Review: Number Juan Blanco Tequila
Number Juan Blanco is another celebrity owned tequila. Ron White, aka Tater Salad, one of the stars of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, and Alex Reymundo, a member of the Latin Kings of Comedy, are lead owners of this brand. They also produce a Reposado and Extra Anejo expression. Ron and Alex have known each other for over 30 years. Their first encounter came after Ron White’s first stand up gig when Alex, then a bartender, served Ron a beer and a shot at a bar in Texas after the show. They have been friends ever since. Ron even married Alex’s sister. Years later Alex gave Ron a bottle of Regalo de Dios Tequila, which translates to Gift of God. Ron thought it was the best tequila he had ever tasted. It was produced by the Rivera family who had been making tequila for three generations spanning almost 100 years. The tequila was not sold outside of Mexico. It took several years for Alex and Ron to convince the family to partner with them to launch this tequila under the Number Juan label in the US. Number Juan is made from 100% blue weber agave grown for a minimum of 7 years in the Lowland region of Amatitan Jalisco. The tequila is double distilled and reduced to 80 proof with natural spring water from the great volcano tequila, and sold in a beautifully design pina shaped bottle. Read more 
Review: Senor Rio Blanco Tequila
Senor Rio Blanco Tequila was launched 10 years ago, on Cinco De Mayo 2009 by Co-Founders Jonathan and Debbie Medina Gach, from a family recipe handed down by Debbie’s father. His image appears on each bottle and glass bottle stopper of Senor Rio Tequila. Senor Rio is made from 100% estate grown blue weber agave grown 8-12 years in the Lowlands of Jalisco. The agave is slow cooked for 36-40 hours under high steam pressure at temperatures of 90-105 degrees. Once cooked the agave stays in the oven with the doors closed for 6-8 hours. After the agave is cooled the juice is extracted using a tearing machine in combination with roller train mills. The juice is fermented with yeast from the honey of agaves extracted during the cooking process in open tanks so the fragrance from the fruit trees surrounding the distillery blends into the tequila. The tequila is double distilled and then rested for 24 hours before bottling at 80 proof. Read more
Review: Trader Joes Blanco Tequila
Trader Joes Blanco Tequila is sold exclusively at Trader Joes stores. As Traders Joes has expanded their footprint they have expanded their portfolio of privately branded spirits. Trader Joes Blanco is currently made at Destiladora Gonzalez Gonzalez, NOM 1143. This distillery also produces El Mayor and Exotico tequila. TJ’s Blanco replaces the previously sold Trader Joes Silver Tequila that was made at Premium de Jalisco, NOM 1558. Little information is available about this tequila including the region where the agave is harvested. Read more
Review: Astral Blanco Tequila
Astral Blanco Tequila is crafted at La Cofradia. This distillery also creates several tequila’s including Casa Noble, Calende, Grand Mayan, and Senor Rio. Astral was founded by Master Sommelier Richard Betts. He also founded Sombra Mezcal. Both brands were acquired by Davos Brands March 2017 but Richard Betts retains a significant interest. Astral is made from 100% organic Weber Blue agave grown for 8-10 years at high elevation in the mountains on a single estate in the western edge of Jalisco. The agave is slow roasted in traditional volcanic stone ovens. The agave is crushed and the juice is fermented with the agave pulp and wild native yeast. This process takes up to ten times longer than conventional methods but results in maximum agave character. After a double distillation Astral is bottled at 92 proof. The vast majority of tequila is bottled at 80 proof. Read more
Review: Black Box Silver Tequila
Black Box Premium Tequila is one of three premium bagged and boxed spirits produced by Constellation Brands. Vodka and Whiskey are the other two. Constellation has been selling boxed alcohol since 2003 when they acquired Black Box Premium Wine. Black Box now has twelve unique award winning varietals. With a suggested retail price of $24.99 for 1.75 liters of 100% blue agave tequila, Constellation hopes to prove they can do for spirits what they have already accomplished with wine. Black Box is produced at La Cofradia Distillery, and very little additional information about this tequila is available. La Cofradia creates over a dozen brands of tequila including Casa Noble, Mi Campo, Grand Mayan, and Luna Sueno. Read more
Review: Cantinero Blanco Tequila
Cantinero Blanco Tequila was released in the US in 2018. It has been available for some time in Mexico. Cantinero is produced at Tequila Orendain de Jalisco, and named for the distilleries founder, Don Eduardo Orendain’s beloved bull. An image of the bull is embossed on the bottle. It is made from 100% Weber Blue Tequilana agave, estate grown and hand harvested and trimmed at its flavor peak. The agave is split in half and cooked for 18 hours at temperatures up to 105C. The pina’s are shredded to extract the juice and then fermented with yeast for 72 hours before a double distillation. Read more
Review: Libelula Tequila Joven
Libelula Tequila Joven is as the name suggests a blend of different tequilas. In May 2016 the CNI Brands team visited Mexico with one goal, to create the best possible tequila for a Combier Margarita. Combier is an orange liqueur also produced by CNI brands. After visiting several distilleries, blending many samples, and tasting about 80 margarita’s they created Libelula. Libelula has been on our radar for some time now, but distribution is limited. The bottle we are reviewing is a blend of 75% blanco and 25% Reposado tequila and was distilled and blended at NOM 1592. I say the bottle we are reviewing, because Libelula is currently crafted at NOM 1604 with a blend of 80% blanco and 20% Reposado tequila. We hope to source the currently produced Libelula and compare the two. The firefly labeled bottle’s look identical, so check the back to identify which version you are holding. Read more
Review: Siembra Valles Blanco Tequila
Siembra Valles Blanco Tequila was released November 2014. Brand creator David Suro partnered with the Rosales family and their Distileria Cascahuin. This is the first tequila distillery David visited many years ago. Valles is a sub-region of the Lowland Region and each bottle of Siembra Valles Blanco Tequila shows exactly where the agave used to craft each bottle comes from. The bottle I’m reviewing is made from agave sourced from the following estates. 42% Mesa del Charco, 34% El Jaguey, and 24% Mesa del Ocotillo. The pina’s are sliced in half and roasted for 72 hours at a temperature of 90-100 celsius. The agave is shredded four times to ensure as many of the sugars are extracted as possible. The agave juice is fermented with yeast and bagasse. Bagasse is the roasted fibrous remains of the agave after extraction. The first 30.68% is fermented in a mamposteria, a stone structure enclosed by fiberglass. The remaining 69.32% is fermented in stainless steel tanks. After a double distilling the tequila is hand bottled. Read more
Review: Mi Campo Reposado Tequila
Mi Campo Reposado Tequila and the previously reviewed Mi Campo Blanco were launched November 2018. Each is made from 100% blue agave allowed to mature in the fields for a minimum 7 years, and pure spring water from Volcan de Tequila. The pinas are slow cooked for 38 hours. A unique method of squeezing the cooked pinas instead of crushing them is designed to eliminate flavors of bitterness. The juice is fermented for 3-5 days in open stainless steel tanks allowing local mango and citrus trees to influence the flavor. The spirit is double distilled for over 13 hours. The tequila then rests for three months in wine barrels from Napa Valley previously used to age Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Read more
Review: G4 Blanco Tequila
G4 Blanco Tequila is crafted by Master Distiller Felipe Camarena, and named for the four generations of Master Distillers in Felipe Camarena’s family. They have produced tequila legally since 1937. G4 is made from their own estate grown 100% blue agave, and a blend of 50% rainwater and 50% spring water. G4 is distilled at their family owned El Pandillo Distillery, which was built in 2011. El Pandillo was the name of Felipe Camarena’s grandfather’s favorite bull. The agave is chopped with machetes to determine the sex of the plant. The male parts are removed prior to going into the oven. Doing this removes bitterness. The sliced pinas are slow cooked in traditional ovens for 22 hours. These ovens have been built with an extra steamer to cook both the top and bottom equally. The cooked agave is crushed using a custom built recycled steamroller. The juice is fermented with natural yeast and double distilled in traditional copper stills. Read more