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Ultimate Tasting Experience
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
4:00PM-10:00PM
Sponsors
Welcome to the world of Tequila! Please, drink responsibly.
Why Attend
Everything you know about tequila is about to get better! Tequila is more than just a drink – it is an experience, a lifestyle, and a culture. Whether you are young or old, an experienced tequila connoisseur, or have never tried tequila in your life, there is something for everyone at this unique event. Sample tequila and enjoy authentic Latin foods, music, dance and art!
At our Show you will be able to try Tequila brands that are not available at LCBO, such as
The first distilled drink and first commercially produced alcohol on the continent was tequila. Indigenous Mexicans, way back at the dawn of history, took the sap of the maguey plant and fermented it. Once the Spanish Conquistadors arrived, the party began and this brandy from the Weber blue agave plant, azul, began a new life.
Just as with fine wines and whiskeys, to be a Tequila, according to the Mexican government, the agave has to be distilled in the state of Jalisco in which the small town of Tequila is nestled in a valley.
Fine tequila is sipped like a vintage scotch or cognac. You’ll have an opportunity to taste the differences between brands and distillation methods. Perhaps low end tequilas can benefit from salt and lime but we are featuring the best.
The word tequila itself is a mystery. It is said to be an ancient Nahuatl term. The Nahuatl were the original people who lived in the area. The word means “the place of harvesting plants.”
Agave, the plant from which tequila is distilled, played a much larger role than just being the source of an alcoholic drink. Its leaves were used for a hemp-like fiber to make mats, clothing, rope and paper. It was also the source of the nutrient and vitamin-rich brew, pulque.
What is Tequila?
Tequila is an alcoholic spirit that is created from the sap of the blue agave plant, through a process of distilling and fermenting. The drink originated around the town of Tequila, in Mexico where the blue agave plant grows plentiful due to the red volcanic soils found there.
The blue agave plant is a relative of the lily, not a cactus as many people believe and has been cultivated for at least 9,000 years. By law, tequila is produced solely in the Mexican states of Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas and cannot be produced in any other country.
Tequila is most commonly made at 38% to 40% alcohol content, but some brands have an alcohol content as high as 46%. There are a few different types of tequila, oro, blanco, and añejo being some, which all have distinguishingly different tastes. Oro (gold) and blanco (silver) tequilas tend to have more of a bite which is due to young age and additives, such as grain, where as añejo (aged) tequilas tend to be smoother and have a more complex taste. The old name for tequila is Mezcal. Mezcals include a wide variety of agave based spirits, but tequila is the only one produced with the blue agave plant.
Industry Pre-Show
INDUSTRY PRE-SHOW TASTING AND WORKSHOP
Offering to Sommeliers and Bartenders:
We will be hosting a tequila training seminar to interested sommeliers, bartenders, and food and beverage managers, in and around the GTA before our general show admission. …
Types of Tequila
There are five distinctive types of tequila. The first is blanco (white) or plata (silver). This is the most common type of tequila and is usually under 60 days old. Some brands are kept in large oak barrels to add smoothness to their taste, but they cannot be stored in the barrels for more than 30 days. Blanco tends to have more of a harsh taste than the other types of tequila.
The next type of tequila is joven abocado (young and smoothed) or oro (gold). This type is basically the same as blanco but has been colored and mixed with ingredients to make it appear and taste aged. The most commonly added ingredients are oak essence and caramel, but only up to 1% of the tequila’s total weight. They are known as mixto (mixed) brands and are not as desirable as 100% agave tequila. They are less expensive as a rule however, so they are popular for export sales.
Reposado (Rested / Aged) tequila can be anywhere from two months to a year old. They are aged in large oak casks that can be up to 20,000 liters or in smaller barrels. The size of the container the tequila is stored in, and the contact the tequila has with the wood will affect the taste. The aging process makes the tequila taste more rich and complex than blanco or oro tequila. The longer the tequila is aged, the darker the color will be. Reposado makes up more than 60% of all tequila sales in Mexico and was the first type of aged tequila.
Añejo (vintage) tequila is aged for a minimum of a year in government sealed barrels. The barrels are a maximum of 600 liters each, but are usually only 200 liters. Añejo tequilas can be up to ten years old, but it is said that it is best after only five years. Most añejo tequilas are very dark in color from their long exposure to the wood. The barrels used are rarely new, usually old bourbon or whisky barrels, because new wood can darken the tequila too rapidly.
Extra añejo (ultra aged) is a new type of tequila as of 2006. This type has been stored in oaken wood containers with a maximum capacity of 600 liters for at least three years.
Once bottled, tequila can fall into a number of categories. Blanco (white) tequilas are un-aged and shipped out immediately after distillation. Oro (gold) tequila is coloured and flavoured Blanco tequila or a mixture of Blanco tequila with aged tequila. Reposado (rested) tequila has been aged for a minimum of two months, but less than a year. Añejo (aged) tequila has been aged for a minimum of one year, but less than three years in oak barrels. Extra Añejo (extra aged) tequila is a new type added in 2006 which has been aged for a minimum of three years.
Before bottling, there are two main types of tequila, mixtos (mixed) and 100% agave. Mixtos can use up to 49% of other sugars in the production process, the rest being agave. Both fructose and glucose sugars are used in mixtos. The main difference in 100% agave tequila is that there are more vegetal, rather than grain, spirits used. This tends to create a more complex taste.
100% agave tequila uses only the agave sap, and no added sugars. The un-aged Blanco tequilas are harsher as they are 100% agave, but the aged añejo and reposado tequilas tend to have a subtler and smoother taste.