Review: Hiatus Tequila Blanco
Hiatus Tequila Blanco was launched in the US December 2018 by Founder and CEO Kristopher DeSoto. He worked with Master Distiller Luis Trejo Rodriquez and the third generation family distillery La Cofradia in creating the tequila. It is crafted with 100% blue weber agave estate grown in the tequila valley. Once hand selected the agave is trimmed and baked in traditional stone ovens for 36-40 hours under constant steam pressure. Once the steam is turned off the agave remains sealed in the oven for another 6-8 hours. Once cooled the pinas are crushed with custom made screw press extractors to release the juice. At this point most agave is shredded with the agave fibers leaving bitter flavors. Ambient yeasts native to the distillery are used in the 4-6 day steel tank fermentation process. The spirit is double distilled in stainless steel pot stills with copper coils. From there the tequila is filtered through micro-cellulose fibers and carbon filters and then oxygenated for 24 hours prior to bottling. Read more 
Review: Los Dos Blanco Tequila
Los Dos Blanco Tequila is crafted from 100% blue agave estate grown on La Poblada Ranch in Arandas Jalisco. Sergio Vivanco and his brothers have been growing agaves and distilling at El Ranchito for five generations. Master Distiller Sergio Cruz spent 2 years developing Los Dos. The trimmed agave is slow cooked in brick ovens for 36 hours and then rested for 24 hours. The juice is extracted in a roller mill and fermented in stainless steel tanks with Champaign yeast. The spirit is small batch double distilled in copper pot stills and brought to proof with pure water drawn from a 120 meter deep well. Los Dos is bottled on site, then signed and batch numbered, with no additives. Many tequilas are made with sugary syrups, coloring, and glycerin. We are reviewing Batch 2. Read more
Review: Inspiro Luna Blanco Tequila
Inspiro Luna Blanco Tequila was released October 2021. It was created by former Chicago attorney Mara Smith and Master Distillery Ana Maria Romero Mena. Inspiro takes it’s name from the Spanish word for inspired. Inspiro is made from 100% Blue Weber agave. The hand harvested and trimmed the pinas are slow cooked in stainless steel autoclaves. Once cooled the pinas are crushed and shredded to extract the sweet juice. Two different yeasts are added in separate fermentation tanks. Once fermented the tanks are blended. The spirit is double distilled in alembic stills and rested for 30 days in stainless steel tanks before it spends a lunar quarter in American oak barrels and bottled additive free. Read more
Review: Astral Blanco Tequila
Astral Blanco Tequila was recently released by Diageo. If the name sounds familiar it was previously owned by Davos Brands who sold their portfolio which included Aviation American Gin, Astral Tequila, Sombra Mezcal, and Tyku Sake to Diageo for up to $610 million August 2020. Diageo not only changed bottle designs they have also changed distilleries moving production from La Cofradia to Mieles Campos Azules. Mieles Campos Azules only produces one other brand of tequila. Kendall Jenner’s 818 tequila. The new Astral Tequila Blanco weighs in at 80 proof. The original version was bottled at 92 proof. Astral is made from 100% blue Weber agave. Few production details have been revealed but the cooked pinas are crushed with a traditional stone wheel tahona. The agave fibers normally discarded are used in the fermentation. It is double distilled in copper pot stills. The spent agave fibers, “bagazo”, are used to make adobe bricks that will be used to create new places for people to gather in local communities in Mexico. Read more
Review: The Butterfly Cannon Silver Cristalino Tequila
The Butterfly Cannon Silver Cristalino Tequila was created by the team at Biggar & Leith, owned by Mark Teasdale and the Founder of Malfy Gin, Elwyn Gladstone. It was launched in the UK September 2021 and was recently released in the US. This is one of three tequila’s in The Butterfly Cannon family of tequilas. The others include Blue, a silver tequila infused with prickly pear, and clementine with a natural blue color, and Rosa, a silver tequila infused with Mexican Pink Grapefruit Peel. Butterfly Cannon is named for the migration Monarch Butterflies take traveling through the US via Texas and into Northern Mexico where they winter in trees for around 5 months. It is one of over 150 brands of tequila produced at Destilador del Valle de Tequila. Some of the other tequilas crafted here include Cincoro, Sparkle Donkey, Siempre, Hussong’s, and Casa Maestri. The hand harvested 100% agave is grown for 7-8 years and baked in traditional steam ovens. Once distilled the tequila rests for 30 days in American oak barrels before being charcoal filtered. A portion of their profits help support butterfly conservation across the US and Mexico. Read more
Review: El Jimador Blanco Tequila
El Jimador Blanco Tequila was launched 1994. It is produced at Brown Forman Tequila Mexico. Prior to being acquired by Brown Forman this distillery was known as Casa Herradura. The distillery is surrounded by fruit trees and agave. This distillery also produces Herradura, and Don Eduardo. El Jimador is made from hand harvested estate grown agave. The agave is cooked in clay ovens. Once extracted the agave juice is fermented with wild yeast double distilled and estate bottled. El Jimador Blanco Tequila is a value priced tequila, and it is the best selling tequila in Mexico. Read more
Review: Casa Del Sol Blanco Tequila
Casa Del Sol Blanco Tequila was launched September 2021 in California, Colorado, and Florida. It is now rolling out for National distribution. The brand is co-owned by Eva Longoria. Casa Del Sol Reposado, and Casa Del Sol Anejo complete the lineup. Both are aged in Cognac French Limousin Oak Barrels sourced from Laurent Martell. Casa Del Sol translates to House of the Sun. The brand was inspired by the magic of golden hour, and the legend of the Aztec Goddess of Agave, Mayahuel. The 100% Blue Weber agave is hand selected after growing a minimum 7 years in the Altos de Jalisco. Once trimmed the pinas are slow cooked for 8-10 hours in an autoclave that is heated using steam produced sustainably by burning the trimmings from the processed agave. The tequila is double distilled and then “kissed by our cognac barrels” hinting at a short resting period in the Martell Cognac barrels prior to bottling. Casa Del Sol is one of 43 tequila brands currently crafted at Compania Tequilera de Arondas a third generation distillery with a female CEO. Alejandra Pelayo the protege and god daughter of Francisco Alcaraz, the creator and Master Distiller of Patron is Head of Production. Some of the other tequila brands produced here include El Charro, Riazul, Solana, and Tequila Lobos. Read more
Review: Flecha Azul Tequila Blanco
Flecha Azul Tequila Blanco was co-founded by Mexican PGA golfer Abraham Ancer and Entrepreneur Aron Marquez March 2020. Mark Wahlberg became the principal investor in 2021. Flecha is the Spanish word for arrow, a projectile that only flies forward. It is crafted at Tequila Orendain de Jalisco, a distillery family owned and operated since 1840. This distillery makes several other tequilas including Batanga, Excellia, Gran Orendain, and Rayador Cutwater. Flecha Azul is made from hand selected and harvested 8 year old agave. It is slow cooked in traditional masonry ovens. Once extracted the juice is fermented in open air steel tanks for 72 hours and double distilled. The tequila rests in stainless steel for 60 days prior to bottling. Read more
Review: Arette Blanco Tequila
Arette Blanco Tequila is made at Tequila Arette de Jalisco from estate grown agave and water sourced from the Tequila volcano springs. Arette is named for Arete, a horse who won a gold medal for Mexico in the 1948 Olympics in England. Eduardo and Jaime Orendain, the great grand sons of the legendary Don Eduardo, returned to El Llano Distillery, the original building where Don Eduardo first starting crafting tequila in 1900. They rebuilt the distillery in 1978 and Tequila Arette was introduced in 1986. Once harvested and trimmed the agave is slow cooked for 15 hours in autoclave ovens then rested for 15 hours in a stainless steel autoclave. The pinas are shredded and the extracted juice is fermented for 4 days is stainless steel vats with natural house yeast. It is small batch double distilled in stainless steel pot stills with copper coils and carbon filtered. Read more
Review: Lalo Tequila Blanco
Lalo Tequila Blanco is named after Founder Eduardo “Lalo” Gonzalez. Lalo is the nickname given to him by his Grandfather, Don Julio Gonzalez. Don Julio Gonzalez purchased his first tequila distillery when he was 17 in 1942. When he retired in 1987 after 45 years of making tequila his son, also named Eduardo created a special edition tequila to commemorate the occasion. That tequila is now known as Don Julio. Most experts agree it was the industries first luxury tequila brand. Don Julio 1942 is perhaps the industries most iconic tequila. After working for several years in the tequila industry, friends Lalo Gonzalez and David Carballido sought to create a truly pure blanco tequila. They began by producing small batches for their family and friends in Guadalajara. They soon joined with Co-Founder Jim McDermott and launched Lalo in Austin Texas September 2019. Initially the focus of Lalo was on premise sales, but with Covid squeezing the entertainment sector, they expanded their focus to include retail sales. Lalo is crafted from 7 year old blue agave grown in the mineral rich soil of the Jalisco Highlands. Once trimmed the agave is cooked in stone steam ovens for 20-32 hours. The agave rests for 18 hours before the juice is extracted with a roller press and fermented for 3-4 days with a proprietary yeast found in Champaign. The spirit is double distilled and oxygenated to achieve the final stabilization prior to bottling. Read more