Bartending 101: What is Tequila Ocho?

August 8, 7:24 PMBartender ExaminerKathleen Neves

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Photo Credit: www.tequilaocho.com

Being a bar manager, I am now privy to trying all kinds of new and exciting products out on the market. Vendors and liquor reps always make the time to stop by bars and restaurants in hopes of getting the decision makers who decide on what gets stocked on the shelves, to try their new products.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the fortunate opportunity of trying a new tequila on the market called Tequila Ocho. Besides the fact that I had found the product itself extremely delicious and worthy of stocking on my shelves at Coda here in San Francisco, I also felt that this was a special type of tequila. Currently, there is nothing else out there on the market quite like Tequila Ocho.

There are many special things about this particular brand of tequila. Tequila Ocho claims that they make tequila slowly and the old fashioned way. Felipe Camarena (a third generation Tequilero) and Tomas Estes (the “Ambassador of Tequila” to the European Union) have partnered up together to make this product.

Tequila Ocho also claims that their tequila is produced in vintages from single estates, very similar to how fine wine is produced and bottled. Each vintage (the year the tequila was produced) is claimed to have it’s own unique taste and smell. This is the first tequila on the market to designate both the year in which the tequila was produced and the precise field in which the agave plant was harvested. These bottles also become collector’s items because they are made in such small batches. Once the bottled vintage is out, it’s out forever. Since the bottles are made in such small batches, each bottle is hand numbered.

So why the name Tequila Ocho? Ocho is the Spanish word for eight. Eight seems to be the company’s lucky number. Here are the many reasons why, according to Tequila Ocho’s website:

1. The tequila for Ocho was chosen from the 8th recipe produced by the Camarenas family for Tomas Estes.
2. It takes an average of 8 years for the agave plant to ripen.
3. The “plata” in the Tequila Ocho product line is finished in about 8 days after the agave reaches the distillery.
4. The Camarenas are in their 8th decade of tequila production.
5. The Camarena family includes 8 brothers and sisters.

Keep in mind, this is not the type of tequila made for mixing into cocktails. This type of tequila is meant to enjoyed “neat.” If Tequila Ocho is mixed together with mixers instead of being enjoyed on it’s own, the taster really misses all of the delicious flavors and aromas. Also, Tequila Ocho recommends its tasters to try one vintage/estate against another. By doing the back-to-back tastings, the taster’s palate will recognize that the “terrior” does exist in both agave and tequila.

If you are a tequila connoisseur, you will really appreciate this product for the way it is produced, the way it tastes and the fact that it is made in such small batches.

For more information about Tequila Ocho, it's history and it's product line, please visit the Tequila Ocho website.

August is Tequila Month on Examiner.com. Be sure to check out all of the tequila coverage all month long on the Tequila Examiner Coverage page.

Other “Tequila” related articles:
What is tequila?