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- Suggested retail price: $599
- Thursday, April 2 (for as long as it lasts), we're pouring a one-ounce pour for $18
Now this is an extraordinary Tequila with an extraordinary pedigree.
Enrique Fonseca Cerda was born in Jalisco. Following a tradition started by his great-grandfather, Enrique grew up by his father's side in the agave fields of Atotonilco. After college he turned his study to all things agave-related.
Enrique expanded the family’s agave plantings to satisfy an ever-growing demand for rich, highland agave by Jalisco’s largest tequila distilleries. When those distilleries later colluded to limit the prices they would pay farmers, Enrique became determined to wean his fate off of the international liquor conglomerate’s and bought his own distillery.
He was able to acquire the Tequileña in the town of Tequila itself. It was equipped with a copper double-column still, a stainless steel still and copper pot alembic still. To that essential equipment, Enrique added agave roasting ovens, fermentation tanks and a number of barrel facilities. Today the modern Tequileña distillery stands as one of the finest in the tequila industry.
From a legacy of more than one hundred years of agave cultivation and twenty-five years in tequila distillation, Enrique Fonseca now stands over one of the industry’s largest private agave holdings in addition to possessing one of the largest stocks (24,000 barrels) of superlative, very old tequilas. With Fuentesca, he has released, for the first time ever, single-vintage tequilas with an age statement that are the oldest ever to come into the market.
This Fuenteseca Extra Añejo 18 Year was distilled in September 1995. It is 75% from copper column still and 25% from copper alembic stills.
The entire run was laid into 180L Canadian white oak casks previously used to age Canadian rye whiskey, at a warehouse located at 4,600 feet elevation in the town of Atotonilco el Alto, Jalisco. The casks remained there for six years.
In 2001, the tequilas were extracted from their casks, blended together and re-barreled, with 47% returned to Canadian white oak casks and the remaining 53% going into 220L European dark oak barrels previously used to age California red wine.
The refilled casks were then moved from Atotonilco el Alto to a hillside facility El Chapingo, with its cooler, breezier climate, and left to age for an additional twelve years.
Thursday evening, this bottle will see the end of it's long journey. At least one ounce will end up in my gut. Twenty three others will share in the glory. We will open one bottle at precisely 6:30. When it's gone, it's gone. I hope to see you there.