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CATEGORY REPORT Casamigos Tequila I PHOTOS: ANDREW MACPHERSON t's easy to dismiss celebrity-created spirit brands as gimmicks or by-products of their fame, but Casamigos Tequila is a rare exception to the rule. So confident are they of the character of what they've created, longtime friends George Clooney and restaurantand-nightclub mogul Rande Gerber bottled their tequila in the equivalent of a plain white envelope. One sniff, sip and swallow will confirm they were right about their tequila. "We set out to create the smoothest, best tasting tequila, one with absolutely no burn. We've done that," contends culinary pioneer and brand co-founder Rande Gerber. "Everything from the bottle design to the backstory is authentic. Casamigos is brought to you by those who drink it." For this ultra-premium tequila, crafted in Jesus Marie, Jalisco, the agaves are slowly baked in brick ovens, then fermented for 80 hours and double-distilled in copper-lined pot stills. Casamigos Blanco is rested in stainless steel prior to bottling to allow its constituent flavors to fully integrate. It's a fresh and vital tequila with a generous bouquet and a lingering spice and fruit finish. The Casamigos Reposado is barrel-aged for seven months. The oak contributes the added flavors of caramel, vanilla and chocolate to its palate. www.casamigostequila.com Serralles USA Aged Gems Prior to bottling, the triple-distilled ultrapremium Crótalo Plata is barrel-aged for 45 days and filtered to strip out the oak-induced color. The golden hued Crótalo Reposado is aged for six months in French oak and finished in the distillery's proprietary oak barrels. Crótalo Añejo is double-barrel-aged for just over two years. The showpiece of the portfolio—the limited-edition Crótalo Extra Añejo Reserva—is double barrel–aged a total of five years, three of which are spent in French oak. It's a postprandial masterpiece. Crótalo Spirits Recent arrival Don Pilar Extra Añejo is a 100% agave tequila matured for no less than 36 months in new American oak barrels, after which it is finished in French Limousin oak barrels for an additional four months. The limited edition tequila is a luxurious spirit loaded with character and sophistication. It has a dark copper/amber hue, a velvety textured body and a bouquet of brown sugar, dried apricots, butterscotch, cinnamon and vanilla bean. The spice and fruit palate persist throughout the lingering finish. Don Pilar Easily the most unusual of the new wooded giants is Qui Platinum Extra Añejo Tequila. Billed as the first clear extra añejo, Qui is made from oven-baked agaves that are allowed to ferment naturally. After distillation, the tequila is aged for three-anda-half years in both charred American oak barrels and Bordeaux casks. The oak-induced color is filtered out prior 148 / the tasting panel / april 2013