Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] What if I told you this tequila was fermented at one third the normal temperature and distilled so precisely that they only kept the rarest part of the run? This is El Corazan Cambio cellar series number four. And this might be one of the most intentional blancos I have ever tasted. Welcome back to tasting Tequila with Brad. Today I'm going to review this cellar series number four, blanco from Cambio Tequila, part of their El Corazon project.
[00:00:30] And this one is all about pushing fermentation and distillation precision to an extreme. If you watch my interview with Chef John, you already know Cambio isn't chasing volume trends, marketing hype. They're chasing process. This bottle is a perfect example of what philosophy looks like in a glass. This 2023 Blanco is a wildly different from standard tequila production. Here's what sets it apart. Fermented at extremely high sugar levels, more than double what most distilleries work with. Fermented at an exceptionally low temperature, roughly one third the temperature of traditional tequila fermentations, and built around extraordinary agave selected specifically to handle this stress. It's not an accident. Low temperature fermentation slows everything down. Yeast works more gentle. The flavors develop more deliberately. The aromatic compounds are preserved instead of burned off. And when it comes to distillation, man, this is completely different, too. During distillation, Cambio did something most producers simply can't afford to do at scale. They only captured the hearts of the run. Heads gone, tails gone. Anything that could muddy the texture or aromatics is gone. Now, heads and tails. Heads are the first part that comes out of distillation. And some of it has a lot of flavors, but it also has a lot of alcohol. So they cut that out, and they found where the peak was of the hearts of that distill.
[00:01:57] And then as it started to come off into tails, where you get a little less flavor, maybe a little more of the flavors you don't want, they cut it out instead of adding it back in. That's it. What's left is the purest, most expressive slice of the distillate you can get. And the decision shows up immediately once you pour it. All right, let's put this in a glass.
[00:02:22] And this is so good. I'm so excited to drink it. Let's. Let's dive into the nose.
[00:02:29] Wow. The flavors of this are completely different. You get peach, you get pear, orange blossom, A perfumed, floral like. I. I don't even know how to explain what that floral is. Chef John, if he was here he would tell me that's such a great floral. And then underneath it is this really honey cooked agave, almost pineapple in its smell. There's just a touch of vanilla, a little bit of toasted spice.
[00:03:03] This is one of those blancos that I could just sit and sniff over and over and over, finding all the different layers. Okay, let's dive into the taste.
[00:03:17] Wow. The texture of this is amazing. It coats your whole mouth. It's really creamy. It's agave forward. It's got a nice sweetness. There's a floral note. A lot of fruit notes.
[00:03:35] The pear, a lot of pear. Like I just bit into a pear. You get that flavor that turns into cooked agave with, honestly, for me, some spice and some pineapple that almost tastes roasted. And there's a little bit of pepper in there as well. The finish is sweetness. Cooked agave, pear, almost a little peach and then a little bit of heat, but not a lot. And that sweetness just. Just kind of lingers. It's. This is really, really good. When I sat down with Chef John, one thing that really struck me was his respect for pushing the limits of making tequila, yet staying within tradition. And that, to me, is really impressive. Each bottle feels like there's a philosophy of making this expressive tequila that changes the way it's supposed to be made, yet sticks with tradition and knowing they're not doing anything fabricated or fake. Cambio Cellar Series 4 isn't about mass appeal. It's showing what tequila can be. If you prioritize fermentation, science, restraint, and respect of agave. If you're someone who loves the texture of a blanco, appreciates fermentation, and really driven aromatics, wants a tequila that feels, tastes, and presents itself as special. This one's for you. If you enjoyed this deep dive into cambio. Hit the like button. Subscribe. Drop me a comment. I want to know what you like in a sipping blanco. If you haven't watched my full interview with Chef John, click on it. Click on it. Next. It's really awesome. It'll change the way you think about what's in this glass. It is my number one viewed video on my YouTube channel, so I guess people really liked it. Until next time, sip responsibly and respect agave. Cheers.
