Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Why does this tequila smell so funky? And why do I like it? This is Jamacco's Diablo High proof, 110 proof, 55 ABV. Jamaco's is one of those brands that's moved around over the years. Different noms, different distilleries, different eras. And when a tequila moves different distilleries, things can change. Fermentation tanks, yeast behavior, a still shape, cut points, water source. So if you've had camachos years ago, it may taste different today at the NOM 1586 than it did at others. It's not marketing. It's really about production reality. But one of the things they've been able to do is maintain a really nice funkiness. All right, first off, my buddy Dave brought this bottle over because I've never been able to find it. It's a hard one to find. And he made the mistake of leaving this bottle here on accident. So now we're going to dive into it, we're going to do a review, taste it, and we're going to see if I can leave any of this in the bottle for him to come back and pick it up. All right, let's go on the nose. Right away you get this nice funkiness, this big cooked agave flavor, some vanilla, some cinnamon, some citrus oil. But that funkiness is the thing that gets me every single time. So let's talk about that funkiness a little bit. It's all fermentation driven. That is a smell that comes from letting your fermentation go a little long. It's called malolactic fermentation. When you're doing the malolactic fermentation, if you think of it this way, yeast, it eats sugars and it poops out alcohol. And then when the yeast all dies, a bacteria starts to show up that it eats alcohol and poops out a lactic acid. And that's what takes things into a malolactic fermentation. And that's what gives you that funky smell. Funk in tequila is not a flaw. Flaws or smells like sour vinegar, rotten fruit, or a harsh chemical smell. Funk is good. It smells like yeast bread, earth savory agave. And it's very complex. Let's dive into the taste.
[00:01:57] 110 proof, 55% ABV. Easy to drink, very creamy, spicy vanilla, then citrus, then cinnamon, then this pepper like builds. And these savory notes are there. Everything that you smelled on the nose is gone in the flavor. It really changes the way you smell and the aromas that you pick up to the flavors. That you taste mid palate. It's minerality, it's like a weird sweetness that's really, really good. And that proof is what's giving it its structure. It's powerful, it's got a lot of flavors, but it's not out of control. Look, this is rested. It's bottled. No barrel influence, no oak to smooth it out. The resting period allows the alcohol and the conagers to integrate, which may be why this proof feels easy to drink and not over aggressive. If you want an ultra clean neutral blanco with maybe not a lot of agave flavors and not a crazy aroma, this isn't for you, right? This, this is something that you want. If you want still strength, fermentation character, funky this, agave that like drives this funky flavor. This tequila might be for you. And this bottle delivers that.
[00:03:02] It smells funky and that's the way I like it. If you try chamacos from different noms, I want to hear from you and I want to hear your take on the current nom to the old knob. And if you enjoy tequila's personality instead of polished celebrity additive brands, put it in the comments, let me know. Make sure that you've subscribed and liked. If you like learning about new tequilas, please do that today. And if you like agave bombs with a lot of flavor, pick this one up. It is phenomenal. And here's the key. Know what you're drinking. Cheers. Have a great night.
