Clase Azul Releases A 25 Aniversario Limited Edition
By Michael McCarthyBy Michael McCarthy|August 31, 2022|Food & Drink, Feature,
The tequila brand continues to impress with a notable reposado in a stunning bottle.
They had me at the cobalt blue bottle. It’s a decanter festooned with feathered motifs—25 painted in platinum to celebrate 25 years of tequila-making—complete with dandelion seeds symbolizing Clase Azul’s globetrotting popularity. It’s a work of handcrafted art that few other spirit companies dare to replicate.
The bottle also introduces the brand’s new emblem as part of a transition from Clase Azul Spirits to Clase Azul México. The minds behind the company, led by its founder, Arturo Lomelí, have created new ways, including a food-and-tequila tasting experience in Los Cabos, to showcase the rich cultural traditions of Mexico.
A mere 9,125 decanters were recently released worldwide. Inside each bottle, fans of the brand will find master distiller Viridiana Tinoco’s reimagined 100% blue weber agave reposado. What makes this distillate so different is why Clase Azul continues to wow aficionados: A portion of the agave used to make this spirit was milled with a traditional stone mill called a tahona; it’s a time-honored practice that dates back to the origins of tequila.
The taste profile, which was perfected by aging the blend for eight months in two different first-use American whiskey casks, offers hints of caramel and vanilla with an exquisite cinnamon finish. There’s also a rich mineral character to the sip, making for a revelatory tasting experience.
“Our intention was to pay homage to Clase Azul tequila reposado, while still creating something special in honor of our 25th anniversary’’ says Tinoco. “Using a traditional stone tahona to mill part of the agave and aging in American whiskey casks—which have only been used once—seemed to strike the perfect balance for this timeless tequila.”
Tinoco is right, of course. And perhaps even a little too modest.
After all, a 25-year-old tequila company could rest on its laurels and ride the wave of brand allegiance. But this clearly isn’t in Clase Azul’s collective DNA, as it continues to surprise and inspire the faithful.
Here’s to another quarter century of making brilliance seem easy.