Agave Playbook

AGAVE PLAYBOOK Winebow represents the best agave spirits available; all with authenticity, quality and transparency.

2021

CURRENT STATISTICS & TRENDS

Tequila’s growth during COVID is fueled by multiple factors:  The first is tequila’s growth trajectory prior to COVID. Tequila was the fastest-growing category in on and off-premise before COVID, and that trajectory hasn’t changed.    The second is tequila’s strong presence in the on premise, which now has shifted to the off-premise, as drinkers are seeking that same tequila experience, but at home.    The high end is also fueling growth. Prior to COVID, the ultra-premium price tier of tequila was the fastest- growing tier in tequila, and that trend continues during COVID in off-premise channels. Premium and above offerings nowmake up more than 30% of the spirits category.

Tequila is the biggest share gainer among spirit categories, accounting for 12.7% in spirit dollars, up from 9.1% for the 52 weeks prior to COVID in Nielsen off-premise channels.  

Tequila is growing at a phenomenal pace in off-premise markets, and it is also taking share from other top categories in spirits.   

Drizly’s Top-Selling Tequila Styles, 2020

(through July 28) • Silver/Blanco • Reposado • Anejo • Gold • Flavored

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AGAVE BRAND SHORTAGE

Key Facts: • If Tequila is to maintain its soaring popularity, the industry must guard against supply shortages. It is recommended that we all work with producers who own their own agave or have secured consistent agave supply and can distill and age to fulfill the growing demand. • Wholesalers are currently out-of-stock of common call brands and high-end agave spirit brands.  • WithinWinebow, Agave as an overall spirits product category accounts the largest share of our total spirits business. We partner with the best agave producers; trustworthy in terms of authenticity, quality and supply. 

Recent Articles: We have all read the headlines on tequila brands facing supply issues due to the social distancing measures, complicating production in Mexico.

Sevenfifty.com Retailers Confront

Worsening Shortages of Major Spirit and Wine Brands Bloomberg.com Patron’s Socially Distanced Tequila Distillery Can’t Keep Up

ShankenNewsDaily.com Report: Patrón Facing

Shortages in Multiple States as Consumption Ramps Up

Bevalcinsights.com Tracking Tequila’s Rise

FUN THOUGHT: • It’s easy to look at a bottle of whiskey and understand that most of the color comes from barrel maturation. In this case age equals time and investment, and therefore - a higher cost per bottle. • A similar process applies to agave spirits. Your whiskey matures in barrels; the equivalent in agave happens while still in the earth! Agave take 5-50 years to mature fully, ripening enough to harvest and eventually turn into a spirit. Imagine the nutrients, influences and therefore flavors that are derived from all this terroir - and therefore again, a higher cost per bottle.

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KNOW YOUR AGAVE FACTS

Diffuser vs Non-Diffuser Diffuser-made products are less complex than traditionally made or artisanal tequilas. Diffusers tend to produce a very neutral product, and therefore often require the use of additives to try to make the distillate taste more like tequila. Diffuser-made products can often be identified by the presence of medicinal, chemical, fake fruit, or candy-like aromas and flavors, usually derived from the use of additives. Using diffuser products can upset the agricultural and economic ecosystem of agave. It allows distilleries to use young agave not full matured. __________________________________________________________ How to check? Go to: Detecting diffuser-produced tequila __________________________________________________________

Questions you should always ask to gauge the integrity of a tequila before buying. 1. Does the producer grow or source their agave? 2. How is the agave cooked and milled? 3. How is the agave fermented and distilled? 4. Are there any additives?  Know Your NOM NOM – The Norma Official Mexicana (NOM) denotes that the bottle is authentic tequila produced in Mexico. This four-digit number tells you which producer the tequila comes from. Shared NOMS – If two brands share a NOM, they were made in the same place and might share the same process, or have points of differentiation from cooking and fermentation to distilling and dilution. Finding a NOM – The four-digit NOM is listed on every bottle of tequila, on the back or the front label. ________________________________________________________ Google it! Or use TequilaMatchmaker.com – you should be able to find all the information on the producer. __________________________________________________________

Detecting diffuser-produced tequila

1 Start with a suspected diffuser tequila, so the aromatics of a traditional tequila don’t influence the neutralized spirit. Pour a splash of tequila into your palms.

2 Rub your palms together until the tequila is mostly evaporated.

3 Cup your hands around your nose and gently inhale. Notice: DIFFUSER Clean, sterile, odorless. TRADITIONAL Aromas of baked yam, wet earth, cooked agave.

4 Air-dry your hands completely between sampling different tequilas.

Flavor and aroma additives in diffuser tequila can deceive on your initial inhalation, but mostly disappear when it evaporates. Traditional tequila’s aromas remain and its character dissipates slowly.

difusor.info

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KNOW YOUR AGAVE FACTS (CONTINUED)

TEQUILA: must be made in one of the 5 certified states in Mexico (refer to the orange section on the map) MEZCAL: can be made in one of 8 approved states in Mexico, but is most broadly produced in Oaxaca state. WHY ARE THEY DIFFERENT?: 1) They’re made with different kinds of agave. Mezcal can be made frommore than 30 varieties of agave. According to spirits writer Chris Tunstall, the most common varieties of agave used for mezcal are tobalá, tobaziche, tepeztate, arroqueño and espadín, which is the most common agave and accounts for up to 90% of mezcal. 2) They’re distilled differently. Both tequila and mezcal are made from the harvested core of the agave plant, otherwise known as the “piña.” However, that’s where the similarities in production end. Tequila is typically produced by steaming the agave inside

being distilled in clay pots. While some large-scale mezcal producers have adopted modern methods, artisanal mezcal makers continue to use this more traditional method, which is the source of the smokiness commonly associated with mezcal.

— Food &Wine

Regions / Map Varietals

TEQUILA 1. Jalisco

2. Michoacan 3. Tamaulipas 4. Guanajuato 5. Nayarit

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8

3

3

4

5

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MEZCAL 1. Oaxaca

2

2. Michoacan 3. Zacatecas 4. San Luis Potosi 5. Guanajuato 6. Guerrero 7. Tamaulipas 8. Durango

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industrial ovens before being distilled two or three times in copper pots. Mezcal, on the other hand, is cooked inside earthen pits that are lined with lava rocks and filled with wood and charcoal before

1

SOTOL Chihuahua

BACANORA Sonora

Artisanal Mezcal vs Ancestral Mezcal

Three New Categories

Cooking

Grinding

Fermentation

Distillation

Mezcal

Pit ovens, elevated stone ovens, and autoclaves – diffuser use under review

Tahona, Chilean or Egyptian mill, trapiche, shredder or series of mills Tahona, Chilean or Egyptian mill, mallets, trapiche, or shredder

Wood, masonry or stainless steel tanks

Stills, continuous stills, columns stills made of copper or steel

Artisanal Mezcal

Pit ovens or elevated stone ovens

Wood, clay or masonry tanks, animal skins, hollows in stone, earth or tree trunks, and process may use maguey fibers Wood, clay or masonry tanks, animal skins, hollows in stone, earth or tree trunks, and process must use maguey fibers

Direct fire on copper stills or clay pots and coils made of clay, wood, copper, or stainless steel, and process may include maguey fibers Direct fire on clay pots and coils made clay or wood, and process must include maguey fibers

Ancestral Mezcal

Pit ovens only

Tahona, Chilean or Egyptian mill, or mallets

-MezcalPHD.com

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AGAVE PLAYBOOK

WINEBOW 4800 Cox Road, Suite 300 • Glen Allen, VA 23060 | PH: 843.225.5277 | Winebow.com

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