At the beginning of the year, I wanted to make a goal to set out and try more agave spirits. And while I did get to experience some really wonderful mezcals; it was a goal that I kind of fell flat on my face of achieving.
A good chunk of that is because of the nature of agave spirits, to begin with. A lot of consumers tend to get a little green around the gills when it comes to drinking agave. Whether stems from a rough night with Jose Cuervo in college or that bottle of novelty mezcal while on vacation in Mexico.
Which is quite unfortunate. There are really amazing expressions of both that are readily available on the market. It’s just that to get to those; you have to battle through the gauntlet of mass-produced agave spirits that are in obnoxious sized bottles to distract you from the liquid inside. It is the reason why I never cared much for agave for most of my adult life. My opinion on it was much the same as that of Justified’s Raylan Givens:
“Kinda’ hard to understand how they’d make a drink out of something like that. It’s sharp. Inhospitable. Same reason I never understood the fascination with the artichoke.”
By the time you finally make it to the quality tequilas on the shelf; a heftier price tag tends to sit with them. And as with most things; that price tag is not a guarantee of quality either.
Luckily the market has a newcomer to the stage that offers the best balance of quality and price in El Velo or “The Veil”.
The brand is owned by boutique importer Altamar Brands in collaboration with Charly and Carlos Hernandez of La Cofradia Distillery-NOM 1137.
Named for the veil of ash that covered Tequila Valley (commonly referred to as Lowland) when Volcan de Tequila erupted some 200,000 years ago. The lava and ash that coated the valley region are what give the agave and tequila its earthy, herbal, spice forward profile as compared to the fruiter Highland agave.
El Velo is made from fully matured agave that roasted in traditional brick ovens for 32 hours and is allowed to rest for 16 hours before it is macerated for fermentation in stainless steel vats and double distilled in copper-lined stainless steel pot stills before being bottled at 44.5% abv. A touch high compared to most tequilas on the market, but the end result is a tequila that is perfectly formulated for cocktails.
El Velo comes in both a Blanco and reposado which was rested in ex-Jack Daniels barrels for five months. Both offerings come in one-liter formats and available in the Chicago markets for $35 and $38 respectively.
EL VELO BLANCO
APPEARANCE
If I ever were to have a pet peeve when it comes to spirits; it is bottle designs and the bottle design of most tequilas drives me crazy. It seems like every new release to the market has some sort of unnecessary wide, oblong, corkscrew, or pear-shaped design that takes up SO. MUCH. SPACE.
I understand it from an on-premise perspective. You want it to stand out on a back bar. Something that the average consumer can easily spot in a low-lit restaurant or bar. It even gives the impression the liquid inside the nearly two-foot-tall decanter-esque bottle with a bell couldn’t possibly be as average as it actually is. I also cannot imagine how much bartenders DESPISE trying to pour from those in a confined space.
So yes, I get it. But as a minimalist and as someone who works in spirits retail? I want to toss every single one of those bottles in the trash. If I cannot fit your product comfortably on the shelf or have to stack bottles on top of each other or the shelf rails to the point where it usually ends up as breakage, you are doing something wrong.
Okay, tirade over.
That being said; El Velo does not have that problem. In fact, it has no problem at all. The bottle design is simple, practical, and efficient. The most standout feature of the bottle is the label design. Created by a local artist in Kansas City, MO, the El Velo label consists of a volcano sitting prominently in an airy haze of ash and soot pluming into the sky.
The tequila itself clear and slightly opaque.
AROMA
Right off the bat, this tequila reveals its heritage with big, bold, warm agave aromas. Warm agave honey and green tea are the dominating notes. It takes a while, but the green tea becomes more aligned with that of fresh-cut grass. Bitter citrus oils of rushed lime peel begin to peek through. Sea salt, pepper, nectarine, and beeswax come through to paint a bigger picture of what is going on here.
PALATE
The flavors here are quite simple. Clean notes of sugar, slightly resinous agave sap, and pine needles. Not as big and dynamic as the aroma. Given that this is designed for cocktails, that is perfectly fine. I can see how this would be a flavor enhancer for fresh, quality ingredients in many cocktails. A base that also doubles as salt and pepper.
BODY
Deceptively light, but not thin. There is still structure on the mouthfeel.
FINISH
A bit more dynamic than the initial entry. The longer I let the tequila sit on my tongue a more pronounced wave of black pepper comes through. Even the bitter lime oil found on the nose can be found. As it fades, it leaves a nice balance of chalk, flower petals, and unripe strawberries hanging out in the background.
EL VELO REPOSADO
APPEARANCE
The bottle of El Velo reposado shares the same artwork as its predecessor but with a more ominous tone. The airy grey ash of the Blanco has been replaced with black. It gives the idea of smudge charcoal and soot covering everything in its path.
The tequila is the faintest shade of pale straw in color, an excellent sign. These barrels were probably fourth or fifth use if not more.* A hallmark sign that the idea was to allow the spirit to actually “rest” and the name implies. Allowing the character of the agave to develop and grow instead of becoming covered up.
*I was informed by Altamar's Director of Education Brandon Cummins that these were in fact 1st fill barrels (now 1st and 2nd fill). They were tasted at cask strength and pulled at 5 months before tannins as the tannins began to show.
AROMA
This is what big brand tequilas wish they could be. There is a nice punch of fresh peeled orange segments and light honey notes. The welcoming aromas introduce you gradually to dried wildflowers, roasted agave, bleu cheese, baked clay, white pepper, and expressed lemon peel. There is a lot going on here and as the color would suggest; oak is a faint accent.
PALATE
Those big roasted agave notes from the nose are going to be the first thing that you notice. There is an underlying character of caramelized citrus and fresh honeycomb.
BODY
I don’t know if it is the correct adjective, but I am going with supple. This tequila is very supple.
FINISH
As the sweet entry begins to fade, there is a strong vegetal character that emboldens itself. There is quite a bit more pepper and spice than the Blanco that begins to come through and light, bitter celery.
OVERALL
These are tequilas for tequila and cocktail nerds through and through.
While these tequilas both have a nice bold flavor and incredible aroma, it is not wrong to say that these are not the most complex tequilas on the market as far as flavor goes. Nor should they be. But damn, if these marques do not amplify every ingredient you are using in a cocktail. It is not often that you find a cocktail base that also doubles as the salt and pepper for what you are making.
Personally, I still feel that the Blanco still works best in the same way I find all Blancos work best. On its own with a squeeze of lime. That pop of fresh citrus makes all Blancos come to life.
The reposado is quickly becoming my cocktail king. I recommend using in my variation of a tequila sunrise using a 1:1 ratio of freshly squeezed blood orange juice and pineapple juice. The blood orange gives you a better color than grenadine and the pineapple juice allows for a beautiful froth and slight tart bite.
Those who are accustomed to the near-neutral character of big brand tequilas and those who are used to highland agave processed through diffusers might be taken aback a little bit. However; those who are fans of Fortaleza, Casa Noble, and the very under the radar Trianon, will be a very welcomed addition to your cocktail arsenal.
