Tequila Ocho has always believed that terroir exists in spirits just as it does in wine. Since 2008, Ocho—the original single-field, single-estate tequila—has harvested dozens of single fields of blue Weber agave from the highlands of Jalisco. Ocho is still a single estate tequila, but now it’s taking things further by showcasing agave from more regions within Tequila’s Denomination of Origin.
The brand’s new Terroir Select vintages are single-region, multi-field tequilas made from agaves grown in one of eight designated zones of Mexico’s Highlands region. Agaves for Terroir Select are grown in ranchos located in Jalisco, Guanajuato and Michoacán.
The first Terroir Select vintage is called Comunidad (“community”) and is made with agaves grown at El Nacimiento de Abajo in Arandas, Jalisco, and is the neighboring community to Ocho’s homeplace Tequilera Los Alambiques, as well as its original home of Destilería La Alteńa. The agaves were purchased from local, family agave farmers, some of whom have been a part of the Camarena family business for generations. The vintage will be released in both a Plata and Reposado expression, each weighing in at 40% ABV
“Terroir Select serves two purposes,” explains Ocho founder Carlos Camarena. “First, it enables us to help smaller agave farmers who share our commitment to growing only the best agave on some of the best land Mexico has to offer. Hence the name of the first release, Comunidad. Second, it allows us to explore the influence that terroir of other regions in Mexico has on tequila. This helps deepen our understanding of the role terroir plays in the cultivation of blue Weber agave and, in turn, its role in tequila distilled from those agaves.”
Tequila Ocho Terroir Select Comunidad is available now at select bars and liquor stores in the U.S.
