CORZO TEQUILA-CLASSY NEWCOMER
A close look at the distillation process
By Michael Hepworth
Los Angeles,CA(Spiritsman)8/28/11/—When the bottle arrived eagerly I opened up the package and loved the sleek look of the bottle which has been designed by Fabien Baron. Would the tequila inside be as classy I thought, and I was not disappointed. After a bit of research I discovered that each bottle of Corzo takes 7 ½ years to make, and they also use twice the agave that most tequila brands utilize from the Los Altos region of Jalisco. This comes from the Tequilana Weber plants in the area, and being one mile above sea level, they are sweeter and more succulent than other plants in the immediate area.
They call it the world’s finest tequila, an ambitious claim indeed, and both the silver and the reposado are best tried neat or with the highest quality of mixers. A closer look at the distillation process reveals that the Corzo Reposado and Anejo are the only tequilas to be mellowed prior to a third distillation, resulting in a double mellowed, triple distilled spirit with twice the Agave of the majority of other brands.
Distillation takes place in stainless steel pot stills, and aging takes place in small, white oak barrels which enhances the flavor due to greater surface contact with the wood. The Corzo Reposado and Anejo are aged (2-3 months and 12-14, respectively) to two different barrel types (one-half with a few low firing or “toast,” and one-half with a medium toast) to deliver a more complex and layered spirit.
Not content with that, the Corzo people then remove the agave’s cogollo, a labor intense process for the highly skilled Jimadores that extracts the center of the Pina. They are cut into pieces, and the acidic top cone is thrown away. They are then roasted for twelve hours, with the juices from the first five hours of the process being discarded. A longer, double fermentation process increases the complexity of the flavor. The fermentation is a double process that can last up to 9 days, which is about twice as long as other producers who use enzymes to speed up fermentation.
Corzo is a smooth tequila that is a must to any collection if you are a serious afficianado of the drink from Mexico.
Corzo Silver $47.99
Corzo Reposado $52.99
Corzo Anejo $56.99
Michael Hepworth
287 S.Robertson Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211
http://twitter.com/MrSpiritsman