Blanco de Madera
While it's easy to compare the production of most spirits to Scotch or Bourbon, we've always felt the production of Tequila is far more comparable to wine, where the focus is more on the fruit—in this case, the agave—and where it's grown, how it's harvested, and ultimately how it's fermented.
In the case of wine, for example, the flavor difference between a Chardonnay fermented in stainless steel versus one fermented in wooden barrels can be dramatic. Whereas the neutrality of the steel allows the wine to showcase its freshness and its acidity unadulterated, the oak influence of the barrel can soften and round out some of those higher-toned characteristics in the early stages.
If you're curious as to how a Tequila fermented in stainless steel would taste, versus one fermented on wooden vats, today is your lucky day. We've long been obsessed with Felipe Camarena's G4 Blanco Tequila, made at the world-renowned Destilería El Pandillo, NOM 1579. Fermented in stainless steel, it's one of the cleanest and purest Tequilas in all of Jalisco, racking up legions of superfans (me included) over the last few years.
Today, however, we are excited to offer you the new G4 Blanco de Madera: the wood-fermented version for your own side by side comparison!
10,000 hand-numbered bottles were made from this initial batch, of which only 550 landed in California. We were lucky enough to get a large chunk of that allocation because of our partnership with G4, but we don't expect these to last long. There is a 1 bottle limit per person (all additional orders will be canceled immediately). Bottled at 90 proof, this is an old world blanco that will most certainly go down as one of the most exciting new Tequila releases of 2022.
-David Driscoll