Top Shelf Agave Picks From The Distiller Community

As part of the second release of Expressiones del Corazón, this limited Artisanal Edition Blanco uses 100% blue weber agave with its brix measured before harvest, instead of traditional clear cut. Two sets were harvested for the blanco - one with lower sugar and one with higher. This blend is the unaged spirit that also goes into the expressions aged in selected barrels once used for different marks of Buffalo Trace bourbon and rye.

Casamigos (loosely translated to "house of friends") is indeed the tequila brand created by George Clooney and Rande Gerber. The agaves are sourced from the Highlands of Jalisco and this reposado is aged for 7 months in reconditioned whiskey barrels and is bottled at 80 proof.

Casamigos is a tequila brand created by friends George Clooney, Rande Gerber, and Mike Meldman. They have chosen NOM 1416 (Productos Finos de Agave) to be where this tequila is made and agaves from the Highlands of Jalisco are chosen for distillation. Their blanco rests for 2 months in stainless-steel before bottling at 80 proof.

Produced at the Productos Finos de Agave (NOM 1416), this tequila is produced from agaves from the Highlands of Jalisco. This añejo tequila has been aged for 14 months in reconditioned whiskey barrels. And yes, this is George Clooney's tequila.

The agave sourced for Lunazul Tequila is grown at the Beckmann family-owned Tierra de Agaves estate in the town of Tequila in Jalisco, Mexico. The agave matures 7 - 9 years in the field and is transported directly to the distillery. Each batch is twice distilled in custom cognac stills. Lunazul Blanco Tequila is 100% agave and bottled unaged.

Venus Spirits is a distillery founded by Sean Venus in 2012 and is located in Santa Cruz, California; this is where El Ladrón (the thief) Agave Spirit is distilled. Agave juice is sourced from Guadalajara from agaves in the highlands of Jalisco. The juice is fermented, distilled, and bottled at Venus Spirits. The product is rested in stainless-steel before bottling and is 94 proof.

El Ladrón (The Thief) is distilled in Santa Cruz, California from agave juice sourced from the highlands of Jalisco. The Reposado is aged from 3-6 months in a combination of new and used whiskey barrels and is bottled at 94 proof.

This is the second release from El Silencio following up their Joven ensemble bottling. It is meant as more of an introductory bottling and is priced accordingly. Made from 100% espadín, this is distilled in San Baltazar Guelavila, Oaxaca and made by Master Mescalier Pedro Hernandez. It is produced traditionally with agaves roasted in a mesquite-lined pit and the agaves are crushed by a horse-drawn tahona. Natural fermentation is allowed and the mezcal is double-distilled in copper pot stills.

The brand Mezcal El Silencio is named after the bar in the movie "Mulholland Drive." El Silencio Joven was released in Los Angeles in late summer of 2013. The Joven is a blend of three types of agave: mexicáno (aka rhodacantha), tobasiche (aka karwinskii), and espadín (angustifolia). It is a Oaxacan product made by Master Mezcalier Pedro Hernandez and is distilled in copper pot-stills. It is unaged and bottled at 80 proof.

Released in the summer of 2015, this is a mezcal produced with 100% agave cupreata (aka papalote). The agaves are sourced from the slopes of the Sierra Madre del Sur mountain range and distilled in the village of Mazatlán in the state of Guerrero. Natural fermentation takes place in open pine vats and this is double-distilled in a copper pot-still. Unaged, this is bottled at 86 proof.