Hi guys, I wanted to showcase this great tequila. With it’s slightly higher ABV, it’s designed for mixing but drinks great alone. Being that it’s designed for bartenders the website offers a lot of transparency in regards to it’s production. Available now for $39.99 at the Castro shop.
Here’s the highlights all of which are directly sourced from The86co.com
THE AGAVE:
Tequila Cabeza is made from
100% estate owned agave that is
grown in the Los Altos region
in Arandas. The agave are grown
by the Vivanco family, who have
been cultivating agaves on their
800-heactare mountainside land for
five generations, and handpicked
by the Jimadores at seven to nine
years of age when the agave has a
sugar content of 23-28%. It is grown
without pesticides on land that has
been used for the cultivation of
agave for over 100 years.
COOKING AND MILLING:
The piñas are cooked in brick ovens
for 24 hours at 100 C°. They are
then left to cool for 24 hours
before being fed manually into the
shredder. This is where the agave
juice is extracted and the fibers are
separated. Natural spring water is
added to aid this process.
FERMENTATION:
The pure sweet agave juice (mosto)
is fermented with the aid of a
champagne yeast in cooper tanks
during the winter months. The cooler
temperature allows for an extended
mash period (approximately 10 days)
giving fruitier agave flavors.
Once the fermentation is finished,
the mash sits for two days before
distillation.
WATER AND ABV:
They add distilled natural spring
water to cut the tequila down to 43%
ABV (86 proof). The ABV was increased
from 40% during our mixed drink
testing sessions because we found
the extra ABV boosted the tequila’s
presence in cocktails. Tequila Cabeza
hasn’t been oxygenated; we believe
this helps retain more of the flavors
from the terroir in the tequila.
RESTING:
Tequila Cabeza is rested in stainless
steel for 60 days before bottling.
TASTING NOTES:
On the nose there is a bouquet of
highland agave that captures both
the earthiness and the honey of the
agave while adding complex layers of
green vegetables and a nice dose of
minerality.
More of the green vegetables,
earthiness and some green pepper
enter softly on the palate at the
start before you are hit with a
robust and earthy agave bomb on the
mid-palate that comes with a dash
of light citrus on the sides of
the palate. It is medium to full-bodied
with a velvety mouth feel and
finishes with a light bitter citrus,
more cooked agave flavors and black
pepper. This Tequila is all about
earthy cooked & raw agave flavors.
So many steps are taken to preserve
as much of the agave’s true flavor
as possible – the agaves are picked
at the peak of their maturity and
slow cooked in brick ovens. Winter
fermentation is used to bring out
more fruit characteristics from the
agaves; it is only filtered after
the first distillation, and no
oxygenation techniques are used to
smooth it out.
The 86 Co. wanted Tequila Cabeza
to taste of agave, and the Vivanco
family took these steps to give us
what we wanted. The final touch was
increasing the ABV for some extra
kick in cocktails.
