Exploring Additive Free Tequila!

Additive-free tequila has become an big category over the last several years. As the popularity of tequila has grown, the category is dominated by big brand, celebrity labels, and crazy packaging. We have embraced the additive-free category and it has become a big focus for Town Wine. So what is additive-free tequila anyways? Why does it matter? What's the differences? Which tequilas do we want to drink? In this video, we talk about the category and the tequilas we like to drink!
0:00 Intro to Additive-free tequila
3:31 Tasting Siete Leguas Blanco
4:49 Tasting Mijenta Reposado
6:32 Tasting El Tesoro Anejo
9:39 Tasting Tears of Llorona Extra Anejo

[@fsutrainingvictoria]

Siete Leguas means 7 leagues. Which was pancho villas horses name I believe.

[@CrawfishBoil]

You are correct!

[@petez_el_aventurero8137]

Siete Leguas is a tequila brand that translates to "seven leagues". The name refers to the distance a person could travel by horse in one day, which is about 42 miles. It's also the name of the favorite horse of Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa, who named it for its speed and endurance.

[@EthEdr]

Great lineup! My personal favorite brand right now is G4 but I look forward to trying and enjoying more in the future.

[@townwinespirits2255]

G4 is great stuff! Just not available in RI right now.

[@shamus4427]

Ummm…. Fortaleza ?🤔

[@townwinespirits2255]

Regretfully not available in RI at this point so we focused on things we can actually sell.

[@justwhisky]

Always fun to see you guys with your antics and distractions… real life… Cheers 🥃

[@townwinespirits2255]

Thanks for watching! It was certainly a bit of real life and bit of poor planning....

[@NLBusiness391]

Really enjoyed this guys!! I’ve been getting really into additive free tequila, this is helpful. Cheers!

[@townwinespirits2255]

Thanks for watching! Additive free tequila is where it is at! What’s your go-to bottles? Styles?

[@heatherharrison264]

All of the tequilas in my booze collection at home are additive free. For years, I was wary of tequila and mostly drank mezcal instead because tequila had a tendency to induce headaches, whereas mezcal didn't. Mezcal doesn't use the same kinds of additives that are found in industrial tequila. When additives are used in mezcal, it is typically infusions of fruit or herbs, or hanging meat or other items in the still. These add something interesting to the spirit and don't typically cause headaches. If tequila had these kinds of additives, I wouldn't object, as long as it was stated on the label, as it is for mezcal. It seems that some of the tequila additives can be downright nasty (artificial sweeteners, for example). Also, they mask the natural flavors of the agave and are often used to make up for deficiencies in the agave or the production methods. It would be nice if alcoholic beverages had the same labeling requirements as all other food and drink products and were required to list ingredients and nutritional information. Additives aren't always bad, but I want to know when they are present. I'm glad that awareness of tequila additives has increased. One of the local stores in my area has recently started indicating on the price label which tequilas are additive free, and two of the local bars stock almost exclusively additive free tequilas, though they still have to keep a few of the additive bombs around since they are popular. Hopefully, a similar movement in the direction of transparency and purity will happen for brandy and rum, but it will be more difficult since those spirits are made in numerous countries, each of which has its own regulations.

[@townwinespirits2255]

Love this! We have certainly tailored our recent purchases to the additive free category. I think if the people embrace the category, other categories would probably follow suit.

[@claybob]

Love the Mijenta repo.

[@townwinespirits2255]

Agreed!

[@wadevenerdi1060]

Good stuff guys! Got a bottle of Siete Leguas Reposado and a bottle of Arette Reposado in my stockings this year. Both are made the traditional way, and both are fantastic. I prefer the flavor of the Arette. Give it a try, it is actually $35 a liter also vs $55 for a 750 of the Siete. Love all 3 basic expressions of the El Tesoro. The Anejo is one of my current favorites in Anejos. Another great additive free choice that is readily available is Tequila Ocho. I bought a bottle of their Reposado for one of my buddies a month ago and it is fantastic. Happy New Year!

[@townwinespirits2255]

Thanks for watching! Unfortunately, I don't think Arette is available in RI. I know Lui Fernandes (@iLui_fern ) s a big fan and talks about them regularly. Waiting for the day they make it to RI.

[@hh-up2jj]

Great video, I was actually born in Atotonilco el alto Jalisco where 7 Leguas is made. By far the best tequila out there. Real tequila made by awesome people and still owned by founding family! You should really try their Single barrel if you haven’t yet. Cheers from southern California!

[@ldenorio]

do you have labels in your store that shows which ones are additive free? I don't believe patron has been verified as additive free.

[@townwinespirits2255]

First, thanks for the watch. Second, we don't currently label the additive-free brands but will be within the week. As for Patron, they are not certified by Tequila matchmaker but have worked with Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT) and has been endorsed as additive free. Here is an article from BevNet talking about it: shorturl.at/gBFPV

[@WorldofSpirits1955]

@@townwinespirits2255 - I don't think depending on the same corrupt group that arrested the folks from TMM is a good Idea! There is a reason why Patron has resisted being certified by anyone they don't control.

[@neo4102]

why do these standard additives cause hangovers if its just sugar, caramel, etc?

[@tomthieneman4524]

Do you know much about Milagro? Liked for margaritas not so much for sipping but very affordable, thanks Tommy

[@townwinespirits2255]

Milagro tequilas are generally sold. For a mixer it’s not a bad choice. It’s hard to say if it is additive free or not but it’s not verified.

[@braidblanks6105]

Hi there! Love this video. Such great info. How do you know if a tequila is additive free? You would think they’d want to put it on the label but I’ve seen several that you wouldn’t be able to tell unless you watch videos like this. Look forward to more tequila content. Cheers!

[@ldenorio]

tequila matchmaker, either website or app

[@chrisvahey5183]

Cimarron is also great on its own

[@EuropaWill]

5 years in a barrel is not a long time. Maybe for a tequila it is but if You've seen the color of Glenmorangie 10 or Lagavulin 8 you'll realize the colors of these tequilas are quite suspect.

[@elbergalarga7290]

7 LEGUAS MEANS 5572,7 m=1 LEGUA SALUDOS MIS AMIGOS!!!!! ❤❤❤❤❤

[@elbergalarga7290]

So 7 leguas 7 times 5572,7 m ❤

[@elbergalarga7290]

That's why Pancho Villa s horse was named 7 leguas

[@giovannihernandez8020]

Patron not addictive free. I would chosen El tesoro or tequila Ocho or G4 instead

[@heliosf2080]

one word: tears of llorona

[@townwinespirits2255]

brilliant stuff!

[@bluntedbrandon751]

patron is not additive free lol

[@townwinespirits2255]

First, Thanks for watching. We certainly appreciate it! Second, check this article out: shorturl.at/gjkD7 There are other articles discussing patron being additive free as well.

[@drmmuzik]

@@townwinespirits2255I think what Brandon is referring to is that the CRT will certify the tequila to be additive free for up to 1%. From the article: "The CRT allows for the inclusion of additives in 100% agave tequila so long as they make up under 1% of total liquid. Crucially, brands are not required to disclose the presence of additives if they fall below that threshold, despite the fact that a single drop can radically alter the palate of a full-sized bottle."

[@WorldofSpirits1955]

@@townwinespirits2255 - that link don't work. Great video and selection except for the sketchy Patron!

[@petez_el_aventurero8137]

looks like a great video, but sound quaility was bad

[@townwinespirits2255]

thanks for the comment. We would love to improve on the sound if its an issue. Care to share more?

[@petez_el_aventurero8137]

@@townwinespirits2255 it just sounded as if you guys were talking far away. I compared the sound of your video with others and there was a huge difference. Other than that, good video

[@townwinespirits2255]

@@petez_el_aventurero8137 Gotcha! thanks for the feedback... I wonder if I deleted the wrong audio?? We use an independent audio recorder which gets synced with the dirty audio from the phone. I'll look into and hope to fix it for our next video. Thanks for watching.

[@chrisanza2880]

Sound was okay, could have been better.

[@jamesthedude....9584]

Siete Leguas was the name of Pancho Villa's horse.