Tequila Tasting Part Dos

A few weeks ago I asked you to find it in your hearts to forgive Jose and try to learn to love tequila again. If you haven’t done so yet, what better time is there than Cinco De Mayo?

At our first tequila tasting, we sampled each type of tequila from the brand 123 Tequila: a blanco, a reposado, and an anejo. For our second tequila tasting, I decided to compare three different types of blancos: Espolon, Herencia Mexicana, and Seleccion 1079. To recap from our last tasting, a blanco is a tequila that is unaged and goes straight from the barrel to the bottle.

Espolon

This blanco was a cult favorite for many years until it disappeared off the shelves. It was re-released about two years ago with new design and packaging. What is unique about this blanco is that it is cooked and distilled longer than most blancos. Blancos are traditionally cooked for 4-5 hours and distilled for 6-7 hours, but Espolon is cooked for 7-8 and distilled for 8-9. We found this was strong, but went down smooth. Adding ice brought out a smokiness that we enjoyed.

Herencia Mexicana

We found this blanco had a very bitter, “tequila-y” taste. Adding ice brought out a sweetness and made it less harsh.

Seleccion 1079

This newly released blanco changed my life and was honestly the reason I wanted to do another tequila post so soon. This is a spirit that needs to be shared. To recap again from last time, tequila is the only liquor that is completely affected by the environment; specifically where the agave is grown. The agave used for Seleccion 1079 is grown at the highest altitude of any agave and this affects the flavor. We found it to be clean and pure. It hasd a nice kick but didn’t burn. And while we enjoyed the Espolon and Herencia Mexicana better on the rocks, we preferred the Seleccion 1079 neat.

Enchoi one of these tequilas this Sunday. Happy Cinco De Mayo!