EVERYBODY must get STONED! Turn your tequila clock back a hundred years or more and you’d find that all of the distilleries in Mexico were using a giant volcanic grinding stone (the TAHONA) to extract the juice from their cooked agave plants. Fast forward to the present day and you’ll find that less than 1% of the distilleries are still producing their tequila using this age old technique. But does it make any difference to the TASTE? Join Lippy & “Senior” Rick Mendell as they BLIND TASTE 8 (!) blancos which were created completely (or mostly) with Tahona-ground agaves.

Lippy welcomes back his favorite drinking buddy, “Senior Rick” for a stumbling romp through the agave fields. Watch as they break down the flavor profiles of 8 currently-produced blancos in an effort to find their one true favorite. Many brands are called but few rise to the task of providing a completely satisfying tahona experience. After your Tequila Whisperer DOES choose his top 3 blancos however, it becomes a celebration of the STONE: and the music, laughter, and general MAYHEM rise accordingly! Enjoy this massive volcanic episode.

Though Senior & Lippy were blind tasting, the audience was alerted to which brand was which through a Facebook announcement just before the show began.  Those brands and their corresponding glass numbers are listed below:

1.Suerte

2.Patron

3.Tezon

4.Olmeca Altos

5.Still-Strength Blanco (“Tanque”) from NOM 1139

6.El Tesoro

7.Siete Leguas

8.Los Abuelos (Fortaleza)

(sung to the tune of ‘San Francisco’) “If you’re going, to Mon-Te-Rey: Be sure to briiiiiing a caballito in your hand..”  Yep, Th’ Lip is taking you down the fog-shrouded California coast to taste featured brands from the 2012 Monterey Tequila & Mezcal Expo! Come on along and bring your favorite (BIG) tasting vessel.  Sip along as we review Azul Imperial, Mi Casa, Alderete, and Don Elias tequilas.

Lippy rustled up some previous medal winners from past Monterey Expos and found his favorite age variant from all ages of the brands provided.  This was an especially difficult choice because a few brands presented great juice in multiple ages of their product.  Be that as it may, your intrepid Tequila Whisperer persevered through it all and came up with 4 Must-Taste tequilas for your sipping enjoyment.   Whether you’re traipsing through the Expo or enjoying these brands at home or at a party, there is something here to like for every age (and wallet) preference.  Add to all of this the show’s musical soundtrack is provided by the great Monterey Pop Festival from exactly 45 years ago.  This is an episode you’ll be singing along to!

Blanco:  “Azul Imperial” (NOM 1549). This blanco was an immediate favorite owing to its soft and “round” taste that brought forth a nice bottom end and a full load of rich, roasted agave.  Additionally there was a very “clean” mouth feel allowing to this blanco to become an instant winner.  What Th’ Lip was NOT prepared for was its long and warm (NOT a commonplace occurrence).  When sipping Azul Imperial make sure to leave a long time between sips as you’ll want to savor that lingering finish!

Reposado: “Mi Casa” (NOM 1499). Your Tequila Whisperer was impressed by both the repo AND the anejo of this family owned and operated brand.  But ultimately it was the reposado that really shone in its even balance of sweet cinnamon coupled with a blanket of caramel oak.  Lippy has tasted many brands that have been produced at the 1499 distillery, and can say without equivocation that Mi Casa is the richest tasting brand he’s ever had from that factory.  Enjoy this reposado – and after a few evenings with it, seek out its older anejo brother.  You’ll be in for an even more lush experience there.

Anejo: “Alderete” (NOM 1414). Buckle up for this one, tasters!  The Alderete anejo will take you on a deep, rich, and spicy ride through agave country.  Your Tequila Whisperer was not prepared for such a rich experience from this anejo.  It keeps the acidic tang of its blanco “seed stock”, but balances that sprightly agave note with thick slathers of menthol, mint, and vanilla!  Wow.  There is a lot to like here, and you’ll find yourself reaching for the bottle to refill your glass again and again.  Nice going, Alderete.  Welcome to Th’ Lip’s home bar!

Extra Anejo: “Don Elias” (NOM 1477). You like a sweet ride on your agave adventures?  Then look no further.  This bargain-priced “XA” will lead you on a soft journey through tasting territory with stops on sugar hill and cologne-spice colonnade. You’ll get a nice mélange of disparate flavors in this extra aged cocktail of components.  Though Th’ Lip favors a less-sweet tequila, fans of the fruit will enjoy Don Elias’ easy sipping qualities.  Bring this one to a party of “Tequila Newbies” and make friends immediately.

Which is the BEST Bloody Maria Mix?

If there’s one thing Th’ Lip likes almost as much as sipping TEQUILA, it’s sipping some cocktails for which someone ELSE had to do all the work! Enter Grover Sanschagrin, fresh off the plane from a 2 year Mexican Odyssey of living in tequila country! He was hankerin’ for a damned good “Bloody Maria”, so he called your Tequila Whisperer post-haste & we set up a few cameras then proceeded to get SERIOUS about which bargain bottle of “Bloody Maria” mix was the best. We think you’ll be amazed, amused, and slightly abused by the proceedings!

On a “regular” episode of the Tequila Whisperer Show, Th’ Lip requires A LOT of your time to watch him play with his wet things. But this pre-recorded video is only about 15 minutes long, so sit back, pour yourself something nice, and enjoy the ride!

Your Tequila Whisperer spared no pours in getting Scarlet & Grover to open up about the triumphs, heartbreaks, and epiphanies associated with their Mexican Odyssey.  Also their company TasteTequila.com has just released the world’s FIRST tequila-based phone app, “Tequila Matchmaker”.  Scarlet aptly described the app as “Pandora for Tequila drinkers”, and Th’ Lip can’t think of a more concise description. When you see a bottle that interests you (at a bar, or liquor store, say) you type it into “Tequila Matchmaker” and see how it compares to your favorite brands.  Save yourself from buying expensive bottles you’ll hate!  Point the way to fabulous bottles you would have missed!

This is only a small function of what the app (currently for iPhone – Android version coming soon) can do.  Watch this episode to get a better overview of Tequila Matchmaker’s functionality.  Download it for FREE here.

TEQUILAS TASTED ON THE SPECIAL EPISODE:

Olmeca Altos blanco – (100% shredded ”Molino”> agaves – Not commercially available

Olmeca Altos blanco – (100% stone-crushed ”Tahona”> agaves  - Not commercially available

Olmeca Altos blanco – 40% abv Highlands, NOM 1111(available in Colorado & Illinois)

Yeyo blanco – Highlands, NOM 1414

El Tesoro “White Label” blanco – Highlands, NOM 1139 out-of-print “Treasure Bottle”

El Reformador blanco – Heartland, NOM 1109 out-of-print “Treasure Bottle”

Casa Noble Single barrel High Octane “Gold” re-creation – Heartland, NOM 1137 Not commercially available

Fortaleza anejo – Heartland, NOM 1493 Lot 12

Hi Gang! Your Tequila Whisperer has animated his first long form Google Doodle! Click above to play it (and don’t forget to watch hi-rez FULL SCREEN!)

Here is the story of how I got involved in the production and why it was such an important piece for me:

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As a veteran character animator, I was beginning to doubt whether I’d ever again have the opportunity to create a short narrative piece – then I got the call.  When Google calls and says, ‘We’d like you to drop everything and make a short narrative piece that will be seen by hundreds of millions of people’, you heed that call!

Since the dot com crash I, like many of my Flash animation contemporaries, have been content to reboot my career to a trade less concerned with storytelling and more concerned with making online game characters perform repeatable incremental actions.  It’s a fine living, but the urge to tell a story, even a simple one, is what drives most animators to continue to create. I have always been humbled by watching my fellow animators working insane hours on their own time to try and squeeze a few more ”story beats” into the opening cutscenes of the game they’re working on.  I’ve done it myself many times.  It’s the creamy center of any game production job: designing/storyboarding/(and if you’re lucky) animating the intro sequence: a mini-movie for all of 20 seconds.  Unlike the dot com glory days when animators had full time work telling stories for well-paying online patrons, these days working to create short pieces comes at a steep price: you must fund your animation independently out of your own pocket.  Then it’s up to you to market, advertise, and, against-all-odds, try to squeeze some money out of the whole endeavor.  It dissuades a lot of potential storytellers.

And yet hope springs eternal.  My call came on a Tuesday.

After a whirlwind of pre-production calls, on-campus meetings, and massive file transfers, I found myself working on Google’s first ever long-form animation: a Valentine’s Day “Google Doodle”!  I was working from the inspiring design paintings of Willie Real in the Doodle dept.  Willie has recently returned to the Bay Area from Blue Sky Studios feature animation studios in New York.  He has a great feel for story beats and honest emotion.  Animation is generally timed to a soundtrack, and for this piece, what a track we had: the legendary Tony Bennett crooning his 1951 version of the Hank Williams nugget, “Cold, Cold Heart”.  (Luckily I am a huge fan of both Williams and Bennett, which is good because I had to listen to that track more times that I can count).

So after all of the late night work sessions and early morning conference calls, my valentine is complete.  I’ll be taking my lovely wife out to dinner tonight to celebrate.  But I can’t help being surprised that in working on this project, I too was courted.  It was a sweetheart of a deal: I got paid to tell a story to the world again.

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Many thanks to all of my friends on the Google Doodle team especially Ryan Germick & Willie Real.

It’s Willie’s “retro-current” designs that really make this piece.
LOVE RULES!

This is Willie’s original storyboard drawing:

.. and this is my final frame layout for the animation:

To see more of Th’ Lip’s animation go to LIPPY.com!

Lippy presents his “Favorite Tequilas of 2011” in a special guest appearance at the ToutSuite Social Club.  Will your Tequila Whisperer find his “tequila legs” in an unfamiliar environment, or will he drown in a sea of runaway conversation?  Watch and see!

Th’ Lip ventures out of his Man-Cave (finally!) and finds himself in the wilds of the Napa Valley wine country.  On this special edition show, Lippy is joined by winemakers, David Long (David Arthur Vineyards), Steve Reynolds (Reynolds Family Winery), Marko Karakasevic (Charbay Tequila), and Mark Pope (Bounty Hunter Wine).  It’s an all-star lineup of tequila-fanatic, Wine-eroos!

Lippy’s FAVORITE TEQUILAS of 2011 :

BRAND: MILAGRO SELECT BARREL RESERVE blanco, NOM:1559, AGAVE SOURCE: HIGHLANDS

BRAND: CHARBAY blanco, NOM:1474, AGAVE SOURCE: HIGHLANDS

BRAND: EXCELLIA reposado, NOM:11139, AGAVE SOURCE: HIGHLANDS

BRAND: t1 TEQUILA UNO “ESTELAR” anejo, NOM:1146, AGAVE SOURCE: HIGHLANDS

BRAND: CROTALO “RESERVA” extra anejo, NOM:1509, AGAVE SOURCE: HIGHLANDS

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GENERAL TASTING NOTES:

Lippy started the tasting with one of his favorite blancos from the 2011 season of “Whisperer” shows: Milagro Select Barrel Reserve blanco.  This Milagro blanco was a winning favorite.  It brings a thick slather of supple pepper (oxymoron?) and heavy vanilla notes to the flavor party.  Your Tequila Whisperer is not exactly sure how Milagro gets vanilla tastes from an unaged spirit, but kudos to the team at Milagro for creating an interesting triple-distilled blanco that rewards continual sipping.

Marko Karakasevic showed up and brought some samples of his Charbay tequila blanco to set the stage for the reposado to come.  Both Charbay and Excellia are created at Carlos Camarena’s “La Altena” highlands distillery, but the Karakasevic family (13 generations of Master Distillers!) had a very hands-on approach to making their blanco their way down at NOM 1139.  Charbay blanco is a delightfully easy blanco to sip, and features perhaps the most balanced and nuanced blanco currently created at La Altena.  Got a friend who is eager to try some great gourmet tequila, but is skittish about “the burn”?  Set them up with Charbay and watch the grin grow wide and strong.

Th’ Lip is always talking about how difficult it is to make a great reposado tequila.  Many repos seem to be simply stopped because their legal aging time is reached (they can only be aged for 364 days) regardless of how the tequila actually tastes.  Has it reached an expression which is markedly singular and commands its own flavor properties and quirks? Then it its time to bottle.  Happily, Carlos Camarena’s Excellia defines a great reposado.  The interplay between the herbaceous highlands blanco is married to some superior barrel-blending of Gran Cru Sauternes and Brandy barrels.  The sweet bottom notes of this barrel blend is a taste signature for Excellia and plays exceptionally well with the rich agave notes of the blanco.  This reposado is an absolute pleasure from top to bottom!

Lippy was very excited to be able to present the just-released t1 “Estelar” anejo, aged 20 months in Scotch barrels.  T1 is the newest tequila brand from Master Distiller, German Gonzalez of the mighty Chinaco brand.  German and his family have a long history of creating magic by aging their tequilas to feature interesting taste profiles with long finishes –while always protecting the agave notes within the mix.  Estelar does not disappoint in this regard, and the Scotch notes present a wonderfully “dry” taste and finish for this anejo.  Perhaps the driest anejo your Tequila Whisperer has ever tasted!  Lippy found himself taking this anejo along with him to the after party at St. Helena’s new “La Condesa” gourmet Mexican restaurant (with a fabulous TEQUILA bar selection).  Needless to say, the bottle was drained “tout de suite”!

The evening was brought to a crescendo when Th’Lip pulled out the Big Gun: Crotalo 5 year Extra Anejo “Reserva”.  Lippy is always looking for a chance to sip him some “Snake” (crotalo means “rattlesnake” in Spanish) and he was extra pleased the tasting group found this XA to be an especially singular tequila.  What is quite amazing about Crotalo is the interplay between sweet and dry, smooth and spiky, bottom richness and top note brightness.  It’s all here in a wonderful orgy of exciting flavors.  Crotalo is a great new brand for aficionados, by aficionados.  Look for it in California and Nevada (other States coming soon) and of course online.  All ages are worthy and delicious.

So that’s the wrap-up, Friends.  Thanks for your continued support of the Tequila Whisperer Show.  Your interest has made a big difference in the gourmet tequila world.  The industry is listening to your voice and your preferences.  You are helping to shape the next generation of tequilas – and you’re doing it all by sitting back and sipping along with Th’ Lip! Is there a more delicious way to make a difference? Doubtful.

Salud,

Lippy

Are you ready to get cerebral, emotional, and HORIZONTAL? Tomas Estes has come to town with his newest vintages of Tequila Ocho in tow. Prepare to have deep philosophical ruminations about the nature of tequila production. Do you have a notebook handy? The Master Class is in session!

Your Tequila Whisperer is pleased and honored to welcome back Tequila Ambassador to the European Union & founder of Tequila Ocho, Sr. Tomas Estes!  We taste the newly released Ocho extra anejo along with the just-bottled “El Puertecito” plata, vintage 2011.  Along the way Tomas introduces us to the new category of 108% de agave tequila!  What does THAT mean?  Watch and learn about the pending release of “Curado” tequila!

TEQUILA Details:

BRAND: TEQUILA OCHO

NOM: 1474

AGAVE SOURCE: HIGHLANDS – “El Vergel” for the XA, “El Puertecito” for the 2011 plata)

GENERAL TASTING NOTES:

“El Puertecito” plata (2011) is a thick and complex ride through a wonderfully balanced Rancho.  Lippy was struck by the miles-deep mouth feel of this blanco.  What also pleased him was the balance of many complex and fruity flavors.  This was easily the “thickest” and fruitiest Rancho ever presented by Tequila Ocho.  Though “El Puertecito” doesn’t bring quite as much green agave notes forward as in older Ranchos (most notably “El Carrizal” 2008), the agave taste is certainly there and the addition of the herbal fruit makes this plata an instant classic.

The “El Vergel” extra anejo (3 years in used Jack Daniels barrels) will be perhaps the lightest-tasting extra anejo you’ll ever experience.  In keeping with Tequila Ocho’s philosophy of “Agave Above All”, the wood notes of this XA have been significantly dialed back.  Th’ Lip found it hard to get too excited about this Ocho variant.  Without a thick and “brown” bottom end to the flavor, the tequila ultimately ends up tasting like a rich anejo.  It’s a very fine tasting anejo to be sure, but mostly lacking in the deeper caramel, toast, vanilla and other flavors which Lippy enjoys in an extra aged product.  You gotta give Ocho credit for a consistent philosophy, though.  There’s no acquiescing to fashion or over-wooded trends.  This XA is true to its heritage.

RECOMMENDED BUY:

TEQUILA OCHO “El Puertecito” 2011 plata

FLAVOR Profiles for TEQUILA OCHO “El Puertecito” 2011 plata

(out of a possible 4 points)

Th’ Lip has traveled far and wide (online, of course!) to find some of the best artisanal potato chips in the entire Country.  As is his bent, he chose some great current tequilas to pair them with.  And what fun is chowing down on a few thousand chips without a Buddy to come over and help make ‘em disappear?  Welcome “Senior” Rick Mendell back to the show, Folks!

CHIPS TASTED:

ROUTE 11 Lightly Salted, Virginia

MADHOUSE MUNCHIES Sea Salt, Vermont

MADHOUSE MUNCHIES Sweet Mesquite BBQ, Vermont

COLOSSAL SPUDMASTER Original Flavor, Missouri

RUSTY’S Island Chips, California

DEEP RIVER SNACKS Mesquite BBQ, Connecticut

DEEP RIVER SNACKS Multigrain Guacamole, Connecticut

TIM’S Sea Salt, Washington

BOULDER Totally Natural, Colorado

KETTLE BRAND Salt & Pepper, Oregon

HAWAIIAN New Jersey(?)

TEQUILA / MEZCAL BRANDS TASTED:

DON MODESTO blanco

MELOZA blanco

KARMA reposado

MILAGRO Select Barrel Reserve Reposado

ILEGAL MEZCAL joven

EL TESORO PARADISO extra anejo

FORTALEZA blanco

CASA NOBLE 8-year single barrel extra anejo

The Art Of Tequila Whisperer by Lippy

In this episode Lippy welcomes Leslie Sbrocco; award-winning author, speaker, wine consultant, television host, and founder of the new multi-media company, Thirsty Girl.  Leslie puts Th’ Lip’s palate to the test as she calls out one elusive flavor descriptor after another with an aplomb that has Lippy’s head spinning!  Couple the fast and furious tequila tastings with the addition of 6 different gourmet Ghirardelli chocolates, and you have the equivalent of a chocolate + tequila SPEED DATING session!

This is actually the second time that Lippy and Leslie have gotten together and talked tastings.  The first was a few years ago when Lippy was a guest on Leslie’s PBS show, “Check, Please! Bay Area”.  It was only a matter of time (and good manners) that Lippy would return the favor and invite Ms. Sbrocco onto his tasting show.  What follows is in keeping with the classic Tequila Whisperer show tradition: start the episode with a lot of passion and excitement – then watch as the energy level goes through the roof!

Click the image above to see a clip of your Tequila Whisperer on the “Check, Please Bay Area” show!

The chocolates were graciously provided by Ghirardelli as a part of their efforts to donate to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.  On every pink-ribbon marked chocolate box there is an online code which can be entered at the Ghirardelli site.  The Company will donate a dollar for each code entered.  Do your part by indulging in some “Intense Dark” chocolates, then enter your code on the website.

CHOCOLATE –PAIRED TEQUILAS:

LUNA SUENO (blanco, NOM 1137)

VERDE GREEN (blanco, NOM 1438)

MARQUEZ De VALENCIA (reposado, NOM 1465)

DON CUCO -*Sotol* (“tradicional” unaged, NOM 159)

ANGEL BENDITO (6 year extra anejo, NOM 1499)

CASA NOBLE Single Barrel (5 year extra anejo, French Oak NOM 1137 )

CROTALO Reserva (5 year proprietary barrel blend, NOM 1509)