All y’all’s demand for top-shelf tequila has blown me away. A decade ago (give or take) I could hardly move any tequila over at my store on Conley…now you guys are routinely buying not only the $25-$50 good stuff, but I’m going through cases of the pricey stuff, too! I’ve recently been hunting through my vendors’ books trying to find fun new options to bring in, and I stumbled upon this guy.
Tequila Arette is named for a horse, of all things. Arete was a famous horse, ridden by General Humberto Mariles, who won a gold medal in Equestrian Jumping at the 1948 London Olympics. The tequilas are certified additive-free by Tequila Matchmaker, which I’m personally a huge fan of. Arette produces an entry-level series (‘clasica’) and a high-tier series (‘artesanal’), of which the Gran Clase Extra-Anejo is the pinnacle.
From the website:
“Tequila Premium that is rested for 36 months in American White Oak barrels. It is a limited production where each one of the bottles is decorated by hand. Beautiful amber color, with cooper shades and wooden flavor.”
Doing a little bit of research online, it looks like this is firmly in the “bourbon drinker’s tequila” camp, with plentiful oak flavors and well-defined aged characteristics (and even a bit of tannin) but with a delicate cooked agave character as well. The agave is sourced from a single estate, the pinas are cooked in a traditional brick oven, and the sugars are extracted via roller mill. The fermentation is carried out without fibers, in cement tank, open to the air, and the tequila is double-distilled in a stainless steel pot still with a copper coil.
These smaller-production, high-end tequilas aren’t easy to get, and we only received two bottles, so if this is your jam, come on out and see us!
$169.99/bottle
Cheers,
Dan
Rock Bridge Wine and Spirits 