Water of Life -1800 Tequila
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Tequila.
Shooting it is sacrilege.
Well, that and getting the cheap tequila that one can only get down the throat by shooting it and masking its taste with lime and salt chasers.
I for one like sipping tequila.
It might not be my favourite tipple but sipping a nice glass of Patron, Casa Noble or Fortaleza is a thing of beauty and sipping a great tequila enters easily the realm of pleasures I receive from a good Scotch.
While the name has been ringing a bell for many moons, I have never really tried the omnipresent 1800 Tequila.
Price-wise it is more affordable than the premium tequilas yet taste-wise, it is in the same league as the best of them.
Following traditional production methods and based on the usage of a hundred percent Blue Weber agaves, which are harvested after eight to twelve years and baked in the distillery's massive clay brick ovens before the juice is extracted. After being distilled twice in their copper pot stills, 1800 Tequila is then either aged or bottled.
As far as portfolio is concerned, 1800 Tequila does not stray away from the mainstream:
The entry range silver variant was the first I tried and makes for a good Blanco tequila that also serves as an excellent base for Margheritas, Tequila Sunrises and Palomas.
1800 Tequila Reserva Anejo, however, takes it up a few notches.
The fact that it matured for fourteen months in a barrel certainly adds to its charm, which starts with the smell of a melange of vanilla, caramel and bananas.
Creamy as far as mouthfeel is concerned, it gets more complex once it hits the palate with hints of the barrel’s oak, cinnamon and fruity nuances and culminates in a finish that gives way to an explosion of rich agave with sweet and fruity highlights, a tad spice and a burst of heat.
In many aspects it is reminiscent of the subtler qualities of a good Bourbon, including the fact that a bit of aeriation unveils and intensifies the flavours.
If you are looking to transition from your party drinking ways to something a bit more dimensional in the tequila department, dabbling with 1800 tequilas with their attention to quality prove to be a solid entry point that won’t break the bank.
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Photo by T
