Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Boy, I have another treat for you tonight. Today we're going to interview the enforcer of additive free or else. And how the Tequila Cop got started as a content creator. I think you're going to dig this one.
All right, guys, I told you I had a great one. And I've got the enforcer of additive free and the additive free movement, the Tequila Cop. How's it going tonight, man?
[00:00:33] Speaker B: Man, it's going. Long day at work, but everything's good now. We're on live.
[00:00:38] Speaker A: So you are out there all day today enforcing additive free and making those people bow to the law and do what's right. Right?
[00:00:47] Speaker B: Absolutely. The glasses come off. It's. It's serious business. And, I mean, you just don't want that happening.
[00:00:52] Speaker A: No, we don't.
[00:00:53] Speaker B: Yeah. So. But I point the finger and it works.
[00:00:56] Speaker A: But the finger works. Yeah. Well, I appreciate what you do. I know how hard you work, and I know how much sacrifice there is in being that enforcer of the additiveness. And I appreciate you very much, my friend.
[00:01:09] Speaker B: Absolutely. Hey, I'm working on a law right now, getting everything in place. We're going to have an apartment full of additive free rails and porchers.
[00:01:16] Speaker A: That's fantastic. Why, I got. I got a good one today. I mean, how do you. How do you beat the Velar Anejo? I know you've had it. What'd you think?
[00:01:26] Speaker B: I loved it. Absolutely different from a lot of the Anejos. Sets itself out for sure. Some sweetness in there that I loved about it. Now, she might be taking offense to it, but I had the sample. I still got the bottle that came in. I haven't opened it yet. Been a little behind, but, you know, I can only imagine it's just as good as the sample I received.
[00:01:47] Speaker A: I'll tell you what. I got it. I popped it like, I did a quick review without even letting it rest. And then I thought, I need to do a longer review on YouTube after it's rested. And I can actually taste a little more. It's fantastic. And you know, Christiana, she's killing it all the time. Everything from the heart, everything with purpose and a lot of intention. And this anejo shows all of that all the way through is pretty amazing.
[00:02:14] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:02:16] Speaker A: So what are you going to drink tonight? I. I've. I worked on this and I've. I kind of went through a few hours waiting for you. I was afraid I'd end up drunk before you got here.
[00:02:24] Speaker B: So tonight I'll allow the speech being slurred on. Some good Tequila, that's for sure.
[00:02:31] Speaker A: Well, I don't know that I can get a dvi.
[00:02:35] Speaker B: Dvi I mean, how would you put that?
[00:02:41] Speaker A: Operate. It'd be. It'd be O V E. Operating video equipment.
[00:02:46] Speaker B: Yeah, they can be casual. Verbally for sure.
[00:02:50] Speaker A: There you go.
[00:02:51] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, it can go from G rated all the way to like na na.
[00:02:57] Speaker A: Exactly. And I. I have that on my. On my social media. This is not intended for children.
[00:03:02] Speaker B: Right, right. 21 or up? Make sure.
[00:03:04] Speaker A: 21 or up. You know, so unless you're in Mexico, then you can be what, 18, I believe.
[00:03:10] Speaker B: Yeah, I think.
[00:03:12] Speaker A: Pretty sure.
[00:03:12] Speaker B: They're so lucky.
[00:03:13] Speaker A: They are lucky. You know what I say we sip on tonight.
[00:03:17] Speaker B: What you thinking? I already know that, little friend.
This might look wrong, but it's not.
[00:03:24] Speaker A: As impressive as the Osom brozo.
[00:03:27] Speaker B: Right. Right. But hey. Yeah.
[00:03:29] Speaker A: So I have not popped this one yet.
[00:03:32] Speaker B: No, we.
[00:03:33] Speaker A: No.
[00:03:33] Speaker B: Is this same as yours?
[00:03:35] Speaker A: Same as mine. Yeah. What bottle number do you have?
[00:03:38] Speaker B: I have number 40 out of 58.
[00:03:40] Speaker A: I've got number 40 out of 58.
Now when you talk about small batch, you're talking about 50 bottles that. I mean, I don't know that there's a smaller batch out there, is there?
[00:03:55] Speaker B: I. Not to my knowledge. Like, it's what typically like. I. Yeah. I don't Never heard of if that. Yeah, yeah.
[00:04:03] Speaker A: So 50 bottles. And I know I did a great. Had a great time with Paul Turner, the owner. It's. It's someplace that. It's really awesome if you ever get to go there, like to go to Maui and then to get to spend, you know, time at their distillery and they have a great tour. And I. I told Paul about you. So if you ever go like you're. You're going to be. You won't have anything to arrest there though.
[00:04:28] Speaker B: That's fine. I mean. But yeah. You see this? I mean, look at it. It's just making its way across.
[00:04:33] Speaker A: It is look like Santa Claus heading home.
[00:04:35] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm done right now.
[00:04:38] Speaker A: Did you see the agave in the. In the top of the cork?
[00:04:42] Speaker B: You know, I hadn't even taken this off yet. I was waiting.
[00:04:45] Speaker A: So you haven't popped it yet either?
[00:04:47] Speaker B: No. This is a unwrapped.
[00:04:50] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:04:50] Speaker B: Uncorked bottle. Yeah.
[00:04:53] Speaker A: I say we give it a shot. Let's try it.
[00:04:55] Speaker B: Let's do this thing. Because I'm telling you right now, I've been in. I've been waiting so long for this.
[00:05:00] Speaker A: And now, you know, I just kept wondering, taste this. When I was There. I did. Yeah. They had a bottle that was available at the tasting.
[00:05:07] Speaker B: So I like to do the silent. Let's see.
Wait for it.
It's coming.
Okay.
[00:05:17] Speaker A: Yeah, it's pretty good pop.
[00:05:18] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. So how would you label this one? Because it's not necessarily. There's not a neck pore. Yeah.
[00:05:24] Speaker A: I don't know. If a person was built like this, you would know that the only shampoo they used was just head and shoulders.
[00:05:31] Speaker B: Clearly.
[00:05:32] Speaker A: No. No neck.
[00:05:33] Speaker B: Right. You know, a lot of people like to take the neck pore. They like to let it breathe. So. Yeah. I mean, either way, I love how it smells.
[00:05:44] Speaker A: Yeah, it's got a great nose to it, doesn't it?
[00:05:47] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:05:48] Speaker A: And the little mechanical tohona. Did you see on my video how he made a trough? And the trough spins and the tohona wheel stays in one place, and the trough is only as thick as the actual wheel, so the agave doesn't have to keep being pushed back in front of it. It can't go anywhere. And the wheel is probably this big around. And the first one he had was made out of a concrete. I forget what he said the weight was inside of it, but it has like a silicon wrap around it. And it weighed, I think he said, twelve hundred pounds. And then the trough spins underneath it and.
[00:06:25] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:06:26] Speaker A: They spray the water on top of it.
And he invented it. He just designed it himself. He designed everything. The still, a little stone or brick oven that was maybe 8 foot tall, 6ft deep, and like 6ft wide.
[00:06:45] Speaker B: And that's. That's very creative. I mean, especially if you're out there, you know, working with what he's got. He could easily, like, had that stuff shipped in and made something like G4 or 40 laser or whatever. But no, being innovative like that, that's great.
[00:06:58] Speaker A: Yeah. He designed his own still. And then it's closed fermentation. He. But he scrapes the pinkas and gets all of the yeast he propagated from the actual agave plants that he grows there in Hawaii. And the plants grow huge. Like they're. They had a pina that was 630 pounds. They had one the other day that was 400. And like, their small ones are over a hundred pounds.
[00:07:21] Speaker B: That's insane.
[00:07:22] Speaker A: So they're huge blue agave and then American oak and Australian oak. And they don't. They don't ro. It's not like double barreled. They blend the two barrels together. For this one, this was a special one.
[00:07:37] Speaker B: And when I was reading the notes for this I was just like, oh, that's. Yes, absolutely. That's a must.
[00:07:43] Speaker A: That's very impressive. And have you ever done any mountain biking?
[00:07:46] Speaker B: No. Back in my day when I was a kid, maybe, but I wouldn't even call that true mountain biking. That was just me being, you know, taking a little huffy bike and. And turning it into it. Yeah.
[00:07:55] Speaker A: You know, so have you ever heard of Rock Rock Shop?
[00:07:59] Speaker B: I have.
[00:08:00] Speaker A: Paul Turner invented the Rock Shock. That was his first company. Yeah, we have those.
[00:08:05] Speaker B: We actually have some bikes around here that are infamous for, especially the electric bikes they got around downtown and stuff. But, yeah, rock shocks used to be a big thing for those.
[00:08:15] Speaker A: Yeah, it's, you know, one of the biggest. Like them and Fox. Those are your two, you know, big shock companies now. It's not his anymore, but that was what he first invented and what his thing was. So I was like, holy crap, that's. You're like, kind of famous, so it's pretty neat. He's a real down toe guy too.
[00:08:31] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:08:31] Speaker A: Well, let's give it a try. You ready?
[00:08:33] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. Hey, salute, by the way. That's. That's.
[00:08:38] Speaker A: Gosh, I get such a good agave, but the, the barrel notes and the caramel is like really strong to me.
[00:08:45] Speaker B: Yes, definitely. Between the barrel spice and the caramel and the oakiness, but is right there with that perfect blend of agave. No doubt.
[00:08:55] Speaker A: Did you get any citrus on it?
[00:08:57] Speaker B: Maybe a little bit like a great. Maybe some lime. I get a little lime on it.
[00:09:02] Speaker A: Yeah, I think lime. You're probably right.
[00:09:04] Speaker B: But either way, that's just, you know, you. You would not. You didn't. I just didn't know what to expect with being Hawaii and. Or Maui and.
Yeah. It does not smell far off from what you. Would you get down and at least go.
[00:09:28] Speaker A: I get a real dryness. Did you. Did you get like a dry, like on the back of your teeth maybe?
[00:09:33] Speaker B: Like. Yeah, as it went down?
[00:09:35] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:09:36] Speaker B: I'm trying to think that almost.
Wow. That.
That hits you like. Well, let's see. It is cast strength. Correct.
[00:09:45] Speaker A: That's 50. Yeah. And the. I feel like the finish starts at one temperature and then as it. The longer the finish goes, the hotter it gets, like, the more I don't know what to. I don't want to say pepper, but it's like a spicy burn that gets stronger as the finish goes longer, at least for me. Did that. Did you get that?
[00:10:07] Speaker B: Yeah. No. So it definitely, like, as soon as it hits the tongue, it's smooth, but the minute it Goes down, that heat comes up. You get the peppery oakiness, but like almost a cinnamon. Yeah, like a cinnamon mint.
There you go. Yeah. Yeah, that's what I got. Yeah.
[00:10:26] Speaker A: The mint. When you say mint, I get like. I got that cinnamon feel, but then that minty flavor comes in. In that finish too. That's a pretty complex agave spirit that is.
[00:10:40] Speaker B: But I like it. I'm digging it for sure. Yeah. The drag, by the way, for. Huh. I wasn't expecting that heat right there. After. As soon. As soon as I took that swallow like that, he. I thought, this is going to be smooth. It's going to be great. You know, easy going down and no bam. Just got me.
[00:10:58] Speaker A: You know what? I think we have to call that because you have the. You have the Kentucky hug or the Bourbon hug. You have the Jalisco hug. I think that's a Hawaiian hug, isn't it?
[00:11:09] Speaker B: That's definitely Hawaiian hug, yo. Yeah, I like. I really like. That's okay.
[00:11:16] Speaker A: I. To me, I get like a. And like, as soon as it. As soon as I swallow, it leaves my mouth, I get like a. Almost like a wine dryness feeling.
[00:11:27] Speaker B: You do get that dry taste in the back. That. Yeah, right. It's. It's like the barrel finish dry style. I. It's.
That's just. That is.
Huh.
[00:11:41] Speaker A: That's complex. Yeah.
[00:11:42] Speaker B: I'm at a loss of words, but it definitely. In a good way.
[00:11:46] Speaker A: Yeah, I agree. There's a lot of. This one's gonna have to be dug into a lot more.
[00:11:50] Speaker B: Definitely gonna have to share this with some of my friends over here in Tennessee. Once again, I. I very much appreciate you for bringing this bottle back for me. It means a lot.
I know. I know. The wife and I had originally planned on going to May, and that trip obviously fell through.
So you grabbing this for me. Appreciate it.
[00:12:11] Speaker A: No worries, dude. Any. Anytime. Anytime you need something, you tell me and I'll make sure it happens. You know that.
[00:12:18] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. Long as at it for your house, of course. But, you know, we all know. We all know that.
[00:12:23] Speaker A: All right, so you're my second guest that I feel like falls into the influencing digital creator category, and I'm excited. Well, actually, you know, I have to say maybe third, because Alan Taylor, the owner of Interim on Us, I don't know if you watch any of his social media.
[00:12:42] Speaker B: He's got his own.
[00:12:44] Speaker A: Yeah. And he's got a huge following and it's all in Spanish, so I only know, like, when he says el mano poquito gracias we all gotta know el bano.
[00:12:55] Speaker B: I mean, come on. That's.
[00:12:57] Speaker A: If you gotta go, you gotta go. I'm on your poor before, but I watch a lot of his stuff and read the subtitles, so maybe the third social media to me, the second. And I, I, I'm gonna start a playlist of, you know, all of the people that come into this that do a video that's a content creator. And you, from the beginning, I, I found you when I first started my search to do this, and your niche was so cool. And I was like, okay, I want to watch this because I want to learn. I can't do what he's doing, but I can learn from it. And I did. And I really appreciate what you do. I think you do a fantastic job. So thank you. I asked the brand owners how and why Tequila. So I'll ask you, how in the heck did you start spending your time on the Internet talking to people about tequila?
[00:13:44] Speaker B: So, you know, there's a lot of things that go into play with that, and one of them being that, you know, I just wanted a hobby outside my profession that just was different from the rest. And on top of that, I always loved tequila, and I'd gotten, you know, altos espion, all these other ones, and just like, eh. And then one beach trip with the family, we grabbed El Tesoro Blanco, and I noticed that it was different from the rest, and it was amazing. And I was making palomas with it, and it was just great. And so when I noticed that, it's like I was curious.
It wasn't anything like I tasted before. And next thing you know, I'm, like, curious about it. And you got to love these algorithms now with smartphones and everything. It's like they just know your deepest, darkest secrets. And next thing you know, like, bam. Like TikTok and everything like that. They're just like, hey, we noticed you loved El Soro, so here's some stuff for you. And, and, you know, so next thing you know, Jay Bear is popping up. Lots of Tequila Mama Seeds is popping up. Tequila Collect is popping up. You got Doug Price of Agave Social Club. They're all just popping up, and it's just like, huh.
So the more I dived, the more I got into exploring a couple more tequilas that were added to free. Noticing the game changing with, you know, not having the sluggish, the sluggishness the next day. You know, just what I like to tell people, waking up, pissing excellence, like Talladega Nights, Ricky Bobby all day long, you know, it's like you literally wake up pissing excellence. Like, that's the best way I could say it.
But, you know, so when I did.
[00:15:26] Speaker A: All that, I don't want to spit it out because it's too good.
[00:15:31] Speaker B: So, you know, and that's something that's really, really stuck with me since. And I'm in a necessary way. And next thing you know, like tequila Wanderer, he was on my algorithm and I was like, seeing, like his health spills about the details of additive free tequilas. And I was like, I'll be damned. Like, this is okay. This is right up my alley because I like to have a decent lifestyle of health and fitness as well in my life. So why not venture into this and explore why it's one of those spirits that, you know, you can enjoy. And on top of that, like, still wake up the next day and feel like the person you need to be and perform and not have anything holding you back. The further I dug into it is just. I was like, huh? I was like, maybe I can get into this. So I dug a little bit further into Nashville, realized that Heidi Latke Mamacita was technically pretty much the only one in the middle of Tennessee area pushing good quality tequilas. And I spoken to Jay Bear. Jay Bear came into town one day and he was talking with. It was a tasting on authentico tequila and made a good connection. Hit it off with him for a little bit. And then next thing you know, we're swapping numbers and he's in town again. Then the next time I'm just like, dude, like, you know, I want to help. And so next thing you know, yeah, he's, he's like, just have fun with it. And so I started getting on an idea of, like, what am I going to do if I'm going to create this content? Like, what's going to be my niche? And so a good buddy of mine who works up at Frugal McDougall's, Milton, he always called me. He's like, oh, this is the Tequila Cop, everybody. Tequila Cop. Yeah, he enforces all these good tequilas, yada, yada, yada. Like, you gotta know, you gotta know. Like, so I give Milton credit. He was the one that created the name Tequila Cobb. I went with it and here we are. But the number one cardinal rule of, like, what I do with everything is have fun. No matter if you're playing football, basketball, any kind of sport, or whatever your hobby is or whatever, don't forget what having fun with it is about. So tequila on top of that is already a fun spirit. It's meant to be fun. So hey, I'm going to bring the fun with tequila for sure. So.
[00:17:45] Speaker A: Yeah, you do. And that's one of the things that, it set a high bar for me because I'm like, man, I'm a loan officer. That's what my job is as a mortgage guy, right?
I can't be the officer of additive free tequila, so that's not going to work. And I've loved tequila for a long time. My podcast, Real Estate Makes a Strength. I created this interviewing process that I enjoy in our podcast and you helped like, guide me into a niche. And I, I appreciate that because having something that is your identifier I think is really important and you, like, you kill it on that. And you know, your videos are unique. Your videos are engaging and they're, they're entertaining as hell. Like the way you make just the, the slash between your scenes. I always like that you, you, you kind of don't know what's next. And then you have a great way of describing the, the tequila that you're tasting. And sometimes I feel like I stink at that. Like I'm okay. They all taste like agave and trying to find those nuances. And I work really hard at that. And you, you do a fantastic job of explaining that. I, I really appreciate that and, and how you do it.
[00:19:03] Speaker B: So I think, and in regards to that, like, I don't want people to think that I'm just here for the entertainment part. Like, I love the culture and the history and the background behind tequila and how it's made. And that is something that's crucial to everything that I'm doing.
But in today's world, one thing that is important is, you know, how do you catch the eye of someone in a social media platform, whether it's TikTok or Instagram, you know, in a way of entertaining them to catch their eye just long enough to say, hey, here's a good tequila for you. Try this. Instead of going with classes or casamigos or whatnot. So. Oh, well, you have the people that do talk about the in depth background and history and everything like that about a brand and one particular tequila. They are the soul, they are the best at this. And. But my thing is, is to try to catch people and help them get on a good tequila. Like, you know, Nashville, for example, we have several good tequilas and nobody's on board. And so you try to find a way to be innovative and, and catching their eye and. And helping them choose something better. For sure.
[00:20:20] Speaker A: You do a great job of stopping the scroll. That's the way I look at it is, you know, you scroll and then you went, whoop, I just missed something. Let me scroll back to that and let me watch that. That's. You have a great way of doing that.
[00:20:34] Speaker B: So I appreciate it.
[00:20:36] Speaker A: Okay, so I love Nashville. We've talked about it a little bit, and the last time we were down there, we got sucked into a place that was called Pushing Daisies.
[00:20:47] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:20:48] Speaker A: You've been there?
[00:20:49] Speaker B: I have, yeah.
[00:20:51] Speaker A: That's.
Well, so it's dark. I'm gonna help your. Okay. So we're sitting in there, and the bartender knew nothing about the amazing tequila they had on the shelf.
And I'm asking him questions that he couldn't answer. And the general manager said, you're a tequila guy, aren't you? And I said, yeah, I thought, I'm in a tequila bar. But your bartender is not a tequila guy. And he's like, he's a fantastic cocktail guy, but he's not an in depth tequila guy. But would you like some winter ballin 2023?
And I'm like, that's a dumb question.
[00:21:26] Speaker B: Why, yes, I would.
[00:21:27] Speaker A: He went and busted open a box and brought out winter blend 2023.
He poured us both a double, and it was fantastic. I think we had. We each had two glasses and we got charged for one round.
[00:21:43] Speaker B: Very nice.
[00:21:44] Speaker A: Like 40 bucks.
[00:21:45] Speaker B: Very nice.
[00:21:46] Speaker A: So go in there and find that general manager, and he's got some phenomenal tequilas.
[00:21:53] Speaker B: So my favorite place is Blanco over at 5th and Broad. And they.
So it's right above Pushing Daisies.
[00:22:02] Speaker A: Is that the restaurant?
[00:22:04] Speaker B: Right.
[00:22:04] Speaker A: Okay, so there's a restaurant and then there's a. The place next door. Is that.
[00:22:10] Speaker B: So it's almost. Yeah, it's very confusing. So you walk into 12:30. You go over there like you're walking into the 12:30 club, but immediately to the right, there's a door that goes into Blanco. And you're. Yeah, it's. It's amazing. They got. Their tequila list is phenomenal. I mean, I don't. I don't discredit Pushing Daddy's Ease. It's just. I think it's one of those places that you have to be in the mood for, for sure. Just because it has that dark atmosphere to it. And if you're not used to that dark atmosphere in a. In an interesting setting, I mean, it's, you know, it's one to adjust.
[00:22:44] Speaker A: Yeah, it's Definitely. It gives you that true nightclub feeling versus open bar or a pub type thing. Okay, so let's switch your back. When you first started doing this, you probably had some goals out of it, and those probably are blown out of the water. What's the most impressive thing that you have found about the tequila community and doing what you do with social media?
[00:23:09] Speaker B: First off, everybody doing this has each other's backs. It's like you and I and anybody like, you name them. Agave Man, 18 Tequila Drinker Hunter bottles. Whoever it is, everybody has their own, each other's backs. And it's like a family that literally you know each other but you don't. I can, I can get on board with that for sure. Because we're all here for one goal. We're all here for the same motive of educating and helping people make better choices with their spirits and particularly tequila drinkers. And I think with that, that's the one thing that's got me mesmerized. Like, I didn't realize how close knit the tequila family was until I started doing this. Because I'll be honest with you, I talked to Heidi Latke, Mamacita, and I'm like, look, like I'm getting into this and stuff. Like, you know, my credibility on this is like, these people in California, they don't know who I am. Or these people in Texas, they have no idea who I am. Like, I mean, like, the validity behind my branding of tequila cop, like, how serious they gonna take that? And then it's like. And like, she'll even tell you, like, we're all one family. I mean, we all support each other. And helping the message of getting good tequilas out there, that was the number one thing.
And then as I've slowly gone out there and talked to people, it's intriguing, it's interesting to see that people are intrigued by your knowledge. If you.
If I go to a liquor store and I go into a tequila aisle and I see one person looking at tequilas, and all I say is like, hey, you know, like what you're looking for, you know, just out of curiosity, just simple talk. Next thing you know, it develops into something else where they're walking out with a better brand than what they were going to get. And I think that that's an amazing feeling. While all spirits are not healthy technically, like, it's the mere fact that you're putting them onto something that is one of the healthiest things that could be consumed into their body as well.
[00:25:12] Speaker A: Well, if I'm not mistaken, you Said one of the reasons you made the switch over from non additive free tequila to additive free tequila was there was an alter ego that even had maybe a different name than. Than tequila cop.
[00:25:30] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:25:31] Speaker A: So what. What was the name of this alter ego? And how did. How did you meet this guy?
[00:25:37] Speaker B: So based off the chemical imbalances from these stupid additives in these crap tequilas that I was drinking, this is a judgment free zone. Before, there was a name that came out called Mitch.
Now, for a lot of people, they might not know that my real name is Michael, but the wife, yeah, she came up with the name Mitch.
That's what these crab tequilas made me like, you know, they brought out a different guy that was not a pleasant guy. So it was very interesting that once I found a good tequila and I stuck with good tequilas. She's like, where's Misha tonight? And, like, nowhere to be found. It's more a sophisticated guy, like. And I'm like, well, like, I'm over here with my pinky up. I'm like, so I'm sipping this additive free tequila right here that is not causing me to be Mitch tonight. But if you shall know, it is this, this, and this, and it tastes like this. And she's like, who the hell are you? Like, where's Mitch at? I was like, I thought you didn't want Mitch. Well, I don't. Well, okay. Well, here we are.
[00:26:39] Speaker A: That's fantastic. I loved it when you told me that story. I was a tequila drinker for a long time, and then I kind of made a little bit of a switch to bourbon, and I would. I would be angry at night, like, grumpy and not. Not real nice. And since I've switched back to totally additive free tequila, traditional, good, authentic tequila, We. She's not ever. My wife's never woke up and said, well, you were Mitch last night, so that's a good thing.
[00:27:04] Speaker B: Yes, absolutely. So I think now the battle is. Is that, you know, these tequilas are so much.
The quality behind them is so amazing that you. I used to not be a drinker. Like, you couldn't catch me drinking on a work night. Granted, like, within a reasonable time before going to bed and getting back up and going to work, but you would never find me taking a sip of wine or any kind of alcohol on any given work night. And with these, it's just different. It. It hits so much different. Yeah, it is. And, you know, Mitch may be gone, but now I'm just like, you know, I might have that one night where like, hey, it's been a bad day. Let me just take a sip of, you know, an ounce or two. And she's like, well, didn't you just drink over the weekend? And I'm like, why, yes, I did. She's like, but you don't. You got a problem? We want to talk about something. I'm like, no, I'm fine. I'm fine. I just. These. These hit different. They. They really, really do. And I've had her taste, some of them. Now, granted, I think Fortaleza is the best that we got with her. I mean, she. She has a hard time trying to accept tequila, but unless it's in a. In a cocktail. But she. She gets the point now.
[00:28:19] Speaker A: Yeah, my. My wife's the same. We've. I've actually got her doing some videos with me just for fun.
I found out that my wife will drink this as a sipper whenever I want to pour her a glass and.
[00:28:34] Speaker B: Very nice.
[00:28:34] Speaker A: It's a very nice, easy one to drink. She too, is a big Fortaleza fan.
So she'll. She'll say, hey, I want a sip her. And I'm always like, you know, but then I realize, if she's going to drink tequila the way I drink tequila, I'm going to run out of this so much quicker. So maybe I don't want her drink a tequila.
[00:28:55] Speaker B: But then again, I mean, I don't know what problem you have, but as far as the problem I have is, you know, I don't have enough help getting my bottles drank. So it's a lot of. It's up to me.
[00:29:05] Speaker A: I don't have that issue. A lot of mine are at. At this level right here. Like, yeah.
[00:29:10] Speaker B: Oh, that elta, Colonial Steel strength. Oh, I could sip that every single day. It is so good. So good.
[00:29:17] Speaker A: I actually was fortunate enough we. We were in. In Tequila in August, staying at Casa Salas. It is so good. But so many of the high. I'm such a blanco drinker that the high proofs to me are off the charts. So that leads me to a question. Without making any of our tequila people angry, if you're going to go pick a tequila off the shelf, what is your, like, go to Daily drinker Tequila.
[00:29:44] Speaker B: Now, are we going off of just totality or are we going off of like, you know, as a. As of late?
[00:29:52] Speaker A: Let. Let's go with as of late. What's your today? Daily drinker that you just go and pour every day.
[00:29:58] Speaker B: The one I'm really hooked on right now that can you see It, Yeah.
[00:30:03] Speaker A: I've never had it.
[00:30:06] Speaker B: My buddy, one of my best friends here, my, a childhood friend of mine flew out to California for a business trip. He's like, hey, I'm out here. Like, what do you see? He went out there, found this. I was like, dude, snag me that like. And it wasn't just a particularly the anejo.
[00:30:22] Speaker A: It was.
[00:30:22] Speaker B: I had a choice between the blanco repo and ano and I had looked up like reviews and so yeah, give me this one. So literally just opened this at the beginning of last week and I mean, yeah, it's going quick and that's been a favorite for sure here recently.
[00:30:41] Speaker A: So everything I've heard about it, it's phenomenal. Like I haven't heard a single negative thing about it.
[00:30:46] Speaker B: It is, I'll put it this way. And for me there's no bad tequila. We all drink what we like and my palate's obviously going to be different from yours and vice versa. And as long as this tequila is a quality tequila, I might give my voice and opinion on something I dislike about it, but I'm never going to talk negative about it.
But this one right here, the G4XA7 year, if you haven't had that, it is a delicacy and it is very phenomenal. But it comes with a price. This has to be the closest in relation to that but for a, in my opinion for a lot friendlier price tag.
[00:31:29] Speaker A: That's amazing. You know, I'm so much more a blanco drinker. Like my, my everyday is always a blanco or a high proof. And recently this has been probably my biggest hit lately that I have been enjoying. There' two bottles up there. Now here's what's awesome. I got a local liquor store called soro spirits. $64. That's still pretty, pretty awesome. So I, that's why there's a. Another bottle available.
[00:32:00] Speaker B: Yeah, so I think we got ours. You know, I'm blessed that there's a couple places around town that you know, take care of me but I also provide, you know, doing reviews for them and stuff like that. You know, just nothing, nothing crazy but just you know, the relationships that are built like everybody tells you, whether it's drink with Wayne, Tequila Collective, Jay Bear, all them like you build your relationship with your liquor store, they're going to take care of you. And that's not a lie that they do that. So one in particular takes very good care of me and may have, and I still have a lot of sold me almost two cases worth of the puntas, the 20, 24.
Awesome. And most of that was.
So for me personally, I would rather see that stuff going out to individuals who truly appreciate that good tequila that I know that can't have the opportunity of getting it. And if I know that I can, I can get it. I'm going to try to take care of them. And so, you know, for me, when I got the nearly two cases, those all went to people who love that brand, who love that tequila, who wouldn't have been able to get it otherwise. So knowing that I can have that relationship and take care of others with the quality tequila is very meaningful too. So that's.
That's one of the things that, between the platform of social media and doing my videos since I just started this back in May of last year, and I can say I've honestly been very blessed and humbled to build a lot of relationships so fast that I did not see coming. And that is just something that just grounds me 247 because it's like you don't want to forget where you came from.
[00:33:43] Speaker A: I agree. I. I just started in August. I. When I look at what you're doing, I. I would have thought you've done this for a couple of years, to be honest with you. I had no idea that you started just that short time ago. That's. That's really awesome. So. So, okay, here's a question. We talked about this on the phone the other day. What is the first bottle you ever got sent to you to try on your. On your social media?
[00:34:09] Speaker B: So I'll get a little in depth on that.
There was a bottle I did a review on for El Grand Legato. I believe it was the tribute to brotherhood. And it was for Memorial Day. And shortly after that, this brand reached out and said, hey, you know, we appreciate you. We want to send you something. So this brand not only sent me a bottle, they sent me a challenge coin of their brand. They sent me stickers, of course, which everybody loves stickers.
[00:34:38] Speaker A: Stickers.
[00:34:39] Speaker B: You know, you just got to figure out where to put them now. They're everywhere, right? Yeah. I'm like, hey, where's my next little thing to put a sticker on? Like over here? Yeah.
No. So this brand is from non 1414, obviously Sergio Cruz. But this is called Emerald Spirit Tequila. You can see it. Sorry, the green screen. But Emerald Spirit Tequila, this is one of their very first batches. They actually are going to have a second batch coming out that's going to have a little emblem right here that's a.
It's something related with golf. It's like a golf. I can't remember what it is, but it's like a little circular thing that you can pull off. It's magnetic, I believe. And you can set it out for teeing off a golf or something like that.
[00:35:22] Speaker A: So it's. No, it's probably a ball marker. That's really freaking cool.
[00:35:26] Speaker B: I'm not a golfer. Clearly it shows. But. Yes. So on their second batch, that's what I believe they said they're going to be doing. But this is out of non 1414. It is a Sergio Cruz behind this. And it is a brand that is owned by some Navy SEALs who came together to make a brand after, you know, talking to each other. And yeah, when they sent me this, didn't know what to expect. Did a little deep diving in on this and loved what I read about it.
As you can see, it's almost gone. Yeah.
But I've always savored this bottle because this marks a journey, in my opinion, to a new adventure of just not just being an influencer. But I will say this, this is not something that my wife or myself ever expected to do. I never. I was always a very private person. I was always someone who just, you know, didn't want to do anything for people to recognize. I just wanted to lay low right into the sunset. Just, you know, if you knew me, you knew me. If you didn't, you didn't. And this. This marked a new journey for me to get out of my comfort zone and truly do something that would become a passion.
[00:36:42] Speaker A: That's awesome. And I think they've probably seen that your connection to first responders was part of that, since they're Navy SEALs, right?
[00:36:50] Speaker B: Correct.
[00:36:52] Speaker A: And yes. So that. That's kind of the horse soldier of tequila.
[00:36:56] Speaker B: It really is. It really is. And yeah. So that's awesome. I'll pour on that to them tonight so that they can't.
[00:37:04] Speaker A: I can't reach mine. I need a. My friends all tell me that I need to build one of those library ladders that goes around because there's five shelves of tequila. But up there. The first free bottle of tequila that I got was intramanas. Alan Taylor and I talked when we were actually in Jalisco in tequila. And he's like, hey, I like what you're doing, and I'd like to meet up with you and show you the distillery. And we just never was able to connect to his timing. And our timing never hooked up. And he's like, I'm so sorry we didn't connect. And I said, that's okay. I have this idea of interviewing brands. So why don't we do an interview? We'll just talk about the tequila. And he's like, okay. And I didn't have any anticipation for the tequila. I just was going to set up a time to talk with him. And like four days before our scheduled video, there was a box that showed up within tremanas and I was like, okay, this, this is awesome. And great tequila. I had a great time talking to him and him sharing his whole process, you know, that's really freaking awesome. So to my comment to my buddy Brian, Real estate makes Us Drink. That's my, that's my first podcast, Real Estate Makes Us Drink. It's a buddy of mine that's a realtor, I'm a mortgage guy. We sit here at the bar and we talk about real estate things and it's turned into the success happy hour. We've interviewed lots of very successful business people. Next Sunday we have coming out the V of the Indianapolis Colts, Matt Taylor. That was on our show this week. It was a really cool interview. He's the one that said, because I open every show with what are you drinking, Brian? And he's usually drinking a beer and he's like, what are you drinking, Brad? And I'm drinking a tequila. And we, I, I'd always explain the tequila. He's the one that encouraged me to go do a tequila video. And I told him if I do this and I get free tequila, I'm good to go. This is fun, isn't it? Pretty fun?
[00:39:01] Speaker B: It is, it is. It's a lot of fun. You know, sometimes a lot of things like it just works out and you just go with the, you just roll with it. I mean, absolutely, yeah. There's a lot of energy behind doing these that I don't think a lot of people understand.
I think each time you do a video and like you, you have a total different aspect on this and, and doing things that supersede what I do, in my opinion, that, you know, go above and beyond the brand. Like you do the, you do this full on, talking with the owner, the master steward and just going in depth. And those are things that me particularly, I just don't have time for. And it's not that I don't want to have time for it. It's just my normal schedule don't allow it or family life doesn't allow it. So it's like, you know, it's fun to see that there's differences in the tequila world of people doing reviews for brands or doing interview with the brand, master distiller, whatever the case is. And you just have that diversified profile. But in all these owners and these master stealers, they are so open to just talking with all of their influencers, whereas you're not pulling tooth and nail to get their attention. Like, they are so open to exploring everything about their brand with you because they know they value the world of the people that truly appreciate that craft in the tequila world.
[00:40:29] Speaker A: That's true. The level of kindness that I've seen is really overwhelming, I'm sure. Okay, so who is the person that's made a comment on one of your videos that as a big, burly tough guy that you absolutely fan girled out about?
[00:40:48] Speaker B: Gosh, I think when you take. I don't think there's particularly one. Honestly, that's a good question. Kobe, I will say this. Kobe, who is obviously Formerly Fortaleza, now G4 and well packaged group, I think him recognizing some of the things I did, I think that that was truly a milestone. Now that he's here in Nashville, I just, I spent about 20 minutes with him last night. Like, dude is just solid, you know, just knowing that you don't even know any. Like, he don't know me. I don't know him. But we can go and we can have a conversation and we can pick up like we're friends that were from like middle school, high school or whatever and just start a conversation with no effort.
That's. That's awesome. So, but then you look at like on the social media influencing aspect, like Jay Bear. Jay Bear. He is open to anybody. Like, if you call him, you need him, hit him up, he's there. So I can't really say that there's one in particular, you know, Tequila Collective. You respond to him, you reach out to him, even if he's not following you.
Like, he'll respond. Louis Fern, same thing. They all just. They're just very, very humbling and recognizing good people.
[00:42:12] Speaker A: Well, I have one that I fangirled out just for you. So we're on a sip session with the owner of Yayo Tequila and he mentioned that in the scavenger hunt map on the inside of the boxes of Luna and Sol, that Tequila Cops logo is in that box and shows you one of the places that you have to go to be able to. To do that scavenger hunt. And I remember hearing that when we were in the sip session together, right? And he said, tequila Cop your Logo's in there. And I was like, wow, that'd be like me getting an Oscar.
[00:42:52] Speaker B: Yeah, I saw it. I don't know. I've. I've drank since then, don't get me wrong.
[00:42:56] Speaker A: But do you remember him telling you that?
[00:42:59] Speaker B: I did 1,000%? I do, yeah.
[00:43:01] Speaker A: I'm like, oh, dude, that's amazing. That's amazing. Like, there's no tasting tequila with Brad in there. That's like, not even there. That's amazing, dude.
[00:43:11] Speaker B: No, now that you mentioned that, that is. Yes. I think that supersedes everything for sure. Just because I don't. Gosh, you know, when I say I've drink since then and a lot of things gone like, yes. I mean, yeah, so maybe yes, maybe no. I don't know.
[00:43:29] Speaker A: But here would be my fan girl moment. So I did a video of Lalo vs. Lalo High Proo. And I posted it on, you know, as a. It was a short one. I posted on everything and it maybe had been out there 30 minutes. My wife and I are at dinner, and while we're eating dinner, I got a DM from Lalo Gonzalez who said, I just watched your video. Thank you for doing the video that you did. And it's the passion that my friends that are influencers and content creators that keep us doing what we're doing. Thank you. And I was like, wow, what a small, you know, what a. What a huge industry, but what a small business.
[00:44:13] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:44:13] Speaker A: It's been amazing to me that the brand owners, you know, to talk to Arturo, to talk to Alex, you know, today I talked to Andrew, the owner of Not a Celebrity Tequila, which I think is such an awesome name. Right. They're so willing to give Christiana, like to give up her time and to be so open. And the, the people are amazing. And I've found that with the social media people as well.
[00:44:38] Speaker B: When you, when you talk about brands, like, yes, Yayo has been an amazing brand.
I have appreciated everything they've done and, you know, they've recognized the work that I've done, which is awesome. I think majority of it is anything out of non 1414, particularly Arturo.
I would like to say that Arturo and I, when we talk, I swear he's like that childhood friend I didn't have going all the way from elementary to middle school to high school. Like, we had the same likes of music, the same likes. Like, everything that we did as far as like growing up was so similar that I'm like, dude, like, we would have been best friends growing up for sure. And So I think with him and. And it's not just. Not the similarities in and of itself, but just taking the time to recognize that despite them having one of the best years last year, he knows who has his back and he recognizes and he doesn't forget and he lets you.
[00:45:41] Speaker A: Yeah, that's so true. He's been awesome. And I'm yet to meet somebody that isn't impressive. So. Hey, look, I know you got a 10 month old. I know that you worked your ass off today out there busting those non additive free people and making sure that they're following the traditional guidelines of making tequila. And I appreciate you taking your time out tonight. I think this is going to be really good for people to kind of get a little bit of insight of how and why and your true passion of this. And I appreciate what you do. You've been a real inspiration for me and I appreciate you being so open and helping me do what I do. And if there's anything ever that I can do for you, I want to make sure you know that's available to you. And thanks for taking your time and doing this tonight.
[00:46:24] Speaker B: No, I enjoyed it. I think the, the biggest thing is transparency. And I'm a realist. I'm not going to.
I'm going to speak from the heart. That's. That's how it is. So I appreciate what you're doing as well. And I'm shocked that I had an influence. I'm very blessed on that. I thank you. But you know, at the end of the day, you know, you have the gift as well. We all do. We all have a platform. It's up to us to speak from that platform. And let's rock it.
[00:46:51] Speaker A: Absolutely. I appreciate you, brother. Salud.
[00:46:53] Speaker B: Wait, let me get some more in there.
[00:46:56] Speaker A: Yeah, I got a little bit left in there.
[00:46:58] Speaker B: Salud.
[00:46:59] Speaker A: Cheers, my friend.
[00:47:00] Speaker B: Remember. Hey, cheers. And as a. And as always, added it for your else.
[00:47:05] Speaker A: That's right. Love it.
[00:47:07] Speaker B: Appreciate you, bro.
