With tequila-making comes centuries of custom and heritage, however firms like Espanita proceed experimenting with revolutionary new strategies to raise the spirit.
The simply launched Espanita Double Barrel Añejo Tequila is the most recent enlargement of the corporate’s vary of distinct choices centered on getting older and maturation. By working with two types of wooden, this new launch brings a novel aged tequila to the market that may maintain its personal with the best premium whiskeys.
Since launching in 2017 underneath the steerage of Founder and President Marina Wilson, Espanita has been producing a few of Mexico’s best tequilas from 100% Blue Agaves grown at excessive elevations within the Highlands of Jalisco. Every handcrafted tequila is made in response to labor intensive, typically historic traditions that permit the area’s distinctive terroir to shine. We ask Marina to inform us extra about this thrilling new expression.
Inform us in regards to the launch of Espanita’s Double Barrel Añejo.
Espanita Double Barrel Añejo is the most recent addition to our model household that was launched in November of 2023. To create our Double Barrel Añejo, we age our 100% Highlands Blue Agave tequila in American oak for at the very least twelve months after which end maturation course of for as much as eight extra months in Bourbon barrels. The result’s distinctive and intriguing double barrel aged tequila with an genuine type, wonderful construction, and lengthy, seamless end that showcases delectable Bourbon accents resting on a slow-roasted Agave middle. This new launch is a fruits of our a few years of labor with Bourbon cask finishes, together with cask curation, researching the affect of bourbons with completely different ages and mash payments, and represents our first age expression in ultra-premium worth vary. I very a lot stay up for sharing this wonderful double barrel aged tequila with bartending neighborhood and with all tequila-loving customers.
What impressed this expression?
Whereas Blanco, an unaged form of tequila, deservingly stays essentially the most offered class, client curiosity in the direction of aged expressions of their favourite Blue Agave spirit is on the rise. In 2022, as market information exhibits, Reposado accounted for 31.69% share of gross sales worth of tequila produced in Mexico and Añejo – for 19.58%.* These consumption developments have impressed us to start out experimenting with varied barrel finishes for getting older tequila and with completely different maturation approaches. Making a well-balanced aged tequila is a particularly attention-grabbing but in addition a really difficult endeavor as a result of delicate floral and citrusy Agave notes will be simply overpowered by robust wood-derived flavors. This work finally led to the launch of our Barrel Reserve assortment in 2023 and an inaugural launch of 97-point rated Espanita Double Barrel Reposado tequila, which is now adopted by Double Barrel Añejo.
For our flagship launches on this assortment, now we have rigorously curated freshly emptied casks used to accommodate Kentucky bourbon with specific mash payments and experimented with getting older strategies, perfecting the method. The purpose was to create an aged tequila enriched with tantalizing Bourbon notes, however nonetheless expressing its grassy, fruit-driven Agave basis. To realize this purpose, the primary spherical of maturation takes place in toasted American White Oak casks after which tequila is transferred to Bourbon casks the place getting older is accomplished. Second spherical of barrel-aging permits us to exactly management the maturation course of and growth of desired taste notes. Experimenting with completely different barrel finishes celebrates the revolutionary spirit of our model in addition to the creativity and expertise of the artisans at our distillery.
Supply: Statista
What makes this spirit stand out from the remainder?
We consider that the craftsmanship behind Espanita Double Barrel Añejo and our steadfast dedication to high quality and adherence to time-honored conventional manufacturing strategies, a core basis of our model’s id, make this double barrel aged tequila to face out from the remainder because of its distinctive taste profile and its unmatched versatility. I’m notably proud that our new double barrel aged Añejo just isn’t solely a wonderful sipper but in addition pushes the boundaries on tequila’s utility in mixology. It really opens up a realm of cocktails ready to be found.
What would you want bartenders to find out about this launch? What are bartenders doing with the spirit?
Espanita Double Barrel Añejo tequila has surpassed all our expectations on how nicely this expression would carry out in mixology purposes. Prolonged getting older and subsequent maturation in freshly emptied Bourbon casks enriched the flavour profile with daring, opulent notes of toasted honey oak, caramel, vanilla, darkish chocolate, roasted nuts, and cinnamon, the hallmarks of a well-aged brown spirit. Mixed with citrusy and natural notes contributed by sluggish roasted Blue Agave, the result’s an elegantly balanced, nuanced Añejo with wonderful construction and nice aromatics that creates really excellent riffs on such basic cocktails as Previous Original, Manhattan, Negroni, Sidecar and quite a few spins on Bitter cocktails.
Double Barrel Añejo pairs nicely with such Italian bitters as Aperol, Campari and Cynar, and shines in amari-based cocktails whose bittersweet natural complexity gives a wonderful match to our tequila’s vegetal Agave basis. We additionally advocate experimentation with bitters and liqueurs similar to ginger, apricot or espresso, and nut-flavored liqueurs similar to Amaretto or Frangelico. We had been amazed at how constantly Double Barrel Añejo outperformed typical spirits in combined drinks and resulted in additional flavorful, mouthwatering cocktails; potentialities are really countless! It’s an ideal time to redefine how folks take pleasure in tequila and let your creativity circulate.
What are you able to inform us in regards to the premium tequila class?
Premiumization stays one of many major drivers of spirits’ progress within the US and it is a notably vital development within the tequila section. Whereas damaging financial developments can have an effect on the diploma of progress of tremendous premium spirits, lots of elements work in the direction of supporting gross sales volumes of tremendous premium tequila manufacturers, together with the rise in revolutionary cocktails, and rising cocktail tradition throughout the nation, product improvements, unique restricted releases in addition to evolving client training about Blue Agave spirits and their choice for high-quality spirits and pure components. We consider that the nook stone of tolerating success in premium class is to reinforce folks’s information about craft tequila, encourage their curiosity and encourage experimentation in mixology.
What’s subsequent for you and Espanita?
At Espanita Tequila Firm we consider in innovation being a key to holding client curiosity and we’re always engaged on new expressions whereas staying devoted to conventional, artisanal manufacturing strategies which are essential to creating genuine, agave-forward tequila. Within the coronary heart of all our improvements is need to seek out new artistic methods to precise the spirit of Blue Agave, to have fun and honor its roots and essence. In 2023, we launched two new tequilas in our Barrel Reserve assortment, experimenting with Bourbon casks and maturation strategies, and are inspired by the success of those releases.
We’re presently engaged on aged tequilas with completely different barrel finishes that, as we hope, will please bartending neighborhood and tequila aficionados. We additionally proceed our work on increasing our 100% Agave “Signature Infusions” assortment, curating pure components complimenting tequila’s taste profile and growing maceration approaches. I consider that quickly we will have the ability to unveil extra thrilling new age and taste expressions as we’re constructing our model’s legacy.
