Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/818616
may 2017 / the tasting panel / 65 In English, the brand name El Tesoro de Don Felipe means "The Treasure of Don Felipe." It's a name with real meaning, as we were to discover at a recent trade tast- ing of El Tesoro tequilas led by the Master Distiller himself. El Tesoro refers both to the treasure that is the blue agave plant, as well as to the traditional, quality-driven tequila production methods passed down through the generations. When the old ways are replaced with more efficient, more cost-effective methods, often something is lost. It's something ineffable but real, transferred through human care and skills to the art in the final product. Fortunately, efficiency has lost out to art with El Tesoro. On the contrary, there's an excellent reason for every painstaking, labor- intensive, time-consuming step taken from field to finished tequila. But with literally thousands of tequila brands confronting today's consumer, understanding the range of qualities in the tequila space is key, and understanding what seperates El Tesoro from the pack starts on Carlos Camarena is the Master Distiller for El Tesoro Tequila. PHOTO: HARDY WILSON W inemakers will often say, "Fine wine begins in the vineyards." Similarly, Master Distillers like Carlos Camarena, who orchestrates the making of El Tesoro de Don Felipe, believe that excellent tequila begins in the blue agave fields. Carlos's great-great grandfa- ther brought blue agave from its traditional home in the Tequila Valley to the Jalisco Highlands in the mid-1800s. "No one knows why," he says. "It was a mystery even then. His employees thought he was crazy to plant something that couldn't be eaten." Yet, Don Felipe proved to be a visionary. Today, the fifth generation of his descendants continue as growers and producers in the area of Mexico officially recognized as the premium terroir for blue agave. Yes, "terroir," that word most associ- ated with winegrowing, very much applies to fine tequila.