LALO Blanco Tequila is produced by LALO – a smaller, Mexican-owned brand based in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 2019 by David Carballido and maestro tequilero Lalo González, who is the grandson of Don Julio González Estrada (yes, THAT Don Julio). As a brand, they aim to celebrate modern Mexico with a pure, high quality product that honors the agave plant. Their Agave is sourced from the highlands of Jalisco, and is hand-picked at between around 6-7 years old. It gets steamed for 20-32 hours in a special brick oven, and then rested for about 18 hours, before having the juices extracted via roller mill. The juice is then fermented with […]
Midori Melon Liqueur was created by Suntory – a Japan-based spirits and soft drinks company. They produce their products in collaboration with several international production facilities. This particular bottle was produced by Fielding & Jones, LTD in Chicago. The original melon liqueur was created by Shinjiro Torii, and released in Japan under a different product name in 1964. It is made using two different varieties of rare Japanese muskmelon. The distinctive bright green coloring is artificially added, as the melon insides are actually orange. In 1978, the melon liqueur was released in the U.S. as Midori Melon Liqueur. The recipe was updated […]
Caleño Dark & Spicy Non-Alcoholic Rum is produced by Caleño – a U.K. based non-alcoholic spirits company founded by Ellie Webb in 2017. As a brand, Caleño aims to create more inspiring non-alcoholic drink offerings, while also capturing the vibrant spirit of Colombia. The company received B Corp status in 2023. To create their spirits, they use steam distillation to distill the macerated botanicals in a stainless steel drum for two days. This particular bottle of Dark & Spicy features coconut, pineapple, black cardamom, and kola nut. It also contains water, glycerine, caramel coloring, citric acid, and some necessary preservatives. […]
Agave Boom Prickly Pear Tequila is produced by Casa Maestri, and distributed by the Houston-based company Mexcor. The brand website proclaims that the goal with Agave Boom was to create a “new tequila for the new generations”, although it’s not immediately clear what they mean by this, as the production process they describe seems fairly standard. Each version features a fun, comic-inspired bottle design, including a 3D embroidered agave plant. Their agave is sourced from Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico, and roasted in a traditional oven for about 36-56 hours. It is then shredded, fermented in wooden vats, and distilled twice. This unaged blanco […]
Botran Ron de Guatemala No. 8 is produced by Industria Licorera Quetzalteca – a Guatemala based company obtained by a group of 5 Spanish brothers in 1940. These brothers created the Botran brand, which produces several different rum blends from start to finish. In 2022, they achieved new certifications including ICSS (for sustainability) and SGS Carbon Neutrality. The beginning stages of their production process take place in Retalhuleu, Guatemala. There, the sugar cane is grown, and the sugar cane honey is fermented with pineapple yeast, before being distilled in copper stills. Then, the distillates are brought to the high altitudes of […]