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StateWays | www.stateways.com | July/August 2016 32 the size of a building and not be a barrel. You don't have to char or toast it or replace it ever if you don't want to. It's much more effi cient to have a giant wood tank in your warehouse; it may not impart much color or fl avor, but we are allowed to add some color or fl avor to make it look and taste better." In the case of Patrón, the company's newest line Roca Patrón differs in production methods (see the May/June issue of Beverage Dynamics for more about tequila ingredients and distilling methods). The core brand is a blend of American, French and Hungar- ian oak barrels, with the reposado aged for fi ve months, and the añejo an average of 14 months. For Roca Patrón, however, they use only ex-Bourbon barrels. Why? "Roca has a huge agave complexity, and so we didn't want to bring in more wood complexity. We were looking for mainly those vanilla fl avors," Rodriguez says. Patrón also bottles the spirits at different proof: Patrón's core expressions are bottled at 80 proof, while Roca reposado weighs in at 84, and the añejo at 88. "That higher proof delivers increased fl avor complexity," he adds. Higher proof spirits, of course, are more expensive to produce. Numerous brands now use oak that isn't American. Inaki Orozco, owner of Riazul, claims to be one of the fi rst to use Cognac casks in producing añejo tequila, "And they are diffi cult to get and not inexpensive," he says. For Riazul, he pre- fers Troncais rather than Limousin white oak. As he says, French barrels tend to be more expensive, with some reporting paying above $1,000 each, compared to used American oak casks costing in the hundreds. Other brands use both: Milagro is aged in American oak, while its Select Barrel Reserve line is rested in both American and French oak barrels. Aceves says Herradura uses 55-gallon barrels that are replaced every nine years. "The smaller the barrels, the more wood on the product." Longer isn't necessarily better when it comes to aging the tequila, though. "If aged too much, you lose the cooked agave fl avor," he notes. The choice of capacity size changes the level of wood con- tact, regardless of the type of oak is used. Casa Noble uses three barrel types, with capacities of 114-, 228- and 350-liters, with middle level of toast and no char, with the reposado aged 364 days and the añejo two years. Hermosillo says the key for him is the blending of the three types of barrels. "Blending will give you the complexity and three dimensionality into your tequila. Some barrels will give me more spice, some more fruitiness, some more chocolate and vanilla and that way I can play and really create the profi le we like." The bulk of his aged expressions come from the 228-liter size, which he says contributes the brand's benchmark vanilla, chocolate and almond sweetness. The largest size is next, with its fruit notes, while the 114-liter barrel adds the classic French oak spiciness. OTHER FACTORS As the tequila market expands and distillers stretch beyond the traditional, a second barreling is becoming more common. Her- radura has offered a double barreled reposado, and last fall Lu- nazul did the same, aged fi rst in American white oak barrels and fi nished in 11-year-old wheated Bourbon barrels hand-selected from Heaven Hill. After the second aging, the reposado is mar- ried with select extra añejo, creating a smooth and sophisticated Tequila, says Reid Hafer, senior brand manager, Lunazul Tequila Herradura has gotten attention for its limited release reserva re- posado fi nishes, with wood previously aging port, Cognac and Scotch released so far. And then there's the impact of weather. Some companies control the humidity and temperature in their warehouses, re- ducing the evaporation, as well as the fl avor and color exchange between spirit and barrel, Rodriguez says. "The problem is you might age for a year in these conditions, where the angel's share will be three or four percent but the ex- change between tequila and wood is also less, whereas when things are not controlled, you may have 10 to 12 percent evaporation and more extraction of the components of the wood," he adds. Controlling warehouse environment, like carefully selecting barrels from different locations for different fl avor attributes, is as costly and exacting as choosing and monitoring the barrels once they are fi lled. And as more tequila producers take greater pains to fi ne tune all the components of the marriage of wood and spirit, the results will likely be more expensive, but also much more interesting. • JACK ROBERTIELLO is the former editor of Cheers magazine and writes about beer, wine, spirits and all things liquid for numerous publications. More of his work can be found at www.jackrobertiello.com. AGED TEQUILA | CATEGORY UPDATE fl avor complexity," he adds. Higher proof spirits, of course, are more expensive to produce. Numerous brands now use oak that isn't American. Inaki Orozco, owner of "It's a very important decision because it allows the agave flavor to be as pure as possible without the influence of other spirits." — Christine Moll, marketing director for Gruppo Campari, on her decision to use only new barrels for their aged variants