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!
The previous reviews are spot on! Deleon tequila is better than you think! I’m the biggest skeptic of high-end premium spirits. However, Deleon tequila really lives up to it’s brilliant packaging and reputation. It’s that good!
Small world! I had the most similar experience at my favourite lounge in Paris. The owner–a dear friend and lover of fine spirits like myself–unveiled this exquisite bottle from his private collection. I have never known a blanco tequila to be this smooth and sweet. This is, undoubtedly, the finest silver tequila on the market. I’ve just sent away for a case myself . . .