Top Shelf Agave Picks From The Distiller Community

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.

The mountain town of Jesús María is the highest point in all of the tequila agave growing regions, and the El Pandillo Distillery-- located in the middle of these agave fields-- is one of the most forward-thinking and sustainable distilleries of all tequila. Master distiller, Felipe Camarena crafts this Highland style from stressed hillside agave plants which are slowly roasted in brick ovens. They are then macerated intact with fiber for a pronounced agave flavor that he then dilutes with 50% captured rainwater and 50% high mineral spring water.

Tequila Chamucos began as a side project between friends and is now a fully formed brand. The agave is harvested at between 8 - 10 years and roasted in an autoclave, bound for stainless-steel column-distillation. The reposado is aged 7 months in ex-bourbon barrels and packaged in hand-blown glass. Note: The original box is worth seeking out to play with the cardboard cutouts.

Bottled in a beautiful handmade and hand painted ceramic decanter. Inside is a distillate that is carefully aged for eight months in second-use oak barrels. It is then triple micro-filtrated to ensure the highest purity.