Our own Carolyn Kissick and Master Distiller Erika Sangeado picked one special reposado barrel to share with our Sip Tequila community - read on to learn how they made their selection!
Hi folks - Carolyn here from the Sip Mexico team!
On February 27, 2023, I hopped in my truck and made the journey out to Amatitan to meet with Master Distiller Erika Sangeado and her team.
The goal: choose a Single Barrel Reposado for the Sip portfolio -AND- meet another amazing woman in this industry I was very excited to be the first to ever go select a single barrel in person at the distillery, and what a pleasure it was to be there!
The Padre Azul distillery, NOM 1466, is located just off of the carretera libre, on the way to Tequila from Guadalajara. They have their own facility, located farther back on the property where only Padre Azul can be made, to ensure the sanctity of their Kosher certification. Erika is one of the very few female master distillers, not only in Tequila, but worldwide. This makes her special in so many ways but even more so in the fact that she is the cousin of Adriana, whose love story with HP Eder, marked the very beginning of Padre Azul Tequila.
Once proper meetings and greetings were complete upon arrival, the Padre Azul team pulled out the single barrels so Erika and I could get to tasting. All of the barrels were aged around 9 months in barrels previously used for Four Roses Bourbon, which gave them each a bit of that signature fruity and floral flavor profile Four Roses is known for. The agave forward profile of Padre Azul reposado married well with this, and in unique ways for each individual barrel. Some became much sweeter, some fruitier, some dryer - this is the fun with tasting each barrel, whether you're picking one to bottle, or to make the master blend.
Ultimately we decided on a profile that had a great fruity sweetness to it, and a bit of an oily/salty mouthfeel. A unique profile that stood out from the profile Padre Azul fans are used to. Huge thank you to everyone at Padre Azul for your hospitality and the opportunity to choose this amazing expression!
