Alcademics

Yes all of these questions are very important. This is a good list of questions you should ask yourself when analyzing a tequila brand.

Each part of the process is a piece of the puzzle in the final distillate's profile. I feel in tequila and mezcal it is even more important to look at each step.

In an agave spirit by nature its easier to pinpoint the subtle differences in production on your pallate.

One thing to add is to constantly be checking the NOM numbers even on established brands. They will change on you without warning.

I feel that the yeast conversion and fermentation process is one of the most over-looked and important parts of the process. That has a direct link to the final product taste profile in tequila.

Yes agave selection and area of growth, as well as the type of starch conversion methods is important. Yet it seems that the brands don't talk much about there fermentation and yeast process. Its generally skimmed over.

This is an important part of the tequila's identity. That is just as geographical as the agave field.

I think what's most interesting about yeast is whether the yeast is naturally occurring in the air around the fermentation tanks, or whether they speed up the process by adding their own. Many companies are successful in cultivating their own strains, but since so much of quality tequila is based on artesian methods, the more local and natural the process, the better.

I think Jared's comment really starts to clarify things here. For some reason the marketing of these tequila brands is backwards - they are trying to sell to the uneducated drinkers who grab pretty bottles, but usually stick one bottle of what they know - after all, in these times, most of us don't have $40 or more to try a tequila that may be disappointing.

Instead, those marketers should be selling to the bars, bartenders, and store owners who not only go through countless bottles for every single consumer's one, but help to sell the good products as a part of their work. As a single consumer, I walk into my bar and talk to the designated "tequila man" if I want a good tequila. I trust him to know all the details and be able to point out differences between products. But if he doesn't have all the details to work with, he won't be as likely to push a product forward since he can't explain why it's good. In my field (engineering), we call that a black box, and try not to use something if we don't understand it. Sure, the majority of bartenders may not work that way, but the ones who do are the ones who are selling to people like me, who will go out and buy the exciting new quality products and start spreading the word.

As a blogger could you not take the “basic questions” you discussed and put them on a spread sheet? Obviously not for all brands but just the ones you feel are superior or are commenting about. Those “basic questions” will of course vary on the type of spirit. They would also vary on there importance on certain spirits. This would help all and give creditability to the areas you feel are the minimum knowledge needed to recommend or comment on that particular brand. So many writers of spirits rate or rank like they do on the Wine Spectator not relying on the basic questions you described to distinguish the brands, at the least both the writers opinion and the “basic questions” should be present

Hi,

I actually made some animated videos regarding tequila education. It explains how tequila is produced, the classifications and its origins. I also made another one that describes the labels. Currently I am finishing up on a video on the steps to tequila tasting. Right now they are hosted on my portfolio site

www.foreignduck.com