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A solid, squat, solid bottle with a square bottom and clear edges. Mysterious hieroglyphs stand out on thick glass. On the label is the head of an Indian sage, indifferently looking from the depths of centuries at the fussy public. Connoisseurs and connoisseurs in this description probably recognized Olmeca tequila.
In 2003, the International Institute of Wine and Spirits Tasting, located in Chicago, awarded Olmeca tequila a gold award and recognized it as the best tequila in the world. In 2007, Olmeca received prizes at two international competitions at once: International Wine and Spirit Competition and Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. The brand was also awarded prizes at the San Francisco Spirits Competition in 2009 and 2010.
All rights to the Olmeca trademark are currently owned by Pernod Ricard. Maestro Tequilero Jesús Hernández manages the production of the numerous Olmec varieties (including the blue agave harvest).
An ancient two-ton wheel-press, carved from the thickness of volcanic basalt (tezontl), still works. Technologies for obtaining agave juice using such millstones are already 500 years old. Both the pressing method and the resulting juice itself are called Tahona.
The main feature of “Olmeca” is that “Takhona” is added to all varieties of this tequila and gives it a specific flavor with light citrus notes.
Types of tequila “Olmeca”
The Destileria Colonial plant produces three lines of tequila:
- “Olmeca” (Olmeca) – high-quality ordinary (simple) tequila containing 51% blue agave juice, the rest – other alcohols;
- “Olmeca Altos” (Olmeca Altos) – a series of premium tequila, the recipe of which was developed in 2007 by Jesus Hernandez in collaboration with Henry Besant and André Massot. This tequila is 100% blue agave juice grown on the best lands of the state of Jalisco – in the Los Altos mountain valley. Presenting the public a new kind of drink, Jesus Hernandez said that he tried to bring to life his idea of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe perfect tequila;
- “Olmeca Tezon” (Olmeca Tezon) – a series of super premium tequila. It consists of 100% Blue Agave juice and is completely handmade, according to the old Tahona technology, using a Tezontl stone millstone. Even the bottles for it are made by hand. Each sealed bottle is numbered and personally signed by Maestro Tequilero Jesus Hernandez.
Depending on the line, the following brands of Olmeca tequila are produced with a strength of 38%:
“Olmeca Blanco” (Olmeca Blanco) – ordinary young, colorless, crystal clear tequila, which is bottled immediately after distillation. It has a honey taste of ripe agave with a slight smack of smoke, exudes the aroma of freshly cut grass, green pepper and lemon, ideal for making cocktails;
“Olmeca Gold” (Olmeca Gold) – straw-golden tequila, which is a blend of Olmeca Blanco and Olmeca Añejo. The drink smells of lemon, tropical fruits, the taste is very soft, sweetish, with a barely perceptible noble pepper bitterness;
“Olmeca Reposado” (Olmeca Reposado) – golden tequila, acquiring color as a result of six months of aging in 200-liter oak barrels from bourbon. It is distinguished by a balanced combination of honey and pepper notes in the taste, it smells of tropical fruits and smoke;
Olmeca Añejo is a dark golden tequila aged for a year and a half in bourbon oak barrels. As a result, the drink acquires a complex aroma with hints of cherries, plums, strawberries, vanilla and hints of smoke. Taste – soft, honey;
“Olmeca Altos Plata” (Olmeca Altos Plata) – a young, unaged, transparent tequila with a fresh, sweet and sour taste and citrus aroma, mixed with herbal tones;
“Olmeca Altos Reposado” (Olmeca Altos Reposado) – golden tequila “Altos” six-month exposure. Thanks to the oak bourbon barrels, the drink acquires a light vanilla aroma that successfully complements the woody and citrus shades. Taste – soft, sweet honey;
“Olmeca Tezon Blanco” (Olmeca Tezon Blanco) – a colorless young tequila, fragrant with agave, grapefruit, freshly cut grass. Taste – lemon-honey, with hints of vanilla and herbs, the drink leaves a pleasant lingering aftertaste;
“Olmeca Tezon Reposado” (Olmeca Tezon Reposado) – straw-golden tequila “Tezon”, aged in white oak barrels for 8-10 months. The drink is distinguished by a slightly tart aroma of the sea breeze, which is mixed with the invigorating smells of mandarin and lime. Taste – citrus-honey, with a hint of vanilla, spices and mature oak;
Olmeca Tezón Añejo is a rich golden tequila aged in white oak barrels for a year and a half. Despite the fact that the drink does not contain additional sweeteners or flavors, the taste is clearly felt the delicate creamy sweetness of toffee, complemented by vanilla-orange notes. The drink opens gradually, with a slight oak bitterness with a touch of sea salt in the aftertaste. The aroma is slightly tart, caramel-citrus.
Especially for cocktail lovers, the Destileria Colonial plant produces 20-degree drinks based on Olmeca Blanco tequila:
- Olmeca Dark Chocolate – tequila with dark chocolate;
- Olmeca Chili Chocolate – a drink with a soft chocolate-vanilla sweetness and spicy pepper bitterness;
- Olmeca Coffee is a drink with coffee and caramel flavor and aroma.
How to distinguish real Olmeca tequila from a fake
It is very difficult to fake a bottle of Olmeca. To avoid mistakes and not buy fakes, you need to remember a few signs by which it is easy to distinguish the real Olmeca:
- the surface of the bottle is embossed (this is especially noticeable on the shoulders), Olmec hieroglyphs clearly stand out on it;
- the edges of the bottle are very even;
- there is no weld on the bottle hangers;
- at the bottom of the bottle there is a symmetrical, located strictly in the center, equidistant from the edges, press mark, on it is well-read information about its capacity (displacement) and the manufacturer. There should be no other symbols on the bottom surface;
- a unique pattern in the form of trapezoids is applied to the connecting element of the cork using a press;
- The label has an embossed surface. The label and back label are glued strictly parallel to the edges of the bottle.
How to drink Olmeca
The real Olmeca is a noble drink, each drop of which gives cheerfulness, fun, or, on the contrary, tranquility. Young tequila can be drunk traditionally: with salt and lime, and also added to cocktails. Aged “Olmeca” is savored in small sips, like cognac, enjoying the color and smell.
History of the Olmeca
For several millennia, the Olmec empire flourished in Central America – a wise, hardworking and warlike people. The Olmecs considered octli, a drink made from fermented blue agave juice, to be one of the sources of their strength. They believed that the secret of making octli was given to them by the supreme deity.
It was possible to drink the sacred potion only during religious holidays, and the impudent foreigner who dared to taste it was expected by the inevitable punishment of the gods. In Indian villages, they still tell the legend of the Toltec people, whom the gods expelled from their native lands due to rampant drunkenness.
As soon as the Olmecs did not call intoxicating drink from agave juice: “honey water”, “nectar of the gods”, “divine gift”. Meanwhile, the sacred drink was something like a cloudy white brew, and did not even remotely resemble modern tequila. The Olmecs, who needed four to six degrees of alcohol to get drunk and communicate with the spirits of their ancestors, were very surprised to learn that a 38-degree tequila was named after them.
After the collapse of the Olmec empire (this happened around 400 BC), the recipe for the sacred drink was inherited by other peoples who inhabited Central America: the Toltecs, Chichimecs, Mayans, Aztecs.
In the XNUMXth century, the Spanish conquerors began to distill (distill) fermented blue agave juice. They did this not from a natural inclination to drunkenness, but because of a severe necessity: in the southern latitudes, food on ships spoiled, and water stagnated. Under such conditions, strong alcohol served as the only disinfectant that saved the ship’s crew from poisoning and infectious diseases.
For several centuries, recipes for the preparation of a distillate from blue agave, later called tequila, have been improved. One of the best varieties of tequila was produced at the Colonial distillery built in 1873 (Destileria Colonial) in the Mexican city of Arandas. Here, on the fertile red volcanic soils of the state of Athos de Jalisco, at an altitude of more than 2100 meters above sea level, grows a particularly sweet, juicy, selected blue agave. In order to make a decent tequila, you need the juice of plants that have been ripening for eight years.
Local tequileros sacredly honored the customs of their ancestors: for several days they languished ripe fleshy piñas (huge “bumps” of agave peeled from leaves) in grandfather’s ovens; grinded raw materials with the help of ancient basalt millstones; for distillation, old copper stills were used; aged tequila in huge oak bourbon barrels. Time seems to have stood still in the old distillery: modern autoclaves were not very favored here, speeding up the process of squeezing juice, but depriving it of a special aftertaste, so appreciated by connoisseurs.
In the middle of the 1967th century, a fashion arose for high-quality tequila, made using old technologies: it has a special, “truly Mexican” taste. In XNUMX, the Olmeca trademark was registered (in honor of the discoverers of the intoxicating agave drink), and since then this proud name has been tequila produced at the Destileria Colonial factory.
The hieroglyphs with which the bottle of tequila is decorated are Olmec letters, which have not yet been deciphered by scientists. And the Indian on the label is not a stylization, but a portrait of a real Olmec. In 1930, archaeologists during excavations in Tres Zapotes discovered a giant head. An unknown Olmec sculptor conveyed the features and expression of the face with great accuracy. The image of this head was placed on the Olmec label.
Together with two world-famous bartenders: Andre Massot and Henry Besant, Jesus Hernandez created the international Tahona Society, whose goal is to popularize the Olmeca. The Society regularly holds seminars in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Canada, South Africa, and Greece especially for the advanced training of bartenders from different countries.