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CATEGORY REPORT Sublime Don Cuco Sotol is an unknown entity to most Americans; that is, until they try it, and then it’s impossible to forget. The brand is distilled from the desert spoon plant, a variety of agave native to Chihuahua. Although not a tequila, it has directly benefited from tequila’s surging popularity. The sotol has been handmade for six generations at a small distillery in Sierra Nevada. Demand for Don Cuco invariably exceeds supply, so grab some while you can. It’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. DON CUCO SOTOL Newcomer Aha Toro is made in the countryside of Los Altos at Rancho El Olvido from estate-grown agave. The award-winning portfolio includes an all-pro Añejo aged 18 months in new French oak barrels. It’s lushly textured with an engaging floral and fruit palate. WILLIAM RYAN SELECT, LTD. Few brands are better prepared for suc- cess than T1–Tequila Uno. What could easily be the poster child for artisanal tequilas, Tequila Uno is the creation of Master Distiller Germán González of Chinaco fame. The Reposado Excepcional is barrel-aged just under a year and the Añejo Estelar is matured 18 months in American white oak. This month, the brand will debut Tequila Uno Maduro, a blanco distilled to produce a fuller-bodied, more flavorful spirit. T1 TEQUILA Agave 99 heads the small contingent of brands with elevated amounts of alcohol. Being bottled at 99 proof means less water is added to the tequila after it is taken off the still. In the case of Agave 99, the result is a smash success. The overproof tequila thrums like a throaty V-8 when sipped neat and blends well in cocktails and mixed drinks. All three expressions are high-octane gems. WORLDWIDE BEVERAGE IMPORTS Those seeking an ultra-suave blanco for their shelves should sample 901 Silver. The silky smooth spirit is triple-distilled in small batches at Tequilera Newton e Hijos in Jalisco. The tequila has an oily-textured body and is generously spicy and herbaceous. It makes an excellent entree to the pleasures of sipping blanco tequila. 901 Silver won a Double Gold at this year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition. PALM BAY INTERNATIONAL Rounding out the group is TequilaRack, an exclusive set of 100% agave tequilas handmade in extremely small batches at different family-owned distilleries. The col- lection features the Reposados from Arette Unique, Don Celso Plascencia and El Caudillo. Each of the boutique brands is characteristically distinctive. Salud! INTERNATIONAL TASTING GROUP 42 / the tasting panel / april 201 1 Complete contact information on these tequilas is available at www. tastingpanelmag.com. When French-born fashion entrepreneur Christian Audigier acquired the rights to market products bearing the name of Ed Hardy— “Godfather of the Modern Tattoo”—he knew his line of edgy, tattoo-inspired clothing and accessories couldn’t constitute a complete lifestyle without beverages to assuage the thirst of the celebrities and influencers who wear the strikingly unique Ed Hardy teeshirts and trucker hats. Among the complementary line of Ed Hardy Vif Drinks is now found Ed Hardy Tequila, a spirit as colorful and full of life as a design by the master ink artist himself. Available now in a Silver expression, Ed Hardy tequila is—like it says right on the bottle—“beautiful but dangerous.” WORLDWIDE BEVERAGE IMPORTS