Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia
Except for some special limited releases, the Reserve de la Familia label is the highest tier in the Cuervo family of brands. The Reserva de la Familia Extra Añejo was first released in 1995 to commemorate the Cuervo family's 200-year tequila legacy, drawing from the family's best private reserves. Much of the production details around Reserva de la Familia are not made publicly available. The brand utilizes a proprietary process called the Esencia de Agave method to bring the entire character, flavor, and essence of the agave to life, offering a perfect balance and smoothness compared to other clear tequilas. Considering the price difference between Reserva de la Familia and Tradicional, it is safe to assume the brand utilizes small batch sizes and sources agave from more desirable locations, which the French wine term terroir would describe as a unique sense of place. They probably use more or all oven-roasted piñas and use pot still instead of column still distillation.
Reserva De La Familia Reposado
The Reposado is distilled from 100 % fully mature agave using only the inner portion, or the heart, of the agave piña. This product is aged in three different types of wood and barrel toasting styles. The three distinct woods are:
Heavily charred American oak barrels
Lightly charred American oak barrels
Lightly charred French oak barrels
The heavily toasted American oak contributes baked spices, while lightly toasted American and French oaks bring mellow flavors of toffee and vanilla. Each tequila is aged separately before being blended by the Maestro Tequilero and bottled at 80 proof (40 % ABV) for the United States.
Reserva De La Familia Extra Añejo
The Reserva de la Familia Extra Añejo distilled from 100 % fully mature agave using only the inner portion, or the heart, of the agave piña sourced from the family estate's richest volcanic soils. The agave piñas are cooked at La Rojeña distillery in Tequila in Jalisco for 48 hours: 36 hours by direct vapor and 12 hours with residual heat. The fermented agave juice is double-distilled in copper pot stills. The tequila is aged in a combination of small, new American, and French oak barrels charred at different levels and bottled at 80 proof (40 % ABV) for the United States. It won a double gold (GG) medal at the 2019 San Fransisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC). The bottle is handmade, individually numbered, and sealed with wax. Each year, the Cuervo family commissions a Mexican-based artist to design original artwork for the collector's box. The Reserva de la Familia Extra Añejo is best enjoyed neat, preferably in a Glencairn or snifter glass.
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