The Tasting Panel magazine

August 2017

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august 2017  /  the tasting panel  /  61 of a wine connoisseur who takes the Court of Master Sommeliers' Masters exam and passes it on the very first try, thus becoming only the ninth per- son in the world to achieve this rather miraculous accomplish- ment. But that is exactly what Richard Betts, MS, did in 2003, while he was Wine Director at the celebrated Little Nell five-star resort restaurant in Aspen, Colorado. But he didn't stop there. Betts went on to co-found wine labels Betts & Scholl in 2003 and Scarpetta in 2006, and authored the New York Times best- selling books, The Essential Scratch & Sniff Guide to Becoming a Wine Expert as well as The Essential Scratch & Sniff Guide to Becoming a Whiskey Know-It-All. In fact, it was this last book that hinted at Betts' focus-shift from wine to spirits, for in 2006 he created Sombra, a joven mezcal that garnered a Double Gold Medal at the 2016 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. And now Betts is soaring to new heights with the appropri- ately named Astral, meticulously crafted artisanal blanco tequila made from Highland organic agaves grown on a single estate. Not surprisingly, it also recently won a Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. But one must wonder at what inner force made such an obviously dedicated wine and spirits expert like Betts create first a mezcal, and then a tequila. Richard Betts, MS, created Astral Tequila. PHOTO: JENNIFER OLSON YOU'VE GOT TO TAKE NOTICE PHOTO: JASON HOWARD

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