David Ruiz would say he was born into his current line of work. He’s an independent tequila consultant, sharing knowledge of Mexico’s most famous spirit with a diverse clientele, from private label brand developers and venture capitalists to bartenders and sommelier-professors. You can find him escorting foreigners around Jalisco, starring in online videos (how to choose a proper tequila drinking glass) and organizing the World International Tequila Conference.
Ruiz was born and grew up in the United States, and speaks English with a practiced lecturer’s control that’s given to fits of rapid staccato when he’s eager to reach his next point. He’s steeped in what he calls “the tequila world,” having spent time visiting relatives in Mexico over the years – relatives deeply involved in the tequila industry. He knows many of the guys who make the stuff, the owners and the tequila masters, and admits that his family connections have helped him to earn their trust in such a closed industry.
Though Ruiz turned to a domestic career in manufacturing and engineering in the United States, he remained an enthusiastic hobbyist of the beverage. Indeed, it was one of the tequila message boards he was wont to peruse in 2006 that set him on his present course. He answered a post asking for advice on purchasing a tequila factory, which led to an exchange of phone calls, which led to a flight and meeting in Washington, D.C. and finally, a guided trip to Jalisco to tour several distilleries and learn about the industry. When it was over, the investor put a chunk of money into one of the plants and Ruiz’s tequilatours.com was born.
A typical tour of a tequila distillery will impart the basics of the process. Blue agave is grown for approximately ten years before it is harvested. Then, it is cooked, cut up, ground, fermented, and distilled. Finally, it is aged in oak barrels for two months to several years, depending on the desired style of the final product.
All distilleries, says Ruiz, fall into one of four categories: artisanal, traditional, commercial or industrial. These are according to equipment mostly, and thus the process. While (with the exception of cognac) most liquors worldwide are distilled continuously in big column stills, only the most industrial tequila brands use this method. The artisanal, traditional and even many commercial outfits use pot stills to distill tequila in batches.
Artisanal, as might be guessed, have the slowest process and the least yield. The trade off, of course, is ostensibly quality. They employ stone mills to grind the agave, stone ovens to cook it, copper stills, and wooden tanks to ferment the tequila. “The key,” he says, “is fermenting with [agave] fiber.” Examples of tequilas in this category include 7 Leguas and Tapatio.
The traditional tequilas are very similar in process to artisanal, but they use a roller mill to grind the agave and they ferment using the juice of the plant, without the fiber. The majority of the small tequila manufacturers fall into this category.
Commercial operations can produce more tequila using more efficient methods. Their operations are decked out in stainless steel, from the roller mills to autoclave pressure cookers to the tanks and pot stills fermenting and distilling the tequila. Obviously, with more volume, these are the tequilas that can start to reach a wider distribution. Some small to medium-sized and many large manufacturers fall into this category. Examples include Arrete, Familia Partida, Don Julio and Casa Noble.
Finally, at the top of the market are the ubiquitous industrial tequila producers. “They use a process totally different from the previous other three,” Ruiz explains. “Their process is to use something called a diffuser.” A diffuser is a large machine that takes green, uncooked agave, shreds it, and then washes and beats it to a pulp to separate the carbohydrate starch molecules from the fiber. The starch water that remains is then run through a coil in boiling water to flash cook it. From there, it’s ready for fermentation and distillation in large column stills. Jose Cuervo, Sauza and Cazadores are all industrial tequilas.
It may sound crass compared to the humble care of the artisanal distilleries, but Ruiz emphasizes that nothing is ever really that simple. For instance, Herradura became an industrial operation in recent years, but maintains a strong profile and only produces fine, 100-percent agave tequilas.
Bigger production techniques are the only way to reach bigger markets, so some brands have even taken to mixing an artisanal tequila with one from a traditional or commercial distillery in order to achieve both volume and flavor profile. 7 Leguas does this with their artisanal and traditional plants.
What does all that mean for the layman? “You can tell a lot about process just by tasting the product,” Ruiz says. Even if you’ve never thought of yourself as a connoisseur, it just takes a little training and practice to start to pick it up. “The mind,” he adds, “is a great tool.”
Ruiz has made a business of navigating the craggy climbs of tequila’s mythic marketing hype, insular industry players, complex chemistry and tasting techniques. As he understates, “There’s a lot to the product.” No doubt. Lifetimes have been thrown into the thirsty perfection of the craft, and the thirstier pursuit of sales, profits and legacy.