The tequila world is complex. Unbeknownst to most, even the most basic variety, tequila blanco, is made using any number of diverse processes. Some are done right from scratch, the slow and unproductive way while others are made in large industrial operations. To smooth this large-volume tequila out for sipping, it might be triple distilled or very slightly aged. Glycerin might be added for a better throat feel. It’s almost always filtered on top of that, whether by carbon or cellulose processes for varying effects. Most of this information is not printed on the bottle or otherwise advertised, so how’s a person to differentiate between a product of substance and one that’s done quick and dirty?
David Ruiz, independent tequila consultant and expert in the field offers a simple method. Drink. “For those who are uninitiated, you can taste a smooth tequila, and if it has no real taste after the fact, no pleasantness to it, no finish to it, it’s that filtered type. If it has the pleasantness to it and a nice aftertaste and you can still feel attributes to it, then it’s going to be…añejo-type tequila.”
Ruiz recommends a simple test anyone can run at any bar with a selection of tequilas. Ask for a flight of five or six white tequilas ranging on up the price chain from the well tequila (used for the cheap margaritas) to a fairly pricy brand. Obviously not all tequilas are valued according to quality, but in the absence of knowledge, price is taste. Line up all of these shots before you start with any of them. By this time, the bartender will probably catch on to your purpose and if you’re lucky, he or she will be able to guide your tasting odyssey.“It’s not really to decide what’s a good and bad tequila,” says Ruiz. “It’s to actually train yourself to get to the point where you start to understand what you’re looking for.” Therefore, pay attention. Take a moment to observe the tequila in the glass—the thickness, the tears it leaves after being swirled around. When inhaling it, you’re not looking for the smell, you’re looking for the smells—all the fragments and invocations embedded in the profile of that brand.
Finally, take a sip and hold it on your tongue for three to five seconds. If you’re serious about your task, spit it out. Of course, that might take the fun out of the experience for many people, so swallowing is an equally viable option. Just do so knowing that after about two drinks, your sensory perceptions will start to change, affecting the rest of your tasting.
Another thing you can do to experiment is to take a shot of your favorite tequila (or a tequila that is perceived to be good), put few drops of pure water into it and swirl it around. Then, try it. This should dilute the alcohol a little bit while maintaining the flavors. Then add a little more water and see what that does too.
You can also pour yourself a shot before bed. Go ahead and smell it, try to get a good sense of its profile. Let the glass sit out overnight. Take it easy on the coffee and other strong flavors in the morning. Then, check the glass. If the tequila has evaporated and left an empty glass, there wasn’t much to that tequila to begin with, but if the glass still smells—even with a tequila blanco—in the bottom there will be a coating. That’s the good stuff. It should still retain the aromas that the tequila master etched into the brand.
Through such training and experimentation, it’s possible to see through the hype and prices without being an industry insider. It should become easy to spot tequilas marketed beyond their class when tested against others in their price category, for instance.
“The key is having the information on what you’re actually looking for… if you start to understand that, you can start to sort it all out.” Of course, Ruiz’s advice could easily adapt to any number of spirits, but this is, after all, Mexico.