New Agave Spirits Selection at Castro Store

Hi guys, Eli here.  This is my first post to the Bourbon Blog and I’m stoked to tell you about all the new agave based spirits we just brought into the Castro shop.  Some of it you’ve probably heard of, some of it maybe not but if you’re a whiskey lover there is a strong chance your palate is well suited to the wonderful world of agave spirits. 

A little about me:

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A decade ago my relationship with tequila was non-existent.  If I drank it, it was probably a chilled shot of Patron with lime…I know, I know.  Youth right? Back then I was only some what interested in the category because my family and I had a couple small lots of agave growing on our ranch in Michoacán.  Agave if you don’t know, can take up to a decade to mature and when those plants hit 5 or 6 years old, my dad had a crazy idea.  

“What if we made tequila with the agave?” He posed the question over dinner with a smile that hinted of secret knowing.

There was a unanimous sense of agreeability around the table.  I’m sure for each of us there, the hard years that had passed felt as if they were leading up to something.  Was this it? The prospect of delving so deliberately into the unknown was exciting and at times maddeningly stressful but for every deeply held breath, there was exhalation.

In 2011 we launched our first public tasting of Mi CasaTequila and today it has earned over a dozen international blind tasting awards including the Double Gold at this years San Francisco International Spirits Competition (Blanco).  There is a whole novel of crazy, beautiful, hard and light hearted stories to be told but today is not that day.  

Mi Casa on the Front Page

For the last 4 years, tequila and I have been synonymous and my adoration for agave spirits has gone from seed to blooming orchid.  Gone are my days of shooting (anything) and the only thing I use lime and salt for is my food.

When I started here at the Castro shop a little over a year ago, Rami (the owner) told me that I should find something at the shop to make my own and today I am pleased to showcase the wonderful and varied world of agave spirits with all y’all.  Agave spirits can vary so much because agave is very terroir driven.  It picks up so much from the Earth over it’s time absorbing the sunlight and that more than anything else makes the world of agave so diverse.  Of course once you start barrel aging you’re introducing a whole ‘notha world of variables but needless to say this is a category that is easy to geek out on.

In just two weeks we’ve increased our selection of agave based spirits from 3 brands to about 20.  That’s over 50 bottles of tequila, sotol and mezcals!  I am going to follow up this post by highlighting each brand individually but just wanted to throw some names out there.

Tequila:

Don Julio: Blanco, Reposado Añejo, 70^th Anniversary ‘White’ Añejo, 1942

Tequila Revolucion: Silver, Reposado, Añejo and Extra Añejo

Clase Azul: Reposado

IXA: Silver & Reposado

Arte Nom: Blanco, Reposado Añejo

Tequila Ocho: Blanco, Reposado, Añejo

Corazon: Specialty Barrel Añejos

Fortaleza:  Blanco, Reposado, Añejo

Fuenteseca: 9yr Añejo

Mi Casa Tequila: Blanco, Reposado Añejo

Alquima Tequila: Blanco, Reposado, Añejo

Tequila Cabeza: Blanco

Tequila Tapatio: Añejo

Lunazul: Blanco & Reposado

7 Leguas: Blanco, Reposado and Añejo

Mezcal:

Mezcal Vago:  Espadin, Elote, Mexicano, Tobabla

Pierde Almas: Dobadaan and Weber

Marques: Salmiana Blanco and Reposado

Del Maguey: Espadin, Tobala, Iberica, Minero, Santa Domingo, Arroqueño

Mezcal Illegal: Joven and Reposado

Wahaka: Joven Espadin, Joven Ensamble, Joven Madre Cuishe

Sotol:

Hacienda De Chihuahua: Reposado and Añejo