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Agave

Tequila

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” margin_bottom=”0″]Some of us would say there’s never a bad time for a little tequila. That said, there’s definitely never been a better time than now, thanks to a boom in traditionally minded artisanal tequilas and wider availability of longstanding Mexican brands that lack big marketing budgets. No, the struggle these days isn’t in finding a superb, distinctive, and refined tequila – one that instantly erases any hangover memories of rotgut shots – but deciding among myriad great options.

First, a quick primer: Tequila is made from one species of agave, agave tequilana weber, var azul (or blue agave), and primarily in the arid lowlands and rainy highlands outside of Guadalajara, in the state of Jalisco  (by law, it can also be produced in parts of four other Mexican states). When the agaves reach maturity after several years, their sugar-rich hearts (piñas) are cooked and crushed; the extracted juice is then fermented and, finally, distilled. Several factors come into play at each stage of this process, but at the very least, for a tequila to be great, it must be all agave, with no additives. (Rule number one: Never buy tequila that’s not labeled “100% agave.”) Blanco is the clear tequila as it comes off the still, though it can spend up to two months aging in oak barrels. Golden reposado is aged from two months to a year. Dark añejo sits from between one and three years, and the relatively recent extra-añejo is any tequila aged more than three years, which results in qualities similar to those of long-aged rums and brandies.

Read more: http://www.mensjournal.com/expert-advice/the-18-best-tequilas-in-the-world-20131217#ixzz3Uwq8w8mh
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Agave Beer Whiskey

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Agave Beer Whiskey

Clement’s 2nd Anniversary, 3/21/15


Please join us for a day of beer, bourbon and discounts at our Clement location.


Its hard to believe that its been two years since we opened our Clement Street location. Your support and patronage has helped build the business into the success it is today, and we’d like to take this opportunity to say “thank you”. To show our appreciation we are hosting an anniversary sale and raffle on Saturday, March 21st from 11am – 4pm. It’s a great day to restock your cellar and pick up a few rarities, but make sure to get there early as we usually get lines for the best deals and vintage beers. 

Cellar Sale!

Cellar Stock Sale when doors open including Russian River, Cantillon, Anchorage, Perennial, Prairie, Goose Island and more!

Hourly Raffle!

Noon – Old Rip Van Winkle 10
1pm – Lot B
2pm – Pappy Van Winkle 15
3pm – Pappy Van Winkle 20
4pm – Pappy Van Winkle 23

Hope to see you on Saturday!

Cheers,
Healthy Spirits

Categories
Agave

New Arrival: Mezcal Tosba

Elisandro Gonzalez was first introduced to me at meeting of agave geeks hosted by tequila critic and enthusiast, Kelly Cash almost two years ago.  He and his cousin produce Tosba Mezcal, a process that’s been a decade in the making.

He shared with me an NPR audio story about their brand so I’m passing on the link right here.

So far I just brought in the Espadin at $76.99.  This Mezcal smells like sweet raisins and Blood Oranges. On the palate I get soft and round flavors of cloves and chai tea.  It has a long finish that dissipates nice and dryly, leaving lingering notes of chocolate malt.  Pairs beautifully with apples, salads, desserts and mixes well with citrus, dry sodas and chocolate bitters.

Categories
Agave

Tequila Alquimia

Hey Fam, Eli here.  I wanted to highlight another family owned brand tonight but since I know the owner, Dr. Adolfo Murillo personally I reached out to him and asked if he wanted to write tonights ‘Tequila highlight’.  So without further ado,
here’s the scoop on Alquima Tequila.

Alquimia Organic Tequila

Our handcrafted Alquimia Organic Tequila is 100 % natural, USDA Certified Organic, and made of 100% blue agave Tequilana Weber. All of our certified organic agave is estate grown on our family ranch in Arandas, Jalisco, Mexico.  We personally supervise all aspects of the growing and harvesting of our agave, as well as the production of our tequila.
 We carefully select the best and healthiest agaves, only harvesting plants that are at their peak of quality and ripeness. Our quality control process demands that we closely monitor the cooking, fermentation and distillation at every single step. This ensures that our tequilas are consistently of the highest quality possible.
 Our project is completely sustainable and eco-friendly. Our tequilas are bottled in specially designed bottles made of recycled glass by a family of glass blowers in Tonalá, Jalisco. All aspects of our artisanal production reflect a proper balance of the old world and the new: a combination of alchemy, modern science, and tradition-rich culture. The making of Tequila Alquimia is just as much an art as it is a science.
 Our tequilas have won a total of 34 gold medals in the past 7 years in the two most prestigious international spirits competitions: the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (where our Reposado and our Añejo were “Best in Class”) and the Chicago Beverage Testing Institute’s International Review of Spirits.  Tequila Alquimia was voted the #1 tequila by GQ Magazine’s men.style.com, and was also voted “Overall Favorite” by Huffington Post.
As a family owned company, Tequila Alquimia allows us to contribute to our communities, both in the United States and in Mexico.  Tequila Alquimia is our vehicle for the promotion of organics and sustainable agriculture. Our organic protocol, which we teach to growers throughout Mexico, is the tool we use to improve the quality of our soils, protect the health of the farm workers and consumers, and make a positive impact on the environment.

We hope you enjoy our tequila as much as we have enjoyed bringing it to you.  SALUD!
Categories
Agave

Meet the Marqués.

I’m really excited to introduce you to Mezcal Marqués de Jaral De Berrio.  It is made from Agave Salmiana which is a big agave with large droopy leaves.  I had never heard of this varietal but have been doing a bit of research and it seems as if these agaves don’t yield as many sugars as other agaves and because of that, they are seldom used in commercial products.  This is however a very special mezcal made in Guanajuato Mexico.  We brought the Plata and the Reposado in the shop and both are super smooth and are pack very little heat.  The Plata is creamy with delicate vegetal notes reminiscent of sweet brussel sprouts and fresh greens.  The Reposado is barreled just enough to nudge the vegetal flavor in exchange for light accents of vanilla.

Available now at the Castro store for $49.99 & $54.99















Info to geek out on:

Distiller: Daniel Botello

Distillery: Embotelladora Jaral de Berrio SA de CV

Oven: Conic Stone

Fermentation: Inox open containers

Milling: Tahona (large stone wheel)

Distillation: Copper Still (alambique)/2x

Agave Elevation: 6,824′ (Highland)

Soil Type: Sub angular blocky structure, consistency ranging from firm to very firm texture and from argillaceous to sandy loam.  Its origin is colluvial to alluvial, pH of 6 to 7.8

Climate: Semi desert, warm weather with cooler winter season.  Average annual temperature is 16.7 C.  Rainfall is 473.4 ml.

Water: Well (thermal)

Categories
Agave

Tequila Cabeza: Designed with bartenders in mind

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. 
Categories
Agave

Tequila Ocho

Tomas Estes

If you love tequila and haven’t explored Tequila Ocho yet, I’m happy to say we the 2014 Blanco and Reposado and the 2012 Anejo.  The intention behind Ocho is to focus on the terroir of specific ranchos in and around Arandas Jalisco.  This is a partnership between Carlos Camarena whose family has been producing tequila for 80 years give or take.  I’m not exactly sure how many times the barrels are used but they taste like they give lightly which I think was done on purpose to preserve the terroir of the agave.

As a brand, I think Tequila Ocho has done a great job in educating their fan base about the key component to any tequila, the agave itself.  Blue agaves are growing on the ground for about 8 years and pick up so much of the earth in its distilled state that unlike whiskeys that are complex after barrel aging, tequilas and other agave spirits are most complex as blancos (silvers, platas).

About two years ago I reached out to Tomas Estes via email and 3 months later he responded with his phone number so I gave him a ring.  I needed some insight from someone who’s been in my shoes and Tomas lent me an ear a gave me some solid insight.  Just another reason why I’m a fan.  In fact I met Carlos Camerena at a lunch catering to agave nerds.  We had a nice discussion regarding agriculture and harvests.  Tequila is full of good peeps, gotta love it.

So I got the Ocho line here at the Castro shop for $49.99, $54.99 and $59.99.  A great price for great quality tequilas.  I also have Carlos Camarena’s Tapatio Anejo for $49.99.  Same Master Distiller, different product altogether however.

Carlos Camarena and I with Marko in the background.




Categories
Agave

Hacienda de Chihuahua: Yelpy yet stoic.

Hacienda de Chihuahua Sotol
Glorious days friends, this is your friendly neighborhood tequila guy.  I want to talk to you about Hacienda de Chihuahu Sotol, while not made from agave I thought it’d be interesting to bring in.  It’s made from wild harvested stools, which are spiny dessert plants that while may look like a cousin of agave, it’s definitely not agave.  These spirits are sweet, earthy and light.  I’m carrying the Reposado and Anejo which I found to be nice and smooth with pleasant injection of the New French Oak.

Reposado: $25.99
Anejo: $35.99

http://www.sotol.cl/
PS.  I’m not that used to Windows keyboards so I’m not sure how to make the accented ‘n’ on this laptop.  Whenever you see the word ‘anejo’ use your imagination to make a lil swiggly over the ‘n’.  This makes the ‘nyeh’ sound and is adequately accomplished by pushing your tongue off the roof of your mouth.  If you know how to do it and can fill me in I’d really appreciate it.  Until next time folks.

Eli
Categories
Agave Beer Whiskey

Christmas and New Years Hours

Yo, yo, yo folks!
Just so you know here are our holidays hours for the rest of the year.
On behalf of everyone here at Healthy Spirits, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Sunday Dec. 21st: 11am to 8pm
Monday Dec. 22nd: 11am to 10pm
Tuesday Dec. 23rd: 11am to 10pm
Wednesday Dec. 24th: 11am to 10pm
Thursday Dec. 25th: 11am to 3pm
New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day and any other days are hours as normal:
Monday-Thursday: 11am to 10pm
Friday-Saturday: 11am to 10pm
Sunday: 11am to 9pm