Olmeca Tequila

Olmeca Tequila

Type	Premium Tequila
Manufacturer	Pernod Ricard Group
Country of origin	Mexico
Introduced	1967
Variants	Olmeca, Olmeca Altos and Olmeca Tezón

Olmeca Tequila is a tequila produced in Jalisco, Mexico. Olmeca is owned by the Pernod Ricard Group.^[1]

There are three tequilas in the Olmeca family: Olmeca, Olmeca Altos and Olmeca Tezón - all of which contain Tahona Liquid. Olmeca was launched in 1967 and now has a presence in 80 countries worldwide.

Olmeca is a mix of Tequila.

Olmeca Altos 100% Agave Tequila was launched in November 2009.^[2]

Olmeca Tezón is a 100% Agave, 100% Tahona Liquid Tequila.

Production

Made from blue agave picked after 7–8 years of growth. Once harvested, traditional brick ovens are then used to slow cook the piñas.

Part of the production process involves using the 500-year-old traditional and artisan Tahona method, which consists of a 2 tonne millstone made of volcanic rock, known locally as Tezontle. Once the Agave piñas have been harvested and cooked, they are crushed by the Tahona, creating a pulp and drawing out the sweet juice from the fibres. This juice is referred to as Tahona Liquid, of which a percentage is integrated into the fermentation and distillation process of all Olmeca Tequilas, with Olmeca Tezón exclusively containing 100% Tahona Liquid – certified by Consejo Regulador del Tequila.^[3]

Origins

Olmeca Tequilas are produced at Destileria Colonial de Jalisco. Operation at the plant is overseen by Maestro Tequilero Jesús Hernández and his team of workers. The Master Distiller is responsible for supervising all production, from the harvest of the plants in the agave fields to the bottling of the tequila. The Olmeca distillery is situated in the town of Arandas, Jalisco, the unofficial capital of Los Altos (2104 metres above sea level), taking advantage of the blue agave plants that are grown locally.

Reviews of Olmeca

Spirit ratings organizations, such as the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and Beverage Testing Institute, have given accolades to some Olmeca tequilas. The best-performing expression of Olmeca, according to ratings aggregator Proof66, is the Altos Blanco. The Altos Blanco was given scores of 94 and 93 in 2011 and 2012 by the Beverage Testing Institute. The 2011 and 2012 San Francisco World Spirits Competitions awarded the Blanco gold and silver medals.^[4]

References

1. ‘Olmeca Tequila to launch in UK’. Morning Advisor Ewan Turney, 17/11/2009 http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/news.ma/article/85094?Ntt=olmeca%2Baltos&Ntk=All&PagingData=Po_0~Ps_10~Psd_Asc
2. ‘Olmeca Tequila unveils Altos’. The Drinks Business Alan Lodge, 11/11/2009 http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/content/view/10552/333/
3. Constancia CRT Proceso Artesanal Tahona Tezón, 22/06/2009/
4. Proof66 LLC. "Olmeca Altos Blanco Tequila". proof66.com. Retrieved 20 April 2015.