Curado

As we talked about in last week’s blog about consumption, there’s a day of reckoning coming for real Tequila given the shortage of agave and the fact that much of it is being wasted on diffuser brands with artificial sweeteners, coloring agents, and chemicals. There’s also a huge gap with current aged stocks, with some brands looking at 2024 and beyond until their reposado, añejo, and extra añejo labels come back online. 

Some brands, like G4, are considering blending the añejo they have left with current blanco stocks in order to create a volume joven label that can sustain them over the next year. Other brands, like Ocho, are coming up with interesting and exciting new expressions like these three new Curado Blanco Tequilas.

I already know your first query: If these are blanco Tequilas, why are they golden in color? 

Great question! Here’s the answer: two of the most respected names in the real Tequila industry—Carlos Camarena and the late Tomas Estes—decided to collaborate on one of the coolest new creations I’ve ever witnessed as a professional. 100% blanco Tequila distillates, distilled from blue agave, but infused with the cooked piñas of other agave varietals. 

Here’s how it works: Agave Azul from Arandas, Espadín from Oaxaca, and Cupreata from Michoacan are cooked and then transported to Jalisco where they’re placed into cotton bags like tea leaves. From there, they’re dipped into the stainless steel tanks at Ocho distillery and infused with 55% ABV blanco Tequila for five days. 21 kilos of agave are used for every 1000 liters of Tequila (for all you tea nerds out there).

The result is three different expressions that use the same base Ocho Tequila distillate, but a different infusion: Agave Azul, Espadín, and Cupreata. Each of them has a certain sweetness of fruit that somewhat mimics the weight of a reposado, but with the vibrancy and spice of a classic blanco. The Espadín and Cupreata expressions translate some of the smoke as well from the roasted agaves, sort of hinting at mezcal. All three are outstanding and priced right at $45.99. You’re going to want them.

Two of the biggest names in unadulterated Tequila have created the only “adulterated” Tequila I'm interested in drinking!

-David Driscoll

William Grant's New Showstopper

I know many of you have long graduated past the standard Glenfiddich 12 year, but earlier this May in Scotland, along with at our rooftop cigar event with William Grant this summer, I drank copious glasses of the flagship malt and I was pretty damn impressed. Given that the average boutique vodka or gin these days costs $30, to get the quality one finds in the Glenfiddich 12 for $34.99 is damn right incredible. I don't think anything else comes close.

This week, however, the kind folks at William Grant have upped the ante.

For an extra five bucks, you can now get 12 years of cask maturation PLUS an Amontillado sherry cask finish, and—let me tell you—that little enhancement takes this whisky to a whole new level. It still has all the maltiness of the classic 12 year in its core, but the mid-palate and finish are like biting into a flourless brownie that's been dusted with cocoa. And it's just $39.95 on our ad special right now. The question you need to be asking yourself now is: can you afford NOT to buy a few bottles of this?

Glenfiddich 12 Year Old Sherry Cask Single Malt Whisky $39.95

-David Driscoll

Eddie's Pick #1

If you're a Wild Turkey fan, then today is going to be a very good day for you at Mission! Not only do we have the first of numerous Russell's Reserve single barrels for you today, but also a hot deal on the W.B. Saffell that has eluded other California retailers until now. No worries, however, as we got a fantastic price that I think you'll all appreciate.

First thing's first:

Russell's Reserve Mission Exclusive "Eddie's Pick #1" Single Barrel 0669 55% ABV Kentucky Bourbon $69.99 (LIMIT 1)

Yes, we could have waited until we actually visited Wild Turkey last month to pick out our single barrels in person. But that would have meant another 5-7 months before those barrels would have hit our shelves. Knowing that my friend Eddie Russell can be more than trusted to select a few honey barrels on our behalf, we let him do the selection for us and—BOY OH BOY— did he knock it out of the park. Of the three casks that are going to be released over the next few weeks, I'm not sure which of them I like the most!!

Let's talk about Barrel 0669 though.

Dumped just two months short of its 10th birthday, this whiskey is everything we love to love about Wild Turkey in a glass: a big candy corn and caramel nose, lush sweetness on the palate balanced by rye spice and barrel char, candied orange, creme brulée, you name it. I wish I could let everyone buy five of these because you're going to want five, but I can only offer you one. Also this cask only offered 60% of the volume of a normal barrel, so it concentrated down. You're all going to love it.

The fun doesn't stop there, however! Grab some W.B. Saffell, made with 6-12 year old Wild Turkey Bourbons for the hot price of $39.95! This half bottle of deliciousness packs a gorgeous richness and delicacy for the dollar.

W.B. Saffell 107 Proof Kentucky Bourbon $39.95

No limits on these guys for the moment, but like the Russell's Reserve single barrel all the inventory is in Pasadena, so use the notes if you want to pick up at another Mission location.

On a side note, our new warehouse is not available as a pick up location for the moment, so there's no way to order pick up for items that are on the web, but unavailable in the stores. Soon as we get a fix for that, I'll let you know.

-David Driscoll

Consumption

Regardless of where you stand politically on the subject of climate change, there’s one issue that none of us can deny: moving forward, there’s not going to be enough water to sustain our current way of life here in California. We can talk about conservation until we’re red in the face, but the sad reality is that nothing is going to change here until we cut the water cord from the state’s biggest wasters.

I know plenty of people in Los Angeles who have continued to water their lawns every morning, wash their cars in the middle of the day, and laugh about the idea of scaling back. I’ve also been the president of a condo HOA board, so I know first hand how selfish and irresponsible adults can be, even when their best interests are at stake. As we’ve learned from every zombie apocalypse film over the last fifty years, no matter how dire the circumstances there will always be someone who thinks only of themself and ruins the situation for everyone else.

Which brings me to Tequila.

I spoke with a distiller this week who is predicting that an entry level bottle of unadulterated, non-diffuser blanco Tequila might cost $90-$100 in the near future if things keep going the way they are. Not just because of drought and climate change, mind you, but because so many new vanity brands continue to enter the market, which puts a greater strain on the agave supply. We’re already at the point where the overwhelming majority of Tequila is diffused, meaning under-ripe, flavorless agave piñas are pulled out of the earth years before they’re ready and chopped into starchy bits, sprayed with water, and treated with an enzyme to convert that starch into sugar.

Tequila as a category is a giant bastardization of what it should be, but at least those of us who care about real Tequila still have affordable options. That being said, if you’ve been paying attention to the retail shelves over the last six months, you’ll notice a lot of holes. Fortaleza is now allocated and hard to restock. We’re completely out of reposado, añejo, and extra añejo from G4 with no ETA in sight. Cascahuin is a ghost. As demand for real, unadulterated Tequila continues to rise, the pull of the celebrity market is eating away at the agave supply, so there’s only one way prices can go: UP!

If all these new vanity Tequila brands were actually selling, you could at least make the argument for capitalism, or supply and demand. But that’s not happening. Most of these newcomers have starry-eyed dreams about being the next George Clooney, yet they have no idea what they’re doing, no real grasp of the American three tier distribution system, and no appreciation for the impact their brand is having on the agave ecosystem. I know this because I meet a new Tequila brand owner almost every single week, each of them with fancy business cards, loads of schwag, and a fashionable get-up that usually looks like something in between a Texas ranchero owner and a Boho hipster. If John Varvatos were to launch a new clothing line specifically geared for Tequila CEOs, he’d make a fortune.

So these guys contract 1,000 cases of diffuser Tequila, get it into the states, and here it sits for months, if not years, going nowhere until they’re forced to close it out for pennies on the dollar and move on to the next venture capital project. In the meantime, thousands of agave plants that could have been left in the ground to mature for a real Tequila company that makes real Tequila have been wasted on some douchebag’s ego. Multiply this scenario by 500 and you’ll have an idea of where the Tequila market is right now.

At some point, California will be forced to install equipment in every district that restricts water rations to all residents. There’s no point in talking about personal responsibility in this day and age because we know how people work. The same should go for Tequila. Either be part of the solution, or get the fuck out of the way.

-David Driscoll

Instagram Live With Jeff Garneau

For those of you who don’t know my friend Jeff Garneau by now, he’s one of the big reasons I got into Bordeaux in my late twenties. Jeff and I worked together on the retail sales floor for over ten years and during the long, lazy Sunday afternoons or an early Tuesday morning before the customers came into the store, he and I would talk about wine. What we drank last night. What we ate last night. What we planned to eat and drink later in the week. Over the course of those conversations, I learned a lot about Bordeaux.

Jeff is a rare specimen in the wine world. He’s a complete nerd for the details, like a professor digging through an old library, but he’s also entirely customer service oriented. Usually, those two things don’t go hand in hand. In my industry, you generally meet knowledgable, yet condescending pedants or friendly faces who can talk about the basics, but lack the true depth of knowledge. Jeff will completely geek out with you about Bordeaux, but his educational style is 100% focused on your enjoyment rather than his ego.

That’s why I love bringing Jeff on to talk about Bordeaux. In this installment, we dig into second wines. Think Weller 107 vs. Van Winkle 12, but the French wine version.

-David Driscoll

Jeff Garneau Returns To Instagram Live This Friday

My old colleague Jeff Garneau will be back this Friday at 3 PM PST to talk about the biggest secret in all of Bordeaux: second wines! Almost every major château makes more than one wine, and if you know where to look you can find some pretty great deals. After finishing the top cuvée each vintage, the leftover fruit often goes into a second label for a much more reasonable price. In great vintages, a good second wine can be pretty outstanding and affordable!. Think Weller 12 next to Van Winkle 12, or whatever other Bourbon analogy you want to use where similar juice is sold for a cheaper price.

We’ll see you live this Friday!

-David Driscoll

High Demand

My friend Brian forwarded me this photo from the Four Roses Distillery this morning, where hundreds of customers queued up early for the latest limited edition: a 16 year old single barrel release (most of which will likely be sold online for 10x the price throughout the week) with proceeds going to help the flooding in Eastern Kentucky (albeit not the proceeds from the secondary market gains).

In response, I sent him this photo from DTLA’s Smorgasburg yesterday, where hundreds of people waited hours to try Oakland’s Horn BBQ samplings. Luckily, I wasn’t in the mood for brisket or pulled pork, having had my fill in Louisville a few weeks ago, so all the foods I wanted were readily available with little to no wait (Sad Girl Creamery’s Choco Taco, taquitos from Los Dorados, smashburger from Love Hour, burritos from La Palma, etc). Yet, I couldn’t help but wonder about all those folks blistering themselves under the hot sun for a few bites of meat. Was it worth it? I’ll probably never know.

What was interesting to me was the complaining I heard while eavesdropping on the people who were taking selfies and making Instagram Live videos about their experience. All I could think about was asking them: What do you think is going to happen when you tell everyone about how awesome a certain restaurant or food truck is? Do you think it’s going to make people not want to try it?

I’ll happily wait in line for something I’m excited about. I’ll also happily tell others who I think might be interested. What I won’t do, however, is complain about it; especially when I’m part of the problem. If you’re someone who posts about whiskey all day long on social media, then laments the fact that it’s hard to find, you need to take a long, hard look in the mirror.

-David Driscoll

Instagram Live with Balvenie

What a fun time yesterday with Neil from Balvenie, going back through all the wood-finished marks and tasting the new 16 year French Oak! Not to mention the 40 year old we got to taste at the end. Like I said during the conversation, if you’re going to splurge for a 25, 30, or even 40 year old whisky, there’s no malt in Scotland that will deliver like Balvenie.

-David Driscoll