The Story of Casamigos Tequila and Its Growth
When you make the decision to drink tequila or any other form of alcohol, you want something that tastes good and gives you a fair amount of value for your dollar. It also helps if there is actually a good story behind the development of that particular type of product, as it always makes it more interesting to drink something that has a good story to go with it. One of the more interesting stories about any form of alcohol currently for sale is that of Casamigos Tequila. If you are not sure what their story is all about, you should keep reading. People have plenty of opinions about whether this is the best or the worst alcohol that they’ve ever tasted. That said, the story behind it is definitely an interesting one, and no one can doubt that fact for even a second.
Getting Their Start
The origin story behind Casamigos Tequila is definitely one for the record books. As a matter of fact, it was born out of the need for a truly delicious tequila that could be shared and enjoyed on late nights during time spent with friends. The truth is, just three friends are responsible for its creation because they wanted something better and they weren’t satisfied with simply trying to cover up the taste of the tequila that they already had access to. You might recognize at least one of those names, as one of the three friends involved is popular actor George Clooney. The other two involved are Mike Meldman and Rande Gerber.The story behind it begins with a lot of shared nights drinking tequila among these three friends. However, they were never entirely satisfied with drinking tequila that was so overpowering its taste had to be covered up or toned down by using salt or mixing it with something else in order to get it down. What they wanted was a tequila that was smooth enough to go down straight, yet could be equally at home when it was mixed with other things.
Taking Shape
During one of these late-night get-togethers, the three friends were sitting there drinking some other brand of tequila and talking about how much they wanted to create something that tasted better. After all, they weren’t entirely happy with the product they were consuming, so they could only assume that other people felt the same way. Ultimately, they started talking about developing a tequila of their own. More specifically, they began to seriously kick around the idea of gaining a better understanding of the distillation process and everything else that goes into making high-quality tequila. In short, they wanted to find a way to create something that would meet with their discerning tastes, all while creating something that could potentially be used on a commercial basis as well. As such, they started speaking with a distiller based in Jalisco, Mexico, that they knew they could trust. From that point forward, it didn’t take very long for the wheels to start moving into motion. In what seemed like a single evening, the idea of making their own tequila went from a novel concept to something that they were seriously considering and even exploring in earnest.
A Personal Matter
Another thing that makes this story interesting is that initially, there was never any intention to sell this particular tequila to the public, at least not right away. In fact, the three friends had agreed that they simply wanted to be able to have something that they could enjoy for themselves. It was something that would be in their personal collections, but not something that would be available for sale to anyone else. They started the process of making their concept a reality by working with the aforementioned distiller and doing one blind taste test after another in an attempt to find the right mixture and distillation process. Once they found it, they had a number of bottles made that they planned to use on a personal basis. Years later, they are now making the tequila available to the public.
Details, Details
It’s important to remember that this tequila has been around since 2013. After eight years of existence, it only makes sense that the three people involved would decide to make it available to the public. That might not have been their original intent, but they truly believe that they have a solid product that is superior to any of the other brands of tequila they have consumed in the past. That was the reason that they got together to create this project in the first place, to create something that they thoroughly enjoy consuming. When you believe that you have something that is genuinely better than the competition, it only stands to reason that you would eventually want to test that theory and see what the rest of the public thinks about it. As a result, they eventually decided to make this tequila available to the public and while it has become largely popular with some, it’s equally unpopular in some circles as well.
Mixed Reviews
If the product is supposed to be superior to just about everything else on the market, why are there so many different opinions about its actual quality? It’s important to remember that alcohol is like tasting someone’s cooking. Everyone has their own opinion. The thing that one person absolutely loves could potentially be the same thing that you can’t hardly stand. When it comes to preferences in alcohol, it’s not really all that different from food, or even art itself. It is very much a subjective matter. Everyone has their own opinion and none of those opinions are necessarily wrong, even though they may directly contradict one another. That doesn’t necessarily mean one or the other opinion is entirely incorrect, just that they are different. However, it’s also important to look at both sides of the coin so you can try to figure out for yourself whether or not this might be a tequila that you are ultimately interested in trying for yourself.
The Good
The truth is, some tequilas are actually comparable to a fine wine, especially some of the more modern brands. That is precisely what Clooney and his partner set out to do when they developed this particular brand. They wanted something that could mix easily but at the same time, they also wanted a product that didn’t have to be mixed, as previously mentioned. In fact, they were looking for something that was smooth and robust enough to be noticed without being so overpowering that it’s almost impossible to get it down. They were also after something that would taste natural, hence the reason they decided to go with 100% agave for their Tequila Blanco. Through it all, they wanted quality and simplicity. As far as they were concerned, everything else was just filler and had no place whatsoever in a product that they were developing. That’s one reason why it took them so long to go through the development process in the first place. They weren’t willing to settle for something that wasn’t exactly what they were searching for. In fact, the last thing they wanted to do was settle. If that was the case, they would have simply found the best product that was already on the market and let it go at that. If they were going to go to the trouble of creating their own brand of tequila, it had to be something that was worthy of standing up to that type of speculation. Otherwise, there was no point in doing any of this to begin with. Today, that same tequila is aged in stainless steel barrels for a minimum of two months. That fact, coupled with the distillation process, gives it a unique flavor. It tastes of citrus and agave, accompanied by just the slightest hint of vanilla. It’s as simple as it gets but sometimes, simplicity really is the best thing.
It’s Not All Hype
Some people have a habit of thinking that because a celebrity is involved with its development and sale, it’s all just a lot of hype without anything to back up the product’s quality. That would be a mistake. It’s true that Clooney is involved, along with his two partners. However, it’s also true that this tequila has won numerous awards and is capable of standing up to anything else on the market in its own right. After all, it took the three partners a period of two years to develop the right recipe. During that time, they sampled more than 700 different batches, saying no to each and every one, until they finally arrived at this particular batch. The instant they tasted it, they knew they had something special. If that isn’t enough to grab your attention, consider this fact. You can drink Casamigos with soda or on the rocks, and you can do it all day long without waking up feeling like someone is using a jackhammer on your head the next morning. That’s not something you can realistically say about most alcohol. In fact, most people can only dream of having an alcohol that they can consume throughout the day without feeling the effects later on. With this one, it is a reality.
The Bad
Now that you’re aware of the things that actually went into making this brand of tequila, you probably want to know why people have a tendency to be so divided over its quality (or lack thereof, depending on your opinion). As previously discussed, everyone has an opinion about whether or not the tequila is actually any good. Some people absolutely love it. Others loathe it. The only consistency here is that there doesn’t seem to be any middle ground. You either can’t get enough of the stuff or you want to stay as far away from it as possible. You already know what the people who really like it are saying, as that has been covered in earlier paragraphs. Now it’s time to find out what its detractors have to say. More often than not, their comments are essentially the very opposite of what everyone else seems to be saying. They claim that the tequila doesn’t taste like any high-quality spirit should taste. More specifically, they often claim that the tequila is far too sweet. That’s not the only problem they tend to have with it, either. They also claim that it’s bland, lacking the robust flavor that tequila is typically known for. Some of them have gone as far as saying that the tequila tastes like it has been watered down. Many of them have claimed that it isn’t the least bit smooth, but watery and sweet.
So, which camp is correct? After all, the brand’s supporters and detractors can’t both be right, can they? As it turns out, maybe they can. Remember, alcohol isn’t all that different from art. The very same thing that is loved and even revered by some will naturally be hated by others. It’s just the reality of the situation. If this tequila is pleasing to your palate, then you should enjoy it, and if it isn’t, then you should move on. The only way to know how you will feel about it is to buy a bottle and try it for yourself. Considering the fact that you can buy a bottle of this tequila for less than $50, it might be time to rethink the tequila that you’re drinking in order to see if you can find something that’s actually better without breaking the bank in the process. You just might end up with a new favorite and even if you don’t, you can congratulate yourself on having the courage to try something different. After all, trying something different is precisely what Casamigos is all about in the first place. It was never meant to be just like all the other tequilas that you can buy. Instead, it was meant to stand out.