Rum, Tequila, Mezcal, ect.

[Nebfanatic]

Not Cracken???  Haha

Do you get a lot of freebies or samples?

Don't love Kraken lmao but also at Total Wine Foursquare Spiced rum is awesome and like 20 bucks. We do get to try alot of stuff at the bar, I also go to Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans every year and there are a ton of samples there. That said I have a personal collection of around 100 bottles so I've tried alot that way as well.

@Nebfanatic

I have a rum question. Back in 1996ish I brought back a couple different bottles of rum from Venezuela. Drank one fairly soon thereafter but I still have the other one unopened. Is it still any good?

If it's sealed chances are it is still good!! I've heard of people cracking bottles of whiskey from the 70s and 80s and it's the best stuff they've ever had. One thing I always tell myself is they make 50 year old scotch so as long as it's sealed and younger than that it has a chance lol

 

[Nebfanatic]

Additive free tequila brands I love:

Don Fulano

Tapatio

G4

Tequila Ocho

Siete Leguas

Fortaleza 

ArteNom

Cimarron(great budget option)

If you can find a blanco fuerte or a higher proof version of the blanco tequila from any of these brands, definitely grab it! These high proof expressions are among the best and most flavorful tequilas you can get today.

 

[BigRedBuster]

And that right there is what began me on this journey. I like you had only tried the brands owned by mega corporations looking to make the most money and completely disregarded spirits as gross tasting stuff that made me feel gross. Only after having tried well crafted small batch stuff made the family way for generations did I begin to understand how great spirits can be and what a wonderful representation of culture and heritage they are. 

I once took an executive training course and met a prominent family from Mexico City.  I told them I liked Tequila, but I'd only had the cheap stuff in college doing shots.  I ended up in an entire evening of them telling me everything I didn't know about Tequila.  It totally changed how I looked at it.  I have an employee that goes back to Mexico every year for a couple weeks to visit family.  He always brings back a new Tequila for me to try.  Don't remember any of the names though.

 

[Nebfanatic]

Mezcal brands I love:

Rey Campero

Del Maguey

Agave de Cortes

Vago 

Cinco Sentidos

El Jolgorio

Keep in mind with mezcal, there are dozens of varieties of agave it can be made with, and each different species gives a different flavor profile. Some of these agave plants can only be grown in the wild and can take up to 25 years to reach full maturity. Batches are small and laborious and this factors into the cost. Some mezcal can seem quite expensive, but when considering what goes into the bottle, it makes sense.

 

[Nebfanatic]

I once took an executive training course and met a prominent family from Mexico City.  I told them I liked Tequila, but I'd only had the cheap stuff in college doing shots.  I ended up in an entire evening of them telling me everything I didn't know about Tequila.  It totally changed how I looked at it.  I have an employee that goes back to Mexico every year for a couple weeks to visit family.  He always brings back a new Tequila for me to try.  Don't remember any of the names though.

No need to remember the names just make sure your employee keeps it coming!  :thumbs

 

[JJ Husker]

If it's sealed chances are it is still good!! I've heard of people cracking bottles of whiskey from the 70s and 80s and it's the best stuff they've ever had. One thing I always tell myself is they make 50 year old scotch so as long as it's sealed and younger than that it has a chance lol

It’s sealed, has been kept relatively cool and also in a box so no UV light has got to it. The only reason I wonder is because it is made from cane sugar. I wouldn’t be concerned about a whiskey that old but I do know some sugary liqueurs don’t last very long.

It was supposedly the best Venezuelan rum at the time and they take their rum seriously down there. That’s why I was saving it for something special…and 28 years went by. :lol:  I’ll try it one of these days. Hopefully I don’t have to spit it out.

 

[GSG]

Additive free tequila brands I love:

Don Fulano

Tapatio

G4

Tequila Ocho

Siete Leguas

Fortaleza 

ArteNom

Cimarron(great budget option)

If you can find a blanco fuerte or a higher proof version of the blanco tequila from any of these brands, definitely grab it! These high proof expressions are among the best and most flavorful tequilas you can get today.

What kind of additives are we talking about?

 

[Nebfanatic]

It’s sealed, has been kept relatively cool and also in a box so no UV light has got to it. The only reason I wonder is because it is made from cane sugar. I wouldn’t be concerned about a whiskey that old but I do know some sugary liqueurs don’t last very long.

It was supposedly the best Venezuelan rum at the time and they take their rum seriously down there. That’s why I was saving it for something special…and 28 years went by. :lol:  I’ll try it one of these days. Hopefully I don’t have to spit it out.

When you distill the fermented sugar into rum there is no residual sugar left in the distilled spirit so unless sugar was added after(definitely possible) it should be good! Usually as long as it is at least 80 proof the alcohol will preserve anything that may have been added.

What kind of additives are we talking about?

Glycerin, oak extract, caramel coloring, sugar, other flavors such as vanilla or orange. Many brands add things to enhance perceived smoothness

 

[JJ Husker]

What kind of additives are we talking about?

WORMS……THE WORM

 

[GSG]

When you distill the fermented sugar into rum there is no residual sugar left in the distilled spirit so unless sugar was added after(definitely possible) it should be good! Usually as long as it is at least 80 proof the alcohol will preserve anything that may have been added.

Glycerin, oak extract, caramel coloring, sugar, other flavors such as vanilla or orange. Many brands add things to enhance perceived smoothness

Interesting. The only tequila I've ever been fond of is the Espolon Reposado 

Haven't found a Blanco that I like

I do like some cocktails with mezcal though. I like the smoky/earthy flavors

WORMS……THE WORM

Do they still make the ones with the worms?

 

[Nebfanatic]

Interesting. The only tequila I've ever been fond of is the Espolon Reposado 

Haven't found a Blanco that I like

I do like some cocktails with mezcal though. I like the smoky/earthy flavors

Do they still make the ones with the worms?

Espolon is a solid brand at a good price point. Hard to go wrong there. That said I'd definitely give some other reposados a try. The Cimarron probably will be similar and probably cheaper than the Espolon. If you like earthy flavors in mezcal you may enjoy a proper blanco. Don Fulano if you can find it makes a distinct blanco with strong olive brine notes that's quite good. Tapatio and Tequila Ocho are nice but they are lighter in flavor unless you can find the Tapatio 110. Strong peppery agave goodness right there. 

As for the worm, they still make mezcal con gusano but I would not recommend it  :flush

 

[JJ Husker]

Do they still make the ones with the worms?

As engrained in our popular culture as the worm in the tequila bottle (...or tequila lollipop) may be, that image is actually common misconception. 

"The worm is never found in tequila," says Heriberto Oviedo, the tequilier (like a sommelier for tequila) at the Cantina Beach restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton in Key Biscayne, FL: "The worm you see is in a product called mezcal which is often confused for tequila." 

Both spirits are made by distilling the agave plant, and while mezcal can be made from a blend of one of 250 types of the cactus-like succulents to be classified as tequila, a bottle must be at least 51 percent blue agave (agave tequilana). The higher the percentage of blue agave, the finer the bottle. So tequila is a type of mezcal, but mezcal is not tequila, and only mezcal has worms.

 



 


Well, not exactly...

According to Anthony Dias Blue's Complete Book of Spirits, that "worm" is actually a larva from one of two types of moths, known as maguey worms, that live on the agave plant. These larvae are calledgusano and bottles of mezcal that contain the lil guys are referred to as con gusano.

But why the gusano? Theories abound. One traces the origin back to a distiller named Jacobo Lozano Páez, who in 1940 found that the larvae changed the taste of the agave and so began adding it to his spirits. Others believe that it brings good fortune and strength to the lucky person who finds it in a glass. In his book, Dias Blue writes that the insect serves as evidence of a mezcal's potency; to pickle the gusano, the spirit must have a high percentage of alcohol.

 

[Madcows]

Additive free tequila brands I love:

Don Fulano

Tapatio

G4

Tequila Ocho

Siete Leguas

Fortaleza 

ArteNom

Cimarron(great budget option)

If you can find a blanco fuerte or a higher proof version of the blanco tequila from any of these brands, definitely grab it! These high proof expressions are among the best and most flavorful tequilas you can get today.

LOVE Tequilas.  It's my sipper of choice.  Currently enjoying Ensueno (new distiller, got a bottle from their first batch and it's really good) and Siete Leguas Repo and special occasion will have a glass of Tears. I'll probably break out a glass of Tears for the Bud fight.

Where are you finding G4 and Fortaleza??!!??  Both of those are my bucket list, and I prefer not to have to have them shipped if at all possible. I usually either run to KC or have friends pick me up good juice when they head to the twin cities, but I've always missed on both of those.  I'd like to get my hands on some tapatio as well, but that's not nearly as high on my list.

Another great option that's not going to break the bank is El Tesoro, can usually find it for $40ish a bottle and for that price, it may be the best option on the market.

 

[Madcows]

What kind of additives are we talking about?

Usually it's additional flavorings and color. Most common are adding some simple syrup and oak flavoring and adding a caramel color.  Basically anything besides agave and water. Additive free tequila, all the flavor and color comes from the agave, the ground in which it's grown, the cook process and from the barrel it's stored in.

 

[Madcows]

Interesting. The only tequila I've ever been fond of is the Espolon Reposado 

Haven't found a Blanco that I like

I do like some cocktails with mezcal though. I like the smoky/earthy flavors

Do they still make the ones with the worms?

Epsolon is good, a lot of die-hard tequila drinkers look down on the fact it's not additive free.

For a similar price as a bottle of Epsolon, get a bottle of El Tesoro Blanco. It's one of the best Blancos on market, and you can usually get it for $40ish.  If you don't want to buy a bottle without trying it, Hook & Lime in the Old Market and the Corner Kick will have it and you can get a glass neat to see what you think of it.