Mexican Fiesta
page 2
More Brands Grow
The best-selling brand of 100% agave tequila is Patrón, sales of which increased almost 70% last year. Their range of tequilas is made in the mountains surrounding Jalisco and aged in small, American oak barrels.
The distillery recently introduced Gran Patrón Platinum, a triple-distilled, 100% agave tequila. A portion of each small batch is aged briefly in oak barrels prior to being blended back. The ultra-premium silver tequila carries a retail price of $160 per 750 ml.
Cazadores,
from Bacardi USA, hit sales of 195,000 9-liter cases nationally
in 2004.
Imported by Sidney Frank Importing, Tequila Corazón de Agave has grown 40% every year since it debuted in 2003. The 100% agave tequilas are produced entirely on the Destiladora San Nicholas in the highlands of Arandas. The Corazón range includes a Blanco, Reposado, which is matured in small, Canadian oak barrels for up to one year, and an Añejo, which is aged for a minimum of two years in oak.
For its part, Bacardi USA has had good success importing Cazadores, a 100% agave reposado aged in new oak barrels for a minimum of six months. The brand increased sales almost 15% last year to 195,000 9-liter cases.
Originally imported by Bing Crosby and Phil Harris in the 1950s, Herradura was the first brand of 100% agave tequila available in the U.S. Now imported by Sazerac, Herradura is one of the few brands that has always only produced 100% agave tequila.
The
1800 line of tequila, imported by Skyy Spirits, increased sales
by more than 10% nationally last year, to 345,000 cases.
Sazerac also imports El Jimador, a line of mixto tequilas made by Herradura. Both brands are made on the Herradura estate from the same estate-grown blue agaves. They both undergo the same methods of fermentation, distillation and aging, although each process takes longer for Herradura Tequila. The brand is enjoying success in the U.S., increasing in sales last year 38.5% to 123,000 9-liter cases. The El Jimador range includes a silver and reposado, as well as an ultra-premium añejo, a limited edition, 100% agave tequila aged in oak barrels for a minimum of one year.
One of the most recognizable and successful brands of tequila, the 1800 portfolio of 100% agave tequilas, jumped by 10.2% in sales in 2004. Imported by Skyy Spirits, the line includes recently released 1800 Silver. Famed 1800 Reposado is matured for nine months, in lightly charred barrels. The flagship of the brand may well be the Reserva Antigua 1800 Añejo. The 100% agave tequila is matured an average of three years in deeply charred oak barrels. Skyy also imports ultra-premium Gran Centenario.
The El Jimidor line of mixto tequilas, imported by Sazerac, saw a hefty
sales gain of 38.5% nationally in 2004.
Sales of Diageo import Don Julio grew 28.1% in 2004. The super-premium line of 100% agave tequilas are made at the Tres Magueyes by master distiller Don Julio Gonzalez, who founded the distillery in 1942 at age 17. To commemorate his extraordinary career, the distillery has released an engaging, 100% agave tequila called Don Julio 1942. The ultra-premium añejo is aged in oak for a minimum of three years and is best appreciated in a snifter.
Another patriarch of the tequila industry was Don Eduardo Orendain Gonzalez. The family-owned Orendain Distillery opened in 1926, and it still ranks among the major tequila producers. Its most prestigious accomplishment is Don Eduardo 100% agave Tequila. Imported by Brown-Forman, Don Eduardo Añejo is aged in once used, charred American oak bourbon barrels for a minimum of two years. The silver version is triple-distilled.
What's Next for Tequila
All of our futures should be so bright. Essentially that's the consensus of the industry professionals we polled about the future of tequila.
Allied Domecq's Andrew Floor believes that the growing surplus of agave means that we'll continue to see a steady stream of new tequila brands. "Enthusiasts and novices alike will notice an influx of new suppliers offering a wide variety of production- and aging-based differentiators. We also expect the surplus of agave to precipitate the industry's expected move into flavored tequilas."
Leading Brands of Tequila in the Control States
(Mixed Cases) Twelve months ending November
| Brand | Supplier | 2003 | 2004P | % Change | |
| Jose Cuervo | Diageo | 587,408 | 627,669 | 6.9% | |
| Sauza | Allied Domecq Spirits, USA | 114,551 | 135,988 | 18.7% | |
| Montezuma | Barton Brands | 103,007 | 107,745 | 4.6% | |
| 1800 | Skyy Spirits USA | 68,079 | 81,684 | 20.0% | |
| Pancho Villa | McCormick Distillers | 37,441 | 38,115 | 1.8% | |
| El Toro | Barton Brands | 36,963 | 37,789 | 2.2% | |
| Monarch | Monarch Importers | 34,221 | 32,880 | -3.9% | |
| Aristocrat | Heaven Hill Distilleries | 33,610 | 36,234 | 7.8% | |
| La Prima | Great Lakes Liquor | 25,497 | 28,110 | 10.2% | |
| Pepe Lopez | Brown-Forman Beverages | 23,846 | 23,256 | -2.5% | |
| Total Leading Brands | 1,064,623 | 1,149,470 | 8.0% | ||
| Others | 226,030 | 248,965 | 10.1% | ||
| Total Tequila in the Control States | 1,290,653 | 1,398,435 | 8.4% | ||
A recent graduate of the prestigious Academia Mexicana Del Tequila in Guadalajara, master distiller Felipe Soto Mares of the El Duende Distillery has spent time discussing the future prospects with industry notables. "There is little doubt that in the short term we will see increasingly more special bottlings of vintage delineated tequilas, more creative wood finishes and single estate bottlings of single cask tequilas. These are exciting times for us in the tequila industry, and ultimately it will be the consumer who is the real beneficiary."
With costs now stabilized and consumer demand surging ever higher, prospects for retailers of tequila are once again primed for success.
Tequila Facts
Fueling the category's extraordinary sales volume is a growing cadre of upscale, 100% blue agave tequilas. Unlike their blended counterparts, these ultra-premium tequilas are distilled from nothing but Weber blue agave, a succulent related to both the aloe and lily found only in Mexico. To ensure that quality standards are maintained, the production of these tequilas is closely scrutinized by the government. Because the blue agave is so expensive to cultivate, the Mexican government permits rank and file tequila -- called mixtos -- to contain up to 49% filler, usually cane sugar, or caña.
A field
of blue agave plants, from which tequila is made.
The truest test for a 100% blue agave tequila and the best way to assess its inherent attributes is to sample the silver or plata version. Ultra-premium silver tequilas are typically unfiltered and bottled directly from the still. Fine silver tequilas are surprisingly smooth, peppery and delicious. They are vibrant, bursting with flavor, and best represent the compelling qualities of tequila.
A reposado (rested) tequila is aged in large wooden vats or barrels between two months and one year. It strikes a true balance between the fresh, spirited character of a silver tequila and the mellow refinement of an añejo.
To be labeled an añejo tequila, the spirit must be aged in oak barrels for more than a year. Aging in wood leaves some añejo tequilas smooth and luxurious, with a subtle amber hue. In others, the character of the wood is dominant, with prominent tannin, a broad vanilla flavor and a deep golden color.
The four-digit NOM number that appears on every label of tequila is assigned to an individual distillery, signifying that the tequila was made by that distiller alone, and that the tequila passed all standards of quality. NOM is an acronym for "Norma Oficial Mexicana," a set of laws that establish standards of quality for the production of tequila. If you find two brands of tequila that have the same NOM number, they were produced at the same distillery.
All 100% agave tequilas must state that fact on the label. If it doesn't, the brand is a blend, or mixto tequila.
The differences between brands of 100% agave tequilas are years in the making. From the planting of the agave to unbarreling the añejo, the production cycle can take in excess of a decade to complete. Making great tequila is a labor- and time-intensive process.
Lovely Liqueurs
Kahlúa has
been made in Mexico for nearly a century and is one of the best-selling
liqueurs in the world, with 2004 estimated sales of 1.31 million
9-liter cases. It is made from a base of distilled sugar cane
that is steeped with vanilla and mountain-grown Mexican coffee.
The liqueur has a velvety smooth texture and a bouquet of freshly
ground coffee. Kahlúa's well-rounded body delivers the
rich flavors of roasted coffee, cocoa and mint. While moderately
sweet, it is not cloying or overbearing. The liqueur has a long,
flavorful finish. 
Kahlua just introduced this Vanilla White Russian into its successful line of ready-to-drink cocktails, which also includes eight other flavors.
One of the Kahlúa's strong suits is that it mixes with a seemingly endless combination of products. As testimony to its nearly universal mixability, it is one of the most frequently used ingredients in many drink guides.
Jim Beam Brands imports another coffee-flavored Mexican liqueur, Kamora, which sells about 200,000 9-liter cases a year in the U.S.
Patrón Spirits produces two Mexican liqueurs. Patrón XO Café Coffee Liqueur is made from well-aged añejo tequila and pure, natural essence of coffee. The 70 proof liqueur is crafted with the barest minimum of sweetener, which makes it more of a coffee-flavored tequila than a typical liqueur. Patrón Citrónge Extra Fine Orange Liqueur is made on a base of premium, high-proof neutral grain spirits, with its flavor derived from organically grown oranges from Jamaica and bittersweet oranges from Haiti. Pure cane sugar is added to give the liqueur a touch of sweetness.
Imported by Crillon, Agavero Tequila Liqueur is produced by Tequila Gran Centenario at Los Camichines Hacienda in Jalisco, Mexico. The secret ingredient in its well-guarded recipe is a unique tea brewed from the Damiana flower, which is an aromatic flower indigenous to the mountains of Jalisco. Agavero is bottled at 64 proof.
There are also two liqueurs from McCormick Distilling: Tequila Rose, a 34 proof strawberry-flavored cream liqueur mixed with tequila, and Tarantula Azul, a blue-colored, 70 proof product that combines tequila with natural citrus ingredients.
Mezcal Medley
Mezcal is produced principally in Oaxaca, although it is also made in other regions of Mexico. It is distilled from several different varieties of the agave, but mainly the agave espadin. There are several significant differences between how mezcal and tequila are produced. Instead of baking the agave, mezcal is made by cooking the agaves in covered pits or underground ovens, resulting in the finished spirit often being extremely smoky.
New brands of mezcal are beginning to grab consumer attention. An excellent example is Scorpion Mezcal (from Caballeros Inc.). Don't let the scorpion inside the bottle dissuade you from sampling this elegant triple-distilled, 100% agave mezcal.
Other notable mezcals include:
- Monte Alban Mezcal (Barton Brands) — The best-selling brand of mezcal, Monte Alban is produced at the Fabricado Mezcal Mitla in Oaxaca.
- Dos Gusano Mezcal (David Sherman) — Bottled with two worms, Dos Gusano Mezcal is produced by Destiladora Regional in Oaxaca.
- Gusano Rojo Mezcal (Allied Domecq) — One of the most recognized labels of mezcal, Gusano Rojo and Gusano de Oro are produced by Nacional Vinicola in Oaxaca, Mexico.
- Mezcal del Maestro (Pueblo Partners Trading Company) — A line of premium 100% agave mezcals double distilled in small batches in Oaxaca. The Mezcal Del Maestro line includes a citrus-infused mezcal, reposado, which is aged in oak barrels a minimum of three months, and Añejo Reserva, a single barrel mezcal aged in charred, American white oak barrels for two years.
- Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal (Del Maguey Ltd. Company). — A line of four superpremium mezcals, each produced in a small village for a distinctive spirit. The line includes Minero, San Luis Del Rio, Chichicapa and Santo Domingo Albarradas.
The Mexican Brandy Niche
Some of Mexico's finest distillers produce brandy, and the results speak volumes. For example, Presidente, from Allied Domecq, is the best-selling brandy in both its native Mexico and the world. It is aged roughly six years by the Solera method in bodegas located in Los Reyes, near Mexico City. The brandy is highly aromatic with a fruity, slightly sweet palate.
Special Reserve Don Pedro is also consistently ranked among the top five best-selling brandies in the world. It too is Solera-aged at the Los Reyes bodega, but is matured separately from those used to make Presidente. The brandies that comprise the Don Pedro blend are aged between 8 and 10 years. The special reserve brandy is lush and fruity in character with a lingering, vanilla-laced finish.
Also imported by Allied Domecq, Solera Reserva Azteca de Oro is a regal brandy alembic distilled from the Palomino grapes and aged for a minimum of 12 years in the solera. It is the Mexican equivalent of Carlos I Solera Gran Reserva, the highest designation bestowed on a Brandy de Jerez.
Robert Plotkin is the past president of the National Bar & Restaurant Association and author of numerous books including the 5th edition of The Bartender's Companion: The Original Guide to American Cocktails and Drinks. He can be reached at BarMedia, 1-800421-7179, or e-mail him at robert@barmedia.com.
