Review: Cambio Tequila Blanco
Cambio Tequila was founded by John des Rosiers a classically trained chef who began his career at age 15 working in a fine dining French restaurant. At age 30 he opened his first restaurant, Inovasi in Lake Bluff Illinois as chef and proprietor. His wife’s family lives in the Highland region of Jalisco. Four years ago John toured 18 different distilleries before partnering with ZB Distillery to craft his tequila. Today we are reviewing Cambio Tequila Blanco. It is crafted from 100% blue weber agave estate grown on Ruvalferti Farmland in the Highlands of Jalisco. Once trimmed the pinas are slow cooked whole in stone ovens. The rich juice is extracted with a traditional tahona wheel and slow fermented at extremely low temperatures with wine yeast in open air without fibers in American white oak and Mexican pine lined fermentation tanks. The spirit is distilled to an uncommonly low proof-below 50% abv. and is reduced to 92 proof with local deep well water. The tequila rests 45 days in used French oak wine barrels. The aroma leads with tropical fruit, cooked agave, pine, vanilla, and oak. Additional time brings out floral, yeast, and wine grape notes. The sweet agave and vanilla entry is joined by pine building to a savory spice, oak, earthy agave, and grape peak. It fades with saline, citrus, and mineral and finishes warm and peppery with wood spice, oak, and grape skin tannins. The higher octane is obvious in flavor intensity. The wood presence both from fermentation and barrel aging make this a very unique blanco tequila.
NOM: 1605
46% Alcohol
Agave Region: Highlands
Score: 90
Award: Silver Medal