We are among the lucky few to taste the limited-edition añejo tequila. It was worth the wait.
For the next two months, scents guide our days and nights. We are at once in the moment and transported to long-ago holiday tables and outdoor celebrations enriched by memorable food and drink. The folks at Clase Azul México understand the sensational pull of our olfactory senses. This is why the third installment of the brand’s Tequila Día de Muertos Edición Limitada Aromas is such a revelation.
Dubbed Aromas, the new decanter honors the timeless banquet of fragrances that emanate from Mexico this time of year—think home ofrendas adorned with cempasúchil flowers and copal incense and markets graced by a bounty of fruits and local spices. With the release of this year’s Día de Muertos (“Day of the Dead”) decanter (only 3,500 were produced), Clase Azul México embraces the holiday’s traditions and distills its timeless allure and transcendence into something we can celebrate worldwide.
Traditions and eternal mysteries aside, luxury tequila fans will want to know what’s inside the bottle. In a word, beauty. Viridiana Tinoco, the brand’s master distiller, aged the añejo tequila for 25 months in American whiskey casks, finishing the beverage in Armagnac casks.
“For this release, I selected casks that had previously contained Armagnac, a spirit with a controlled designation of origin and the oldest in France,” says Tinoco, explaining that the casks’ unique character results from their provenance, Bas-Armagnac, where grapes grown in siliceous-clay soil impart complex fruit notes to the spirit. “I opted for this kind of cask because Armagnac is a product that aligns with the values of Clase Azul México; its small-scale production reflects the history and heritage of the region where it’s produced and ensures the transmission of ancestral knowledge and traditions.”
The tequila’s nose includes toasted wood, clove, peach, pear and raisin, while its tasting notes offer a parade of walnut, clove and peach. The long, elegant finish embodies cacao and cinnamon. I orchestrated my first taste outdoors on a chilly October evening, with the faint sound of summer’s last crickets soundtracking each exquisite sip. Tinoco created another stunner.
Also stunning? The bottle. Collectors of these art pieces won’t be disappointed. A marigold-hued glaze serves as the handpainted bottle’s foundation, with an illustration by Mexican artist Jimena Estíbaliz depicting the harvest of cempasúchil flowers. Canines (Xoloitzcuintles), faithful companions of souls on their way to the hereafter, accompany the bottle’s men and women in each jaw-dropping painting. Artisans from Mexico’s Milagros de Latón workshop added an ornament christened with 24-karat gold; a gorgeous patina finishes the bottle. This is one to savor long after autumn’s hues fade and memory takes hold.
Find the bottle at claseazul.com, Clase Azul Boutique La Terraza and Clase Azul Boutique Los Cabos Airport in San José del Cabo; guests at Clase Azul La Terraza Los Cabos will be able to enjoy a five-course pairing menu designed by Clase Azul México chef Iván Arias. The pairing menu, available until supplies last, will include a two-ounce pour of the limited edition.
Photography by: COURTESY OF CLASE AZUL
