REFINED VICES

I am a big fan of distilled juice from the Agavaceae family. There are quite a few members of this family which can be made into spirits. The best known of these is the blue Agave used for Tequila. But other succulents work even better.

My Collection:

Mescal & Sotol:
Chacmol
Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal Chichicapa
Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal Crema de Mezcal
Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal Minero
Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal Pechuga
Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal San Luis del Rio
Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal Santo Domingo Albarradas
Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal Tobala
Hacienda de Chihuahua Sotol Plata
Hacienda de Chihuahua Sotol Reposado
Hacienda de Chihuahua Sotol Anejo
La Penca
Lajita
Mesteno Sotol Reposado
Monte Alban
Scorpion Anejo

Tequila:
1800 Anejo
Antigua Cruz Anejo
Cazadores Anejo
Chinaco Reposado
Corazon Reposado
Corralejo Anejo
Espolon Anejo
Herradura Silver
Herradura Reposado
Herradura Seleccion Suprema
Hornitos (Sauza) Reposado
La Pinta Pomegranite
Leyenda del Milagro
Tesoro de Don Felipe Anejo

Any experiences with Casa Noble Añejo?

Count Silvio wrote:Any experiences with Casa Noble Añejo?

Casa Noble Anejo is certainly one of the best tequilas around. I am out at the moment but plan to pick up another bottle soon.

I'm not much of a tequila drinker because they only sell 6 tequilas here. Two of them are Sierra (tequila for the masses) and the rest of them is cheap stuff which I assume is rotgut. There is one Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia which costs near 100 euros but there is no chance I'm buying that. The government must think there is no market here for the finer aged tequilas which is a shame because I'd love to try them.

Count Silvio wrote:I'm not much of a tequila drinker because they only sell 6 tequilas here. Two of them are Sierra (tequila for the masses) and the rest of them is cheap stuff which I assume is rotgut. There is one Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia which costs near 100 euros but there is no chance I'm buying that. The government must think there is no market here for the finer aged tequilas which is a shame because I'd love to try them.

Maybe you could set up a TRADE section of the website. Nothing allowed for sale. Bottle for bottle only. I'd be happy to do some exchanges for what is not available there.

Count Silvio wrote:Any experiences with Casa Noble Añejo?

In order to answer the question properly I picked up a bottle today, and one of Casa Noble Cristal. Nose of the anejo is of cactus, spice, vanilla, desert flowers, and earth. The taste is distinct from most tequilas with more earthiness and smoke. Broad flavors across the tongue, very smooth, only a hint of burn. The magnificent breadth of high and low, nectar, clay, and piquant create a rich work of art in this tequila.

AngelSword wrote: Maybe you could set up a TRADE section of the website. Nothing allowed for sale. Bottle for bottle only. I'd be happy to do some exchanges for what is not available here.

I've been thinking about that section but first I need to make sure it isn't breaking any international laws.

I've had enough thinking about it. One section coming up!

A bottle of one of my favorites is up for trade.

AngelSword wrote:A bottle of one of my favorites is up for trade.

I say! Not so sure about the trading thingy, sounds terribly Noel Edmunds!!

Back onto the subject in hand - Tequilla! Found this info on tequilla on my superior fine spirits suppliers site

Different degrees of aging provide three separate categories, blanco, reposado and anejo.

Blanco (also known as 'silver') is the original, un-aged style with the freshest, most intense agave character. This spans a range of herbaceous, earthy, vegetal notes including grilled peppers, fruitiness such as citrus, while the range of spices features cinnamon and nutmeg.

Tequila is generally aged in oak barrels previously used to mature bourbon, which means they are already 'seasoned'.

Reposado tequila (meaning 'rested') is aged between 2-11 months. This ageing period sees the barrel contributing flavours such as vanilla and creme caramel to tequilas earthy, spicy, herbaceous, vegetal character.

Anejo (meaning 'aged') receives a minimum of one years ageing, with luscious vanilla, creme caramel and oakiness combining with the original agave character. A maximum of 5 years ageing is generally the limit, beyond which the barrel influence tends to overwhelm the agave character.

Full article available here, though for a non-affiliate style link that will mean I start beating the servants and animals you can go direct without any fear of reprisals! - http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/Catego ... tegory=359

If find that there are similarities of flavor category between Scotches and Agave spirits. The tequilas and the highland Scotches tend towards more subtlety while the mescals and Lowland Scotches are big in flavour. If I find that some person appreciates a certain Scotch I can frequently recommend the tequila that might appeal to them most, and vice versa.

When I visited a friend of mine, stopped by an alcoholic beverage dispensary and stumbled across a bottle of Don Juan Escobar Mezcal. Twasn't bad at all. We knocked off half of it (leaving the worms inside the bottle).