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63 About this deal
People sometimes think we’re just chancers coming into the market but then they try our tequilas and every time realise that they’re really good. We’ve been in the market for a long time and we know what we’re doing and always wanted to create something to be proud of. Tell us about your distillery and why you chose it. This cookie is set by Rubicon Project to control synchronization of user identification and exchange of user data between various ad services. Produced in one of the world’s most environmentally friendly distilleries, Tequila Enemigo (meaning ‘enemy’) is designed to be sipped, not shot – ideally from long-stemmed Champagne flutes. Pure, complex and unmistakably smooth, the 00 Extra Añejo expression is aged in custom new American Oak barrels, distilled using a clean, environmentally-conscious method, fuelled using reused agave rather than fossil fuels. Vanilla and charred oak notes join green apple, honey and nuts. An extremely easy-drinking super-premium tequila. Yes, indeed! We knew what we wanted to make and how we wanted to do it. We were already credited over there with the CRT and we had the logistics in place to get products over here because we already did it with the agave syrup, so it was the perfect storm really. We spent three years developing it: one year developing the Blanco, then we waited two years for the Reposado and Añejo to age – we thought if we were going to do it, best do it properly. We launched around the start of the year and since then, it’s gone nuts! We’re house pours at great places like this [ TRADE Soho] all around the country.
The best tequilas are made with 100% agave, but the legal minimum is just 51%, with the rest allowed to be made up by a neutral spirit. This beautiful, colour changing tequila from The Butterfly Cannon is an instant favourite. Whether you’re already a die-hard tequila fan or new to the spirit, this modern take on tequila is guaranteed to excite you. Out of the bottle it’s pale blue in colour and transforms into a light purple once your mixer is added. Despite this excellent showmanship, it’s not all style over substance. The VIVIR Tequila range is produced from the finest Weber Blue Agave, which is grown for nine years in our own fields in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico. The agave is grown to full maturity at nine years to ensure crop levels can be sustained and the local wildlife ecosystems are conserved. We use Hornos (clay ovens) to cook the agave, mixed with volcanic spring water from a naturally occurring well at the distillery. The end result is a natural, fresh and flavour-filled spirit that stays true to its agave routes.I designed the branding and purposefully made it quite contemporary. We want to change the perception of tequila and start with the way the bottles look even before people taste the liquid. A lot of brands tend to go quite traditional with Mexican artwork, which is great but people have this perception of what tequila is and, if we keep reinforcing that, it’s going to be harder to change. Añejo – is aged tequila. This stays in the barrels for longer – generally between one and three years – and the barrels themselves are smaller, which adds to the flavour. I had already been working with agave for over 16 years and knew the industry well from launching bircher muesli in the UK. In 2016 we finally made the decision to change perceptions of tequila in the UK and create our own line of premium 100% agave tequilas. It took us 3 years to develop and hundreds of iterations as we wanted to get it right and in 2019 finally introduced VIVIR Tequila to the UK. Vivir Café VS is made using Vivir Tequila Blanco and is naturally-flavoured with coffee beans sourced locally to the distillery in Jalisco, Mexico,” said the company in a statement, adding: “The liquid has a deep coffee appearance, when sipped, the palate is welcomed with a rich coffee flavour which is met with a sweetness from Piloncillo, followed by an elegant agave finish.” The future of VIVIR will be about establishing the core range, but we’re in the process of developing more expressions and experimenting with cask finishes. We’re going to export some Cognac casks and start ageing our Tequila in them to do some limited edition runs of specific vintage cognac cask-aged Reposados, which will be interesting.
Tequila can be a stiff drink, but it’s no stronger than any other spirit. When produced for consumption in Mexico it’s usually 38% ABV, but in the United States it must be at least 40% alcohol to count as the real deal. For consumption in the rest of the world, it can be anywhere between 31% and 55% ABV. How we test tequila A tequila from a man who always thought he was allergic to the stuff. VIVIR Tequila is one of the latest quality British brands taking the category by storm. Sixteen years in the making but less than a year old, the company prides itself on transparency, sustainable practice and damn tasty products. If you haven’t come across them yet, you will soon… There have been many tequila brands to come out of the UK in the past few years even from celebrities – what was the inspiration behind VIVIR?Unlike some wines, with their complex classification systems, tequila is simply categorised by age as follows: Blanco I had already been working with agave for over 16 years and knew the industry well from launching bircher muesli in the UK. In 2016 we finally made the decision to change perceptions of Tequila in the UK and create our own line of premium 100% agave tequilas. It took us 3 years to develop and hundreds of iterations as we wanted to get it right and in 2019 finally introduced VIVIR Tequila to the UK. Myself and Nav started the process around three-and-a-half year ago but really the whole thing started sixteen years ago when I started a food company.
VIVIR Tequila was born from the love of the agave-based spirit that two good friends Paul Hayes and Navindh Grewal shared. A number of years ago they started to question why it was so difficult to find quality 100% agave tequila in the UK without going to a specialist bar or retailer. In 2016 they finally made the decision to change perceptions of t equila in the UK and create their own line of premium 100% agave t equilas. It took them 3 years to develop as they wanted to get it right and in 2019 they finally introduced VIVIR Tequila to the UK. We chatted to Paul about how VIVIR Tequila is changing the perception of tequila across the UK and beyond, the business’ zero waste ethos and his expertise and experience of working with agave: Reposado – literally, a “rested” tequila, which has been aged in oak barrels for between two and 12 months. We really thought about it and wanted to be different whilst keeping something of tradition. For example, the Blanco bottle is the colour of the agave; it’s also meant to look like ceramics so that a nod to tradition. Our logo is Quetzalcóatl, the Aztec god who agave supposedly came from. Not needing a second invitation, we dive into a portfolio tasting of VIVIR . Tasting Notes – VIVIR Tequila RangeAged for at least two months, up to one year, here the colour changes to more gold and amber tones. You should find a more well-rounded flavour and smoother finish with sweeter vanilla and oak notes. Anejo Tequila is having a bit of a resurgence in the UK right now – but what turned you into a tequila connoisseur and how did you get into the industry? Clean and fresh with caramelised agave sweetness and a touch of biscuit. Lots of bright, green notes and something reminiscent of fresh sea air. Taste When Patrón announced plans to discontinue its coffee tequila, the news was followed by an outcry from fans: testament to the style’s popularity. Blending its Blanco tequila with luxury arabica coffee from the coastal region of Soconusco in Mexico, Cazcabel Coffee has a rich sweet taste, with roasted coffee joined by chocolate, vanilla and pronounced agave notes, while the finish is smooth and dry with plenty of rich coffee. It also works as an excellent espresso martini base, with no need for added sugar syrup. VIVIR as a brand launched in March of this year. Since then, its rise has been astronomical bringing with it excitement, opportunity and what Paul calls “good challenges”. How did VIVIR Tequila come into being?
Strong agave presence. Very vegetal with green bell peppers, thyme honey, chargrilled courgettes, raw asparagus. There is a fuller caramel hinting at honeycomb and beeswax. Vanilla pods, ginger biscuits, Turkish Delights, Custard Creams add to the sweetness. Taste Once we’ve completed our initial taste testing, we compare the flavour and quality of each tequila to similar products across a range of price points and ask an all important question – is it good value for money? Our lengthy testing ensures there’s a tequila for everyone on our list, whatever your taste or budget. Named after the spirit’s birthplace, El Tequileño has been producing tequila for over 60 years. Since its launch in 1959, sustainability has also been at the heart of El Tequileño, constantly adapting to optimise their process and positively impact local conservation efforts. Having rested in American Oak barrels for three months, the brand’s Reposado tequila is made using agave cooked in steam pressure autoclaves. The full agave flavour is complemented by further hints of vanilla, oak and a dry finish. Best sipped neat or enjoyed in a margarita. Tequila blanco (or silver as it’s sometimes called) is clear in colour and unaged. As such you can expect a fresh, agave, citrus-spiked flavour. Reposado Because of this my business partner, Nav, and I started to understand why quality tequilas were quite rare in the UK. We kept getting told the same thing time and time again – there are no brands based here so the knowledge and education on the category is almost zero. People know it as a shot, and that’s it. We thought there was a huge opportunity to create a tequila we knew would be of high quality, tasty and could show consumers that tequila is so much more than a horrible shot that has to be washed down with salt and lime. Because of this, VIVIR was born.Highly complex but with a reserved delivery that takes its time opening up, this is the one that makes us wonder if Paul and Nav named their brand “To Live” (translation of Spanish word “Vivir”) as either an ode to or a challenge at whisky (commonly called “the water of life”). The similarities between a good sipping whisky or rum are palpable and both the impossibly smooth mouthfeel and longevity on the palate truly challenge what we think of as “tequila”. Suggested Serve
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