KARMA TEQUILA SPICES UP THE MARKET
By Michael Hepworth
Los Angeles,CA(Spiritsman)10/30/11/—Karma Tequila hit the stores last year and at $36 for the Silver should do very well in the middle to high end tequila market. Distilled in the highlands of Jalisco in a family owned distillery that has been in operation for 70 years, each agave is hand picked and tested ensuring that only the ripest agave is used. Authentic brick ovens slowly cool the agave allowing all the flavors to be captured. No additives are added to this tequila and the water used in the distillation process comes directly from the estate.
The Reposado saw an early release this summer in select states, and it will soon be launched nationwide. It is aged in American Oak Kentucky Bourbon barrels purchased from Heaven Hill distilleries. There it is aged for 364 days, which is the maximum amount of time allowed, with the longer period providing the smoothest tequila. This particular Karma version is light amber in color with hints of hazelnut, vanilla and caramel.
The Anejo unfortunately will not be available until May 2012, and is still a work in progress at the distillery.Anejo has to be aged for at least 365 days, and the Karma Anejo could very well be aged for a bit longer, which could give it an edge over much of the competition.
The highlands in Jalisco are subject to intense precipitation which is the perfect climate for the Agave plant. Since it takes as much as 10 years for the plants to mature, the Jimadors have to keep a close watch on each plant up until harvest time. When the pina’s are extracted from the plant they are cooked for 24 hours and allowed to cool for a further 24 hours.
During fermentation, a secret family yeast is added to the juice, converting the sugars to alcohol. The blend is then mixed up with 80% double and 20% triple distilled tequila, which eliminates any impurities.
The final step is the bottling process where the tequila is filtered through ceramic filter that removes large particles, and finally through a charcoal filtration system. Lastly the tequila is aerated just before corking, which helps it to open up and become even smoother.
Obviously a lot of time, thought and money has gone in the creation of this Tequila, and the price is in the mid-range category. I think in all honesty anybody interested in tequila should first try the silver, move on to the Reposado and wait patiently for the Anejo which could turn out to be something special. Karma is a smooth tequila with a mellow sweet taste of spices.
Michael Hepworth
287 S.Robertson Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211