2015 marked the 125th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Mexico and Russia. At one of the receptions, timed to coincide with a significant date, Ruben Beltran, Ambassador of Mexico, organized a presentation of Espolon tequila. Mr. Ambassador explained to journalists that in his country this tequila is considered popular: it belongs to the premium class, consists of 100% blue agave juice, but is much cheaper than similar products from other brands.
The audience was amazed by the unusual design of bottles with an alcoholic drink: on the labels they danced merrily, flirted with each other and lived a very busy life … skeletons. And then Senor Beltran told the story of the Espolon brand.
At the end of the XNUMXth century, tequila became fashionable not only in Mexico, but also in the United States, and began to be exported to Europe. In the highlands of Los Altos de Jalisco, famous for the best blue agave in the whole country, new distilleries sprouted like mushrooms after rain. Almost every local wealthy family owned their own distillery.
The Placencia family also had such a distillery. Don Celso Placencia built it in 1889. The small distillery survived all the revolutions, wars and crises of the XNUMXth century. Production then faded, then resumed. The owners did not recognize any frills. Only two varieties of tequila were made here: young (Blanco) and aged for several months (Reposado). True, according to a family recipe, piñas (“agave cones”) were languished a little longer than usual in ancient stone ovens, and the fermented juice was subjected to a very slow distillation process. As a result, the taste of the drink turned out to be soft, silky, with a hint of roasted agave.
In 1996, Raul Placencia, grandson of Don Celso, rebuilt and modernized the plant, naming it the “San Nicolás Distillery”. Maestro tequilero Cirilo Oropeso was appointed responsible for the production. He created the Espolon Añejo tequila recipe, which went on sale in 2014. The unusual taste is explained by the fact that the drink is first aged for a year in new white oak barrels, and then for two months in charred Wild Turkey bourbon barrels.
Introducing the new drink to the public, Señor Oropeza said that he was trying to create a tequila that was as bright and mesmerizing as Mexican folk music. Each sip of this drink invigorates and makes you feel the taste of life more acutely.
The word “Espolon” in Spanish means “spur”.
The label design of all three Espolon tequila varieties was created by artist Stephen Noyble, who was inspired by the Mexican holiday “Day of the Dead” (Dia de los Muertos). As the legends say, for two days a year (November 1-2) the world of the dead merges with the world of the living, and the dead come out of the graves to visit their descendants.
The heroes of the holiday are a pair of skeletons, Guadalupe and Rosarita, as well as a symbol of life – Ramon the rooster. The Espolon tequila label depicts a skeleton riding a rooster into the fight for Mexican independence. Like rag dolls, the Spanish colonizers scatter in different directions, struck by the sharp spear of a dead warrior.
After the battle, peaceful everyday life begins. On the label of Espolon Reposado, Guadalupe and Rosarita are pleasantly accommodating in the middle of the city market. And on the Espolon Añejo label, Rosarita in a wide peasant skirt dances merrily by the barrel of tequila. Around her, rattling bones and grinning bare teeth, an equally dead gentleman makes intricate knees. The artist convinces the viewer that death itself recedes before love and fun, and in a time of misfortune, the dead stand in line with the living to protect their native country.
The San Nicolas distillery is still run by members of the Placencia Alvarez family. Today this enterprise is one of the divisions of Campari America. More than six million liters of Espolon tequila are produced annually. Over the past 20 years, she has received 37 awards at the most prestigious international competitions, in particular, at the Ultimate Spirits Competition and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2011, at the International Wine and Spirits Competition in 2012.
Types of tequila Espolon
Currently, three brands of Espolon tequila are produced with a strength of 38%:
- Espolon Blanco – a colorless young tequila with a delicate citrus-agave aroma and roasted agave taste, mixed with delicate vanilla tones and spicy pepper bitterness;
- Espolon Reposado is a golden-straw tequila six months old, in the smell and taste of which sharp peppery tones are softened by the sweetness of vanilla and caramel;
- Espolon Añejo is a pure gold tequila, 14 months old. The taste and aroma of roasted agave are complemented by caramel-vanilla notes, gradually turning into an unusually warm peppery aftertaste with a hint of milk toffee.
Señor Ruben Beltran recommends drinking Espolon tequila as follows:
- with sangrita (a spicy mixture of tomato-orange juice and spices), which allows you to feel the silky softness of tequila;
- with a chaser (a drink made from lightly salted agave and lime juice). In this case, the taste of roasted agave and spices is better revealed;
- with a chaser, where chilled grapefruit juice is added – the citrus shades of tequila are felt more clearly.