Sometimes curiosity gets the better of me, and I just have to find out if something is worth drinking. That’s how it went with Yeyo. During 2011 the web was alight with talk of a new tequila on the scene, stimulated by a very heavy social networking presence. Boasting modern design and with high praise being thrown from pillar to post I quite simply had to find a way to get my hands on a bottle and try it.  Luckily Jon Bullinger himself was kind enough to send us one to taste, although to be honest I wasn’t that much against having to jump the pond and head State-Side at some point this year to pick one up. Either way we finally got a chance to see just what all the fuss was about.

Tequila Details

Name: Yeyo Tequila Silver (Blanco)
NOM: 1414
Distillery: Feliciano Vivanco y Asociados, S.A. de C.V.
Location: Highlands – Los Altos
Website: http://www.yeyotequila.com

Review Notes

From the off you’ll notice the frosted bottle oozing modern design. If you’ve done your homework, you’ll know by now that Jon Bullinger holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in both Business Management and Marketing from the University of Phoenix, and that this product is clearly reaping the benefits of his education. Jon’s vision for his tequila brand can be felt through all the marketing surrounding Yeyo, everything is modern, minimalistic, puts the focus of the consumer squarely on the bottle and, more importantly, the tequila.

I crack open the screw top and here the discussion begins. I’m a traditionalist and I do like to pull a cork out of my bottle. Jon states that the cap “leaves the flavor of the tequila completely unaltered from start to finish”, I can’t help but miss the cork though. Despite Jon’s logic I guess I’m just a romantic at heart.

As I swirl the Yeyo around my glass I’m unable to detect the presence of strong alcohol, which could be regarded by some as either hot or burning, as well as any other harsh aromas in the nose. Additionally I’m also unable to detect any overly strong ester or chemical fragrances, so it’s certainly not smelling like this tequila is going to be headache juice. As I’m swirling I notice that thin legs are quickly forming on the side of my glass, which in turn are quick to pearl. One would assume by now that it goes without saying that this blanco tequila is crystal clear, but for the sake of going on the record, this blanco is crystal clear.

I take a sip and what strikes me first is how sweet and easy going this tequila is, there are absolutely no bitter qualities to it. During Yeyo’s inception Jon Bullinger polled his friends in search of the ultimate taste qualities for his tequila. The goal was to create a tequila that would appeal to the American palate. I would imagine that they were looking to create a smooth blend, but to me it’s left the tequila feeling just a tiny bit too thin in the mouth. Yeyo, much like in the nose, isn’t particularly hot on the tongue either and has just a slight burn going on in the after taste. However, what I like the most about Yeyo is the hint of fresh pears in the mouth when you sip, a flavour which you simply don’t come across that often and I’m a huge fan of it, I’d be willing to speculate that this would be due to the yeast that they’re using during fermentation. Along with that wonderful pear flavour you can clearly taste those agave in the mix.

Like many others that have tasted Yeyo I do have some minor concerns regarding the price. Jon Bullinger is from Oregon, and due to the crazy tax laws over there, you’re looking at having to pay out $49.95 in Oregon for a bottle of Yeyo. Jon has previously mentioned himself that there’s very little he can do about this as the price is  governed by that particular state, apparently buying tequila in Oregon isn’t for the faint of heart. However, in the Dallas Fort-Worth area (Texas) the price of Yeyo can be found for a much more reasonable $32.99.

Personally I can see this tequila doing very well in clubs and bars, either by the glass or as a mixer due to the strong and somewhat youth orientated marketing approach. Jon’s vision is clearly to turn his brand into a household name and I believe, in time, it will be. Jon Bullinger is a man that knows what he wants, and then goes out and gets it. Additionally I also believe that in time this particular marketing campaign will work in the favour of the consumer, providing a greater opportunity for people to get their hands on Yeyo and, with any luck, allow Jon to get that tequila into a lower price bracket where it ultimately belongs. Remember however that just because you can potentially use Yeyo as a mixer…it doesn’t mean that you should!

¡Salud y’all!

Another newcomer to the scene has made its way in to our review section. Well newcomer is perhaps not the most apt word to describe this tequila as there’s quite a bit of history behind how this brand made it to the market, tracking all the way back to 1923 where Feliciano Vivanco tended his agave field and became somewhat of a local hero. Under his watchful eye and loving care, his fields of beautiful blue agave became known, far and wide, for their exceptional quality and sugar content. But you’re not here for a history lesson…

Tequila Details

Name: Pura Vida (Blanco)
NOM: 1414
Distillery: Feliciano Vivanco y Asociados, S. A. de C. V.
Location: Highlands – Los Altos
Website: http://www.puravida.mx

Review Notes

As you’d expect from a blanco, Pura Vida is crystal clear in colour. The aroma is strong and vegetal with floral undertones. Pura Vida themselves speak of mint aromas, but I’m not picking up on that myself. As I sip I’m once again picking up those vegetable and floral undertones, along with a good hint of agave. There is a level of astringency to this tequila which I find personally to be pleasant. Now, astringency is not a characteristic that a lot of people will always talk about in a positive light, astringency essentially creates a dry feeling in the mouth similar to the effect that occurs when you eat tart fruit. Personally I have more of an issue when this occurs in the aftertaste, thereby leaving me with more of a parched feeling. However, I digress, the flowery presence in this tequila is more pronounced on the palate than in the nose. The finish is easy going and it’s not tearing out my tonsils, although for me it could do with just a bit more fuerte in that finish. The aftertaste is bang on the money however.

I’ll be honest here and say that when I first tried this I was somewhat on the fence regarding how I felt about it. However, over the last month I’ve poured countless glasses and now I’m a fan. Perhaps this is a good indication that sometimes you might not ‘get’ a tequila on the first glass and that it’s always a good idea to give it the benefit of the doubt and dive back in to it another day. Pura Vida Silver is clearly a good quality tequila and I think in the correct flight this could make for a very interesting and discussion filled start. It’s definitely worth picking up and trying for yourself.

¡Salud y’all!

Something new, well at least for us, was to get our hands on some flavoured tequila from Tanteo. Normally we’d advise avoiding these sort of things as the flavour is usually an additive that’s been thrown in, but Tanteo are infusing their tequila to get these flavours so, along with it’s attractive packaging, it entices you to see what it’s all about.

Flavoured tequila was previously prohibited by the CRT, but in 2006 the rules surrounding the infusion of tequilas with various flavours was relaxed allowing for the production of these drinks.

Tequila Details

Name: Tanteo (Blanco)
NOM: 1437
Distillery: Tequilera Don Roberto, S.A. De C.V.
Location: Lowlands – Central
Website: http://www.tanteotequila.com/

Review Notes

The first notable things about all of these tequilas is the bottle, it manages to encompass a modern look yet there is a clear authentic Mexican feel to it all as well. It’s worth mentioning however that there’s a small flaw in the craftsmanship of the bottle, a slight nub of glass on the bottom causes them to wobble a bit when you stand them up. One bottle in particular had this problem more than the others. I’m not trying to be negative, I just don’t want my tequila to topple over if someone happens to knock the table.

I was drawn to the Tropical Tanteo first, the combination of fruit and tequila has always been something that I have appreciated. There is a reddish hue on the tequila from the infusion process, but to all intense and purposes it’s a blanco. The fruit aromas are not as strong as I had expected them to be and I’m sitting on the fence here as to whether the absence of these aromas is a good or bad thing. In this case I think I’m leaning towards ‘good’ as the result is that the aroma of the agave can still be picked up but yet with a somewhat stronger than usual lime and sour citrus aromas. Notes of citrus aromas are fairly typical in blancos and I’m glad that it’s not too overpowering, I want to drink tequila and not fruit juice.

As I taste the tequila the fruit tastes are there, in particular the guanabana. There are other citrus fruit tastes are also present, but it’s the guanabana that’s prominent. I’ll admit to thinking of these as liqueurs when I first started out, but these tequilas are much more than that. Calling them a liqueur would be an unfair comparison. The Tropical Tanteo seems to have the mix just right.

The Jalapeño is somewhat different to the Tropical, the agave aroma is clearly masked by the very strong jalapeño smell. It’s almost as if someone is cutting them in front of you, it’s that potent, and in no way do you feel that it might be chemical or artificial. There’s an interesting green hue to this blanco and the taste really wakes up your pallet. The jalapeño flavour is quite remarkable. I can’t help but think that this would be a great sort if drink to be used in a Martini style bar. It makes me think of all this flavoured vodkas that are out there on the market and how mixologists could use this type of alcohol in their creations or that it would be great as an aperitif.

It’s probably obvious, but the Cocoa Tanteo is slightly darker in colour than the others. Chocolate and tequila are generally a match made in heaven, but regrettably this time it’s not the case. You can smell the chocolate on the tequila and regrettably that comes at the cost of the agave nose. The taste is very sweet to begin with which then leads on to a very dry taste. Of all the three tequilas this has to be my least favourite. They’ve somehow managed to remove all traces of agave in this version, which is a real shame.

The other two versions are both excellent, with the Tropical being a clear favourite. I was surprised as I had expected to prefer the Jalapeño. It’s worth mentioning that all these tequila contain no artificial flavours.

As I said at the beginning this isn’t something that I would have usually considered drinking. When you’re talking tequila it’s best that it’s 100% Agave and that no one’s gone and done anything odd to it. The fact that the CRT have relaxed their laws shouldn’t be indication that people can do what the hell they want with tequila, and I feel that Tanteo have approached this is the right way. The result is a high quality product that is both fun to drink and yet manages to still respect the tequila in the process!

¡Salud y’all!

For ages I’d been desperate to get my hands on a bottle of this stuff. It’s won countless awards and I’ve even seen a documentary about the brand on the Discovery Channel. I know, who’d blame me for adding it to my wish list. Once again I find myself in Berlin and a trip to KaDeWe reveals a nicely stocked liquor department with some bottles of tequila that I’ve not been previously able to buy. I cruise past the bottle of Vodka that was retailing for a cool million euros, wander over to the tequila section, grabbed a bottle or two, and hit that checkout one happy customer.

Tequila Details

Name: Leyenda del Milagro Silver (Blanco)
NOM: 1420
Distillery: Industrializadora de Agave San Isidro, SA de CV
Location: Highlands – Los Altos
Website: http://www.milagrotequila.com

Review Notes

Milagro is crystal clear and the first thing that strikes me is the smokey pear aromas that are drifting from the glass. There is however something in the nose of this tequila that I don’t like, but I can’t decide what it is…it could just be that I’m not to keen on pears. There’s a strong alcohol aroma which I’m afraid to say is not helping those wonderful agave smell, why they have allowed that I’ll never know. It’s a very vegetal tequila and there is just a hint of vanilla there. As I coat the sides of my glass I notice that it’s thick and oily, it’s got slow tears and it doesn’t really want to bead. The agave, unlike in the nose, is however there in taste and just like appearances it has an oily texture, whilst at the same time having a sort of ‘watered down’ feel to it. Quite odd. There’s a very short burn to the tequila which hangs around just long enough to make your tongue go numb and then fades, I feel that has more to do with alcohol than agave. Mixed in between all of this is vanilla, it’s presence in taste is much greater than it was in the nose. As I inhale across my tongue I can vividly taste and smell the vanilla, regrettably I’m not enjoying it all that much as there is an incredibly strong bitter mint flavour  in the finish which is really not doing it for me. I find this blanco to be lackluster.

Even Milagro think you should be using their product for mixing

Now, I had expected much of this tequila and perhaps that’s not the best way to go into a tasting. This tequila has won numerous awards (albeit for cocktails) and perhaps I’m missing something…but I doubt it. I’ve drunk from this bottle three times to write this review and each time it’s the same story. Milagro I feel that you’ve let me down. You built up my hopes just to dash them as soon as we began. Quite how this tequila is picking up awards simply amazes me.

This is in no way a sipping tequila, it has no business being in a Riedel glass. All in all you’re going to have more enjoyment out of this tequila by using it as a mixer. Yes, yes it’s an relatively inexpensive tequila…but still! Perhaps the qualities that make is unsuitable as sipping tequila lend itself to the creation of cocktails?

I’m underwhelmed, disappointed…oh, and did I mention I’ve got a bottle of the Reposado here too?!

¡Salud y’all!

Yes, as so many people have observed this tequila is real and not just a prop used on the TV series ‘Entourage’. Tequila Avión is a newcomer to the tequila market and unlike other newcomers they’re entering the market with the full range and not just the blanco. Now either Tequila Avión have been sitting in the wings for some time planning the release or they’re pushing this juice for someone else. Now we’ve been drinking this for the last week so I’m sure it’s the former rather than the latter.

Tequila Details

Name: Tequila Avión Silver
NOM: 1416
Distillery: Productos Finos de Agave, S.A. de C.V.
Location: Highlands – Los Altos
Website: http://www.tequilaavion.com

Review Notes

Tequila Avión is a highlands tequila and that’s obvious from the first sniff. The floral and sweet aromas typical of highlands tequila are there. We’ve sat on this review for quite a while now as we wanted to do it justice, Tequila Avión is an incredibly balanced high-end tequila. Now I’ve been drinking tequila for quite some time so I knew from the first sip that we had a contender on our hands, but it’s so balanced that I wanted to be sure that I was picking it all up and we’d do the brand justice. As I swirl the tequila in my Riedel glass I’m seeing quick legs and clear beading on the glass. The aroma is clean and crisp, the agave pepper is subtle with very little alcohol aroma coming off of it. The taste is sweet and light with the quality of the water used in the production of this tequila being very apparent. Avión themselves claim that there are clear mint aromas and flavours in the mix but I just couldn’t pick them out. The citrus flavours that are present are surprisingly of pineapple, which was a real pleasure, the finish is soft, smooth with a hint of agave. This is something that I think the current tequila market is going to lap up. We only have the blanco in our hands at the moment, but I can’t help but wonder what the wood is going to bring to it all. We’ll do our best to get back to you on that.

I think it’s worth mentioning that the stopper in this bottle is cork, a lot of brands are stepping over to synthetic materials (which is fine) but I feel the cork gives the bottle a bit more ‘class’ and ‘polish’. I’m finding myself asking whether we’ve got another el Patrón on our hands here, market-wise that is. Tequila Avión is coming out of the blocks with a very hard hitting marketing campaign. They’re all over the social networks and getting their product on to a hit show such as ‘Entourage’ is going to do nothing but rocket their profile. Tequila Avión is a very smooth well balanced tequila that is going to appeal to people new to tequila and aficionados alike.

¡Salud y’all!

I’m a nightmare to buy gifts for, at least that’s what my wife tells me, but for my last birthday I was given a trip to Berlin to see the city and whilst there go and see Snow Patrol in concert. Don’t panic this isn’t going to be a concert review, although I really enjoyed it. My initial opinion of Berlin’s tequila scene wasn’t good. Our hotel bar only sold Olmeca and in one restaraunt that we went to there were two choices of tequila ‘White’ and ‘Brown’. Surely a trendy city like Berlin should have more to offer?!

We headed out one afteroon to the ‘Gendarmenmarkt’ and after a bit of sightseeing I spotted a bar across the square with lines and lines of bottles of strong drink, surely they’d have tequila amongst it all. The bar is it happens was ‘Newton-Bar‘, highly regarded as one of the best bars in the world (they have a bottle of Dom Perignon on the menu for a cool €1.5M should you find yourself feeling flush whilst there). I browsed the menu and after drinking Milagro, Casa Noble, Don Julio and Espolón the barman and I got into a conversation about tequila and we of course got on to the point that price is not always a good representation of quality. He then grabbed a glass, reached for a bottle that had never been opened, poured a healthy measure and said “You’re the first person that’s been in this bar that understands tequila, you’d best tell us if this is any good”.

Tequila Details

Name: DeLeón Diamante
NOM: 1519
Distillery: Agroindustrias Casa Ramirez, S.A. de C.V.
Region: Highlands – Los Altos
Website: http://www.deleontequila.com

Review Notes

Diamante is a crystal clear blanco with slow tears, a wonderfully sweet agave aroma (typical of Highland tequilas), with a gorgeous floral and honey nose. DeLeón accredit this all to the altitude at which the tequila is grown…and DeLeón grow theirs more than 7,500 feet above sea level. The smell is reflected in the taste of Diamante which is both wonderfully sweet with honey flavours and incredibly smooth. In the production of this tequila DeLeón use pure spring water from two exclusive natural spring wells, serving the family’s private distillery, and I can promise you that the quality of the water that has been used is very obvious. Diamante has a pleasant light pepper burn that resides on the middle of the tongue and the agave warms your throat for some time after you’ve swallowed.

This bottle really is something special, I thank all those at ‘Newton-Bar’ for their hospitality and for giving me the opportunity to try it. In answer to the barman’s question, it is indeed a fine bottle and should you ever have the opportunity (I understand it’s quite hard to get hold of due to limited production) then be sure to try it for yourself. Yes it’s a little pricey, but you will not regret it!

Oh, and I paid for the next measure!

¡Salud y’all!

Argh, we were out of coffee! That’s got to be the worst thing about the ‘Nespresso’ system, if you forget to order online you’ve got to venture out to one of the few stores that stock the capsules in person. Of course to every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction. What do I mean? Well since I’d dragged myself to town why not pop into the liquor store and make the most of it by picking up a bottle of tequila. I was browsing the shelves and thought it was about time I grabbed the bottle of Amate and took it home for a tasting.

Tequila Notes

Brand: Amate
NOM: 1137
Distillery: La Cofradia, S.A. DE C.V.
Web Site: http://www.amate.com

Review Notes

Straight off the bat, it’s been a long time since I drank a tequila that I didn’t really like, but I’m afraid that I’m not a big fan of Amate. The aroma from this blanco is very alcoholic. If you sit and sniff it for long enough you’ll get a whiff of something earthy, more than that I’m afraid I just can’t get. As you drink it the alcohol that was present in the nose is there in force in your mouth with a very light agave taste as you swallow it. The finish is incredibly subtle and then it’s gone, all that remains is a light tingle on the middle of you tongue. To me this is in no way a sipping tequila. Luckily the sun is coming out and I hope this bottle will come in useful for mixing up a batch of margarita’s. The only positive thing I can say is that even though the alcohol smell/taste is strong, you could still regard this tequila as smooth since it does not really have an aggressive finish…but I’m reaching!

Amate say that this tequila has “an unmistakably pure crisp taste”. We’ll give you that it has an unmistakable taste…but it ain’t crisp!

¡Salud y’all!

Currently only available in California (and soon in Texas) paQuí tequila is a relative newcomer to the tequila scene. The guys at paQuí were however kind enough to get a bottle over to sunny Florida for us to review.

This blanco tequila comes in a uniquely shaped bottle housed in a box reminiscent of an Aztec pyramid…ever since it arrived I’ve been excitied about drinking it. I popped on to the official website to see what they had to say about their product and the guys at paQuí were clearly promising that I wouldn’t be dissapointed.

paQui silver expresses the essence of Blue Agave, with an inviting flowery aroma and layers of complex flavors that include notes of fruit and spice. It’s taste is lively, bright and elegant with a crisp, exciting finish that dance on the palate

Tequila Notes

Brand: paQuí Silvera
NOM: 1502
Distillery: Autentica Tequilera, S.A. de C.V.
Region: Lowlands – Central
Web Site: http://paquitequila.com

Review Notes

We recommend drinking from a Riedel glass

Initialy I was drinking out of my go to caballito glass, but, then gave it a try out of a Riedel tequila glass and this tequila really came alive.

While my palate can’t discern all of the profile in this juice, I do pick out the cooked agave, the fresh grass and of course the white pepper. A contradiction would be a slight fruity taste up front, but, finishes with a slight astringent dryness. I like that a lot in a tequila, but don’t find it often.

This paQuí can/will hold it’s own with any of the high end blanco tequilas, no mater their price. It makes a great sipper and although they suggest to use it in cocktails I wouldn’t.

¡Salud y’all!

Want to know more? Read the paQuí press release

There’s always a bottle out there that you’ve always wanted to try. More often than not it ends up being much harder to get your hands on the you would have expected. For me it’s been Cabo Wabo. For years it’s name has been banded about and over in Europe you had to be lucky to get your hands on one of the few bottles that crossed the pond. Luckily enough a colleague of mine was heading State-side and I thought I’d make use of his alcohol allowance…..it’s okay, he wasn’t gonna use it!

Tequila Notes

Brand: Cabo Wabo Blanco
NOM: 1476
Distillery: Impulsora Rombo, S.A. De C.V.
Region: Lowlands – Central
Web Site: http://www.cabowabo.com

Review Notes

The tequila is obviously clear and I’ve got to say that it has a very low alcohol taste. I’ve read about this tequila before and a lot of people tend to be less the complimentary about the alcohol taste of this brand. I’m not going to agree with them. The tequila has oddly enough a slight floral aroma with just a hint of citrus and pepper. The agave taste is clear and those floral aromas return in the finish.

It’s widely reported that this tequila is somewhat ‘oily’ and ‘harsh’ on the tounge. I’ve got to say I’ve not really noticed. The tequila to me is clean, simple and enjoyable to drink. As blancos go it seems to be a great preview of what’s to be had in the reposado or the añejo.

So….anyone crossing the pond in the not too distant future?

¡Salud y’all!