CORZO TEQUILA-CLASSY NEWCOMER
By Michael Hepworth
When the bottle arrived eagerly I opened up the
package and loved the sleek look of the bottle which has been designed by
Fabien Baron. Would the tequila inside be as classy I thought, and I was
not disappointed. After a bit of research I discovered that each bottle of
Corzo takes 7 ˝ years to make, and they also use twice the agave that
most tequila brands utilize from the
Los Altos
region of Jalisco. This comes from the Tequilana Weber plants in the area,
and being one mile above sea level, they are sweeter and more succulent
than other plants in the immediate area.
They call it the world’s finest tequila, an ambitious claim
indeed, and both the silver and the reposado are best tried neat or with
the highest quality of mixers. A closer look at the distillation process
reveals that the Corzo Reposado and Anejo are the only tequilas to be
mellowed prior to a third distillation, resulting in a double mellowed,
triple distilled spirit with twice the Agave of the majority of other
brands.
Distillation takes place in stainless steel pot
stills, and aging takes place in small, white oak barrels which enhances
the flavor due to greater surface contact with the wood. The Corzo
Reposado and Anejo are aged (2-3 months and 12-14, respectively) to two
different barrel types (one-half with a few low firing or “toast,” and
one-half with a medium toast) to deliver a more complex and layered
spirit. Not content with that,
the Corzo people then remove the agave’s cogollo, a labor intense
process for the highly skilled Jimadores that extracts the center of the
Pina. They are cut into pieces, and the acidic top cone is thrown away.
They are then roasted for twelve hours, with the juices from the first
five hours of the process being discarded. A longer, double fermentation
process increases the complexity of the flavor. The fermentation is a
double process that can last up to 9 days, which s about twice as long as
other producers who use enzymes to speed up fermentation.
Corzo is a smooth tequila that is a must to any collection if you
are a serious aficionado of the drink from
Mexico
.
Corzo
Blanco
$47.99
Corzo
Reposado
$52.99
Corzo
Anejo
$56.99
Website:
www.corzo.com
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