Max Kruse
Tequila is one of those polarising drinks – you either love it, or you hate it.
Too often we have scarred memories of tequila, throwbacks to university nights, downing flavoured alcohol disguised as tequila. Oh, what a shame. To be fair, we were in the same boat – it wasn’t until a trip to Mexico and its famed underground bars which opened our eyes to the real deal.
Over in Mexico – tequila is sipped, not shot – we learned this the hard way when given a mug of it, the locals laughed as we struggled to put it down in 1 hit.
With limited brands of propper tequila available in Australia – we had to share the story of two heavyweights, whose sole mission was to show the world what real tequila consists of – and these two need no introduction.
About
Casamigos Tequila is named after Clooney and Gerber’s house in Mexico, and roughly translates to “house of friends.” Tequila-filled nights with friends is how Casamigos was born.
Casamigos was originally created out of Clooney and Gerber’s desire to enjoy the best-tasting, smoothest tequila and was always intended for personal use, to be shared with family and friends.
“We worked on the creation of Casamigos Tequila with our master distiller in Jalisco, Mexico, for years and held many blind tastings until we knew we got it right. We’ve been drinking Casamigos with friends and family for over six years,” says Clooney.
In their late-night “research sessions,” Gerber and Clooney preferred a sipping tequila known as Reposado, a term referring to the ageing period when the spirit rests in oak barrels. This inspired the notion: “what if we made this stuff ourselves.”
Casamigos Blanco is crisp and clear, with subtle hints of vanilla and a smooth finish, Casamigos Reposado is smooth and clean with hints of caramel, and Casamigos Añejo is a perfect balance of sweetness from the Blue Weber agaves, layered with barrel oak and subtle hints of spice with a lingering smooth finish. All expressions are great served neat or on the rocks, and are the perfect base for premium cocktails.
Before going into the bottle, each batch is taste-tested and approved by the master distiller, Gerber and Clooney, to ensure the highest quality. Each batch is then numbered and signed by Gerber and Clooney. Casamigos’ authentic minimalist design reflects the men who created it.
“We talked about how this was going to be like the bottles you see in old John Wayne movies,” jokes Clooney, “where you slide the bottle down the bar, pull the cork out with your teeth, and pour yourself a shot.”
Los Productos
Casamigos is currently available in Blanco, Reposado and Añejo. These small-batch, ultra-premium tequilas are made from the finest hand-selected 100% Blue Weber agaves, grown in the rich red clay soil and cool climate of Mexico’s Jalisco Highlands for a minimum of seven years.
After harvest, the agave piñas are roasted in traditional brick ovens for seventy-two hours before undergoing an extra-slow fermentation process over an additional eighty hours, nearly double the industry standard.
The Blanco rests for two months. The Reposado and Añejo are aged 7 and 14 months respectively in the finest premium American white oak barrels, which have been carefully reconditioned after being used to age the finest premium whiskey.
Interested in trying Casamigos? You can shop online and get some delivered to your door here.