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Distillers seem to be giving the cold shoulder to crappy college bar-shot tequilas. It's far sexier and more lucrative to make a premium tequila, the kind of spirit men swirl in snifters, inhale deeply and let glide down their throats. Tequila makers want their product to have the sex appeal normally reserved for scotch or cognac. Three high-end tequilas, with prices ranging from $20 to $1800, have hit the shelves recently, with a marvelous range of colors, flavors and prices
The pale yellow Tequila Distinguido feels light on the tongue, with a sweetness that turns spicy fast. Made of 100% agave and aged up to three years in oak barrels, it's dry, quick-to-finish and works nicely in cocktails. Still, the $55 price tag seems a little high.
Jose Cuervo recently got a sibling: the Black Medallion Oak Barrel Signature Blend. With an orange-caramel hue and a taste that runs from cinnamon and brown sugar to vanilla and chocolate -- with little agave -- it's closer to a rum than a scotch. Aged a year in new oak, it won't overwhelm with woodsiness. At $20, the bottle is a steal to sip neat or add to sweet drinks.
The 1800 Colección is for true tequila connoisseurs. After all, it costs about the same as a few roundtrip flights to Mexico. The company uses a blend of 100% agave tequilas aged between five and 50 years in deeply charred barrels of French oak, and they only release a Colección edition when production warrants such a luxury. No surprise, this tequila has a silky feel, a rich and elegant balance of smoke and oak, a long finish and very little burn. No need to add water to this Cadillac of tequilas -- drinking it up or with one rock. The price is stratospheric, so try this one on the company dime. Or make your very good buddy pay.
-- James Oliver Cury
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