Today we were convened at the legendary Hawksworth, for a preview taster of the upcoming Tequila & Agave Festival. This is the first of its kind ever in Vancouver, and I for one am extremely excited. Tequila has a reputation, and it certainly did not disappoint with this crowd, this afternoon.
Those invited gathered at the top floor of the restaurant’s back room. After checking in, we were each given an empty wine glass. This would be used to receive samples from all the participating vendors, set up at various stations.
We had the opportunity to try a handful of brands that will also be at the grand tasting next month. The following are my notes from it all, as we had it all, in the order that we had it.
For those who don’t like their tequila straight, they could also have the spirit of the hour in a featured cocktail. Four different options, shaken and served from the back bar. Unfortunately, due to our later arrival, we were only able to try two of the four.
The “Yucatán” espresso martini came highly recommended, and it delivered. Cenote reposado, salted coconut, umbria espresso, and Tonka. This was one of the smoothest cocktails I have ever had, let alone a tequila based one. You could not taste a lick of spirit, it was lush and foamy with a sweet, condensed milk quality.
Seeing Mezcal on the drink menu, I opted for a more smoky and tangy offering. “El Tigre” featuring mezcal derrumbes durango, lime, and cilantro agave. It was not as smoky as I would have liked, but was still a refreshing cocktail, and one I found very complementary to the small bites being rotated around the room. I would later learn more about the featured mezcal in this, which explained why I found it not like what I know mezcal to be. (More on that below).
As a standing only mixer, servers brought out gourmet canapés from the kitchen of Hawksworth. For myself, this really spoke to the quality and prestige of the festival to come.
There was a delicious duck taco with a perfectly pink, thick slice of breast meat at its centre. It was nestled amongst a crisp, vegetable slaw, topped with a tangy roja-like sauce, all wrapped in a warm soft tortilla.
I especially liked the halibut ceviche. It looked like art on a spoon with the bold blue, crushed tortilla chips as garnish and for its crunchy texture. There was also plenty of citrus juice and fruit for pop. Served with a spoon, but just as easy to slurp it all up in one mouthful.
There was one more item being passed around, that we unfortunately did not get a taste of, as the server mentioned having to prioritize the newly arrived guests. This was some sort of pork on a skewer with what looked like the same sauce as the taco above. Given the quality of the two dishes before, this would’ve been delicious.
Majority of our time was spent interacting with the vendors, many of them showcasing three spirits from their tequila line. As expected, this was typically a Blanco, a Reposado, and an Añejo.
We would work our way through all the offerings in the order of the mildest to the strongest, which also happens to be from non-aged to barrel aged statements.
Cenote was our first stop. It was here, that my guest, who is unfamiliar with tequila discovered he liked Blanco the most, especially this one from Cenote. It was aged 21 days in order to soften the spirit. This is one that you would shoot, leaving you with a smooth finish.
The cenote Reposado definitely had more body and a lot more sting compared to the above.
We did end up enjoying the Añejo the most. This one was aged 12 months and had more influence from the ex-bourbon barrels come through. This is the one for sipping.
The next tequila we tried was from Corazon, the only bottle they were sampling today. They have more to their line, but only the Blanco is currently available in British Columbia. If you look out East, and down South, you’ll be able to find the rest of this, including their Reposado and Añejo. This was probably my favourite Blanco of the room. It was sweeter on the nose with pineapple and grapefruit notes, and had a long jalapeño finish to end on. It was enjoyable as is, but I can also see it making its way into several summertime fun cocktails.
Next, was Derrumbes a 6-7 year old distillery that has only been in BC for a year. They are focussed on Mezcal, with their lineup being variations of Mezcal. And this is the sort of thing I am looking for at the actual Tequila & Agave Festival, brands and labels I have never heard of, and now I get to try, in a relaxed setting, before I commit to a bottle and buy. Especially when it has been voted one of the 10 most popular Mezcals in the world, such is the case with Derrumbes.
This is also where I learned that not all Mezcal is or needs to be smoky, (which is honestly the reason why I like them). The first was the Durrango that was light and airy, similar to a Blanco in look and taste.
The second the San Luis Potosi, it was briny on the nose, and in the mouth. I got pickles, green olives, and jalapeño. It would be excellent straight with the ceviche above, and also great in a mixed margarita or Caesar.
And not surprisingly the third: Michoacán had the most body and the greatest mouth feel. Waxier and silky as it finishes on the palate.
The informative rep here also pointed out the haze in its hue, as interesting titbit. The explain continued, that depending on light of day you could see distillate and particulates that do not affect the taste, and that this is from the unique Wild Yeast in Wood & Clay barrel used to age this Mezcal. And this is another point that I am looking forward to from the full festival. To learn more about what is available in the realm of tequila and agave? and to learn how speak to them.
Next was another new brand that I was able to discover through this preview. Don Fulano from an estate owned, family grown enterprise, spanning 5 generations. Their tequila is distilled with volcanic water resulting in a higher minerality, which explained the warm spices like cinnamon that I got from the first taster.
We started with their Blanco, which is actually the second Blanco in their series, at a 50% proof. Their original was the original over proof and non chilled Blanco Fuerte. A non-displayed bottle, hidden under the table, for those in the know to ask for a taste. This was clean and as strong as you would imagined, reminiscent of vodka.
And this is the third key point that has me looking forward to the Tequila & Agave Festival: the ability to try event exclusives and new launches before the general public, straight from the producers and industry movers and shakers.
I found the Don Fulano Reposado salty and pickled, sadly less memorable than the others I have had thus far.
The Añejo was another story. Aged for 30 months in ex-wine barrels from France, followed by some time in Sherry; and it showed. Agave is sweet itself and when allowed to mature that sweetness only heightens, like making banana bread from really old and ripe bananas.
The last tequilla brand was one I was already familiar with. Herradura is recognizable by its upside down horseshoe logo. This is an intentional move, because when you pour from the bottle, it is the right side up and it’s symbolizes pouring luck into your glass.
Herradura is known as the first distillery to produce a Reposado tequila, which inevitably helped to build the laws surrounding what is classified as a Reposado. And they were also the first to have a female distiller.
We would try their entire line, starting with the Herradura Silver. This is their original, aged 45 days, which is not usual. Natural fermentation aged in ex-bourbon American oak. The result is a clean drink that includes black pepper and citrus.
The Herradura Reposado is aged for 11 months, where most distilleries opt for 6. The additional time in ex-bourbon American oak barrels result in additional wood spice and plenty of tannis. This was the pioneer bottle, helping to make the category consistent. A smooth number with sweet notes of cooked agave, vanilla, butter, and dried fruit.
The Herradura Añejo was aged even longer. After 25 months we got caramelized pineapple and a softening of spice notes.
And we had the best of the line for last: the Herradura Ultra, a Clarified Añejo. A thorough filtering through charcoal and cellulose removes most of it flavour, thus creating a sweeter bouquet with vanilla, grapefruit, and coconut harmony.
As the time for the preview tasting was drawing close, we wound down with some Cinco Drink Co. canned, ready to drink cocktails. Tequila soda & lime, Tequila Paloma, and a Tequila Pineapple mix. The latter was my favourite for its blend of sweet and spicy.
And for those needing a break, there were also bottles of Jarritos available for self serve and self opening.
If this was just a capsule of what we can expect from the first ever Tequila & Agave Festival, I am excited to witness and be a part of the whole showcase. For those interested, the Grand Tasting in the evening has already sold out, but afternoon trade and general public tasting tickets are still available using the link below.
https://www.tequilaandagavefestival.com/
