Whiskey Elements on the road, Jarana Blanco Tequila

just dropped the element in

So I just got back from a week at Isle Mujeres, an island a ferry away from Cancun.  Being in Mexico of course, I wanted to drink Tequila.  Of course Jose Quervo is very prominent, but I always look for more local unknown brands.  Here is what I found:

Jarana Blanco 70 proof, 100% agave azul approx $6 USD
A nice light silver tequila with very little burn, lite sweet agave flavor, not the most exciting tequila in the world, but 100% agave so quality if light in flavor.  

Jarana Reposado approx $7 USD
adds some burn, tropical fruitiness, lightly tannic, oak dryness

This was my prime candidate for a Signature Whiskey Element. The Jarana Blanco being my first Tequila with the element and the spirit being lighter in flavor I took a log of notes:

At 4 hours, the tequila gets a real oak funkiness.

At 12 hours the funk starts to mellow and the tequila gets a little burn on the finish, with some vanilla sweetness

48 hours, look at that color!

At 24 hours the oak really presents itself, it is forward but the funk starts to turn into a lighter oak and agave sweetness

At 48 hours, this lower priced tequila takes on a bit of a scotch peaty funk with a grassy feel in the mid palate and finish.  The alcohol heat is very minimal and light on the finish.  The light sweet agave flavor of the original spirit is still present with a caramel on vanilla ice cream fullness and finish.  This tastes completely different than the reposado and, unfortunately, an anejo version could not be found.  The end result is almost more like a Mescal than an anejo tequila.

Both the 24 hour and 48 hour were great in Margarita’s, with the 48 hour version leaving a lasting oakiness which was quite pleasant.  I drank both neat.

The experiment was exceptionally fun especially seeing where the flavor was going in the different stages, one I would recommend anyone repeat.  Always remember to buy tequila that says on the bottle 100% agave, otherwise, you are not really buying tequila. By Mexican law tequila only needs to be 51% agave spirit, the rest is generally flavored grain neutral spirit (that’s industry for vodka).

reposado, 48 hours elements, blanco