Handcrafted from 100% blue agave vegetation grown at excessive elevations in Jalisco, Mexico, Espanita creates artisanal tequilas that replicate 400 years of tequila making historical past.
Based by trade veteran Marina Wilson, Espanita continues to push the class ahead with new creations that stay rooted in custom.
Tequila making is a labor-intensive course of that even at the moment depends on conventional strategies. Espanita honors this previous with the creation of small batch tequilas which are a real expression of their Highlands terroir. It begins with the hand-selection and harvesting of blue agave on the peak of their ripeness at a median age of 8 to 12 years, aiming for sugar content material of 26% to twenty-eight%. Even when planted on the identical time, agave rising subsequent to one another could have totally different ripeness ranges and it takes an skilled hand to inform which is able to turn into tequila. Wilson says, “Every small element is necessary.” This consists of the employees eradicating the waxy inside a part of the agave generally known as the ’cogollo’ which might introduce a really bitter taste to tequila.
The harvested “piñas” are first slowly cooked in a standard stone oven for as much as 72 hours whereas being uncovered to constantly circulating steam. This course of imparts uniquely candy but earthy flavors, the unmistakable hallmarks of historically crafted Highland tequilas. The cooked agaves are then crushed with a curler mill to extract the fragrant juice, which is then fermented with proprietary strains of yeast for five to 7 days. “We use two ‘secret’ proprietary yeast cultures and by no means use any accelerants,” Wilson says, stating that many industrial producers use chemical accelerants at this stage. “Speeding this course of prevents tequila from buying the nuanced, wealthy flavors, and aroma that makes Espanita Tequila so good each as a sipper or as a base for a scrumptious cocktail,” she provides.
After fermentation is accomplished, distillation in conventional copper-lined alembic pot stills takes place in small batches. In the course of the two rounds of distillation, solely the purest center a part of every batch, generally known as ‘el corazon’ or the guts, is used. “Sluggish distillation permits for extra exact management over separating ‘heads’ and ‘tails’ with out shedding flavoring compounds,” Wilson says. This leads to an elegantly balanced tequila with a creamy, silky mouthfeel.
The core “Artesano” assortment options Espanita tequilas within the three foremost age expressions of Blanco, Reposado and Añejo. Blanco is bottled un-aged, whereas Reposado and Añejo mature in toasted American white oak barrels for as much as 6 and 18 months, respectively.
Mexican heritage is mirrored within the model’s award-winning packaging, which is impressed by the sacral celestial symbolism rooted within the mythology of Mexico’s indigenous peoples. The Blanco label depicts a waxing crescent moon surrounded by shimmering stars, whereas the Reposado is adorned with the “solar in splendor,” to honor its function in nurturing the expansion of agave. The Añejo label deftly brings each the crescent moon and solar collectively for the top of the road.
2023 has introduced progressive new choices to the Espanita model household, beginning with the launch of the ultra-small batch “Barrel Reserve” cask aged tequilas that experiment with totally different barrel ending methods. The primary launch, Espanita Double Barrel Reposado, was first aged in American white oak casks, then completed for one more 4 months in freshly emptied bourbon casks. Up subsequent within the Barrel Reserve assortment shall be Espanita Double Barrel Añejo scheduled for launch this fall.
Additionally debuting this 12 months, “Signature Infusions” marry 100% Blue Agave Blanco tequila with actual fruits like Mexican lime, Ruby Pink grapefruit, and pineapple. The gathering’s packaging pays homage to the agave harvesters or jimadors whose labor is instrumental to the craft, that includes depictions of them on the entrance and facet labels. Jimadors carry out backbreaking work as a ripe pina can weigh as much as 250 kilos.
A lot as Espanita’s dedication to its craft honors the agave plant, celebrating the individuals who make all of it attainable helps shine a highlight on the area’s cultural heritage. “Every step of tequila’s artisanal manufacturing course of has been honed and perfected by generations of tequileros,” Wilson says, “It is extremely necessary for us at Espanita to play our half in preserving this necessary legacy.”
