proof Tequila showcases traditional and innovative production methods, resulting in a robust and flavorful spirit. With an ABV of 54%, it is just under the maximum of 55% ABV allowed for bottling Tequila. The Tequila is aromatic and fruity on the nose, with a crisp, wet stone minerality. It features citrus zest, fresh apple, cooked agave notes of caramel and butterscotch, and herbaceous hints of raw agave. It's earthy and herbaceous on the palate, showcasing damp compost, wet moss/forest floor, chocolate, nuts, and assorted herbal and fruity notes. The finish is smooth, sweet, and fruity, with lingering notes of cooked agave. The Tequila is produced from piñas sourced from the Lowlands (Tequila Valley) and Los Altos (Jalisco Highlands) regions. The Tequila claims to be additive-free, although the CRT doesn't recognize or certify this designation. The Tequila has a fresh and crisp aroma, featuring a slight minerality, both cooked and green agave notes, some earthiness, and hints of tropical fruit and vanilla. The cooked agave notes are more prominent on the palate, accompanied by citrus and tropical fruits, a touch of anise/licorice, and a mild pepperiness. The finish is long and sweet, with lingering citrus, spice notes, and a hint of black pepper. These Blanco Tequilas each present a distinct expression of agave craftsmanship, showcasing their respective distilleries' diverse production and sourcing methods. All five are exceptional and work equally well served neat or as a cocktail base. If you enjoy Blanco Tequila, these five finalists are worth exploring.
Forbes
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The Best Blanco Tequila According To Some Of America's Top Bartenders
A Shot of Blanco Tequila with Lime and Salt Blanco Tequilas, the largest Tequila category, have been thoroughly explored by America's top bartenders. With the assistance of Bartender Magazine, our survey of these experts' Blanco Tequila picks has produced surprising results and a remarkable consensus on the best available Blanco Tequila. According to Raymond Tremblay, Director of Beverage at Coje Management, Lalo Tequila was the current best Blanco Tequila in the US. He noted: Lalo Blanco Tequila LALO Tequila's founder is the grandson of Don Julio Gonzalez, and this is one of the best new Silver Tequilas I have tasted. They use champagne yeast to bring out the notes of the fully matured highland agaves. It will make a fantastic French 75 if you sub out the gin with Lalo! He added: The tequila reveals a vibrant bouquet of bright citrus, floral, and vegetal notes, characteristic of the iron-rich soil of the highlands. Its texture is luxuriously creamy, yet naturally so, and the flavor profile offers a harmonious blend of cooked agave, tropical fruit, black pepper, and a touch of minerality. This is one of those perfect tequilas, but versatile enough for cocktails. His sentiments were shared by Summer Goff, Bartender, Run For The Roses, Denver, Colorado, who said: If you've been paying attention, you've undoubtedly seen Lalo taking shelves and bars by storm. One of my favorite agave products on the market, I find myself reaching for it time and time again. He also highlighted Tequila Ocho's Puntas overproof bottling: Already a fan-favorite brand, Tequila Ocho drummed up quite the anticipation for the highest-proof bottling in the brand's history. This year's 'Puntas' are produced from a single-field harvest of agaves just outside the brand's new Tequilera in Arandas. He added: Puntas' is the term agave distillers use for a unique cut of spirit that comes just at the end of the heads and the beginning of the hearts. This cut is prized and usually reserved by the distiller for special occasions. It is known to be highly aromatic and flavorful, and the purest expression of harvested agave. This year's release is bottled at 108 proof (54% abv), which means less water is added to proof down the spirit, which translates to more flavor concentration. Lala has also released a High Proof Blanco Tequila at 54% ABV. Kevin Mabry, Director of Operations, BCB3 + Bina Family Hospitality, and Stuart Weaver, Owner & General Manager, Lady Jane, also chose Lalo as their top choice among Blanco Tequilas. Weaver added, 'This additive-free tequila is what tequila should taste like.' Blanco Tequila is poured from a bottle into shot glasses with salt and lime slices. Joe Arakawa, Beverage Director/ Anima by EDO, picked Volcan De Mi Tierra 100% Tahona Blanco as the best new Blanco Tequila, observing: It showcases the agave and provides so much nuance due to its production process of being all Tahona-milled lowland agave. Cooked agave, herbal notes, a subtle brine, and so much more provide a unique Blanco experience like no other. It is an incredible sipping Tequila but also makes a great cocktail that showcases its natural, additive-free, ancestral style. Gio Olivera, Service & Beverage Manager, BACKSTAGE and Sirenetta in Hoboken, NJ, selected Cazcanes No. 9 Blanco Tequila as the top Blanco: Sitting at 100 proof (50% ABV), this tequila drinks with a nice agave sweetness, lovely floral notes, and surprisingly smooth for its proof. Tequila Fortaleza, chosen by Bethany Alyssa Nardi-Bartender at Hawks Restaurant in Granite Bay, CA, as the best new Blanco Tequila, is a brand steeped in history. Although it was launched in 2005, 'it has over 150 years of tradition behind it.' Don Javier sold the family business in 1976, but the family kept the land with their hacienda and distillery. In 1999, Don Javier's grandson, Guillermo, began the process of getting there old distillery up and running again making tequila in the same way it was made over 100 years ago – with a small brick oven to cook the agave, a tahona to squeeze the juices out of the agave, wood tanks for fermentation, and the two original copper pots for distillation. Their goal is to make the best tequila they can, and to this day, they have not changed anything. Finally, Graham Sutton, Director of Operations, BACKSTAGE, Hoboken, New Jersey, picked Casa Don Ramón Blanco, pointing out that it was: One of the smoothest Tequila I've ever had. It is fresh, clean, and vibrant, with notes of citrus, green agave, and a subtle hint of pepper. It's a smooth and crisp tequila, perfect for sipping or mixing in cocktails like margaritas. These six Blanco Tequilas are outstanding, reflecting their terroirs and the essence of the agave from which they are crafted. Several are also higher proof, providing a more intense and flavorful spirit, whether consumed straight up or in a cocktail. If you are a fan of Blanco Tequilas, especially if you consume them straight up, there is much to tempt your palate among these six, cutting-edge Tequilas, and even more to explore. For some insight into the current market dynamics of the Tequila industry and additional recommendations, see also The Most Awarded Tequilas of 2024.
