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The Campari Group, the alcohol company behind the eponymous aperitif as well as a number of other brands including Espolón and Wild Turkey, has a new premium tequila that’s likely unlike you’ve tried before: Mayenda (the name is a nod to the Aztec goddess of agave, Mayahuel).
It’s produced in Arandas, Jalisco, a small tequila-producing town a couple hours from Guadalajara. Maestro tequilero Jesus Susunaga Acosta leads production at Casa San Nicolas, the same distillery that makes Campari’s Espolón tequila. Acosta has 18 years of experience in distilling, with stints in Cognac, vermouth facilities in Italy, and distilleries in Scotland, the Caribbean, and England. With Mayenda, he’s creating a tequila that introduces two production aspects not common to the region that add an extra layer of depth to the spirit.
And it’s not just the tequila itself that’s a draw. The packaging brings an elegance as well with a 100-percent copper agave medallion on each bottle designed and produced by Mexican designer Mauricio Serrano, and the labels are made with 100-percent recycled agave material.
ABV: 40 percent
Price: $70
Where it’s available: Reserve Bar
Credit: Mayenda
How Mayenda Tequila Is Made
It starts with the agave. Mayenda’s jimadors cut the sharp leaves off of the plant close to the heart, or piña, which leads to less material and less juice when the agaves are cooked, but also leads to a less bitter and vegetal final spirit.
At the most basic level, tequila is traditionally made by cooking the agaves, crushing them to extract the juice, fermenting that juice, and then distilling that into the final tequila. Mayenda follows this process, of course, but adds two steps that make it stand out among other producers.
The first is that the distillery steeps the macerated cooked piñas in the base distillate to add an extra layer of cooked agave. The second is that agave miel, the sweet syrup from cooked agaves that translates to “agave honey,” is blended into the distillate to add a natural agave sweetness without the need for any external sugar or other additives. After those two steps, it’s put through a copper pot still for a second and final distillation.
What Mayenda Tequila Tastes Like
It has a more subtle agave aroma than some of the other heavy grassy tequilas made in Arandas that I’ve tried. The smell of caramelized sugars is there, hinting at Mayenda’s easy sipping nature. The first sip is gentle, with some baking spices that lead into a bit of a peppery, citrusy finish with just enough sweetness to bring you back.
You’ll want to sip this tequila neat to enjoy all the flavors that it has to offer (the brand suggests a Riedel Ouveture glass, but a rocks glass will do just fine). After all, you likely haven’t had a premium tequila made this way, and those nuances can easily get lost under layers of lime juice and simple syrup.
Why You Should Add Mayenda Tequila To Your Bar Cart
This is a bottle you’ll want to break out and share with any and all tequila fans who stop by. Selfishly, however, you might also want to just keep it to yourself. It doesn’t hurt that the presentation is top-notch as well.
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