Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] This tequila might be one of Sergio Cruz's best kept secrets. A 60 blanco, 40% reposado blend that just might change how you think about Hoven Tequila forever. Hey, guys. Today I am diving into a tequila that has really surprised me. The lost Laura Hoeven crafted at legendary nom 1414 under none other maestro distiller Sergio Cruz. Yep, Sergio is right here on the label. I got to spend some time with him recently with another brand doing a bottling party at Nom 1414. And I was really excited to snag this bottle and come home with it. First, let's dive into the basics. Hoven means young in Spanish, and it's a blend of tequila, usually a blanco and a repo, and designed to kind of capture the best of both of those worlds. But it also can be a blend of a blanco and an blanco and an extra anejo. So. So Hoven just lets you know that it is blended. Lost Norhoven is about 60% Blanco, 40% Reposado. And get this bottled at 92 proof, that's 46 ABV. The extra proof gives it a punch, while the reposado component brings the warmth and depth. The result is a balance of bright agave freshness with just a touch of oak spice to make it a little more complex. And if you watch my shows, you know I love this brand.
[00:01:18] Arturo and Sarah Lamas, the owners and the founders of this company, are just absolutely incredible people. I've done a couple of interviews with Arturo. Check them out on my YouTube channel. The name Lost Lore comes from their family's distilling tradition, something nearly lost when the family moved to the U.S. his father used to tell stories to Arturo about his grandfather's tequila making days. Those stories inspired this comeback. A bottle that's built on heritage, rediscovered and redefined. This tequila is made the traditional way, 100% blue Weber agaves grown in the highlands. These are slow cooked in one of the four brick ovens that you have at the distillery, NOM 1414. From there, they're crushed through a roller mill. That roller mill is several passes. It's flooding water down onto that agave, crushing out that juice and adding it to the juice that came out of those stone ovens. Then it's naturally fermented with a little bit of champagne yeast and of course, the Mozart method that is used there to keep the yeast happy. This is double distilled in copper pot stills and then rested in those barrels and blended with that blanco, not 1414. The Vincas. They make some of the best tequilas not only in Orandas, but in all of the tequila industry. Let's dive into this one.
[00:02:35] Fresh pop, of course.
[00:02:37] Let's take a pour.
[00:02:44] Now, if you notice the color, not a lot of color. You can see a little bit in the bottle, just a little bit of a hue of a little barreling. So let's jump into the nose of this one. Okay. First of all, I definitely get cooked agave. I get a little bit of a citrus zest, some honey, a little minerality, a nice touch of cinnamon, some black pepper, maybe a little salinity or the minerality of, you know, wet earth. Let's dive into the taste of this one. First of all, the mouthfeel. Phenomenal. That is so good. It's got a nice kind of a silky, oily texture. First flavors, roasted agave, followed by a little bit of jalapeno and some black pepper spice. There's a nice bit of honey and then a little bit of that soft oak. I do get a nice round of cinnamon along with a little bit of vanilla. It's pretty awesome how this is such a high proof and it kind of lights up a little bit of heat in the finish. The sweet agave, a little bit of heat kind of lingers on, but it doesn't drink like it's this high of a proof tequila. This is really simple to drink. And that finish just lasts forever like it is. It's still lingering with just a little bit of heat. Just kind of humming along with some energy there. 6040 blend. This is amazing because I love their blanco by themselves. I love the repos by themselves. So now you have Sergio just creating this fantastic blend. It is a hoeven. It's layered, it's vibrant. It has the feeling of a repo. It has the agave of a blanco. If you like this one from Lost Lore, put your comments in there. Tell me also what your favorite Lost Lore tequila is in the comments. If you enjoy deep dives, subscribe, get more. We've always got more coming from 1414 as well. Salute. Cheers.
