Today's Porfidio Anejo Delivers on Every Promise Ever Made...
Written: Jul 24 '02 (Updated Jul 29 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Smooth, mellow, flavorful aged tequila
Cons: Expensive and can be hard to find
The Bottom Line: Porfidio Anejo is one of the smoothest, most sophisticated tequilas that money (lots of it) can buy. Try it and see why it deserves its reputation for unparalleled excellence!
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| mrkstvns's Full Review: Porfidio Anejo Tequila |
One of the tastiest palate-tempting treats of a trip to the Puerto Vallarta area is a chance to visit Porfidio and to sample first-hand some of the world's most respected and most flavorful tequilas. I thoroughly enjoyed samples of Porfidio's blanco and reposado, but by far the real taste treat was to be able to sample their rich, mellow, rounded tasting Porfidio Añejo -- a true world classic!
The Source...
Porfidio has a beautiful hacienda-style operation on the north side of Puerto Vallarta, about 5 km past the airport and about 100 meters from the state line -- Porfidio is still in Jalisco, but just barely.
With its manicured lawns and neatly kept buildings, the distillery is a tranquil oasis in which to sample some of the best tequilas money can buy.
The tour begins with a look into a store room right next to the waiting room. Inside are dozens of pinas -- the rounded fruit of the agave that is used to make tequila. The pinas are on the small side -- probably 30 to 50 pounds each.
Next stop is the crusher and steamer building. The pinas are put into a large crusher and are then put in a vessel that is essentially a large pressure cooker where fibers and starches will be broken down prior to squeezing for juice. It will take about 20 litres of juice to yield a single litre of tequila.
The juice is put into square fermentation vats that are outdoors in the courtyard. These vats are not particularly large, especially if you are familiar with the fermenters used in most craft breweries or boutique wineries -- the square fermenters used at Porfidio are substantially smaller, probably holding about 30 to 50 gallons each (there are about six vessels here). Fermentation takes place at ambient temperatures.
The heart of any distillery is the still. Porfidio's still is a beautiful copper-clad vessel with a gleaming polished stainless steel tower from which a small tube steadily flows a stream of new tequila into a stainless steel bucket.
After distillation, the tequila is put into oak barrels for aging. Porfidio uses charred new oak barrels and ages their reposado tequila for 5 months and their añejo tequila for 3 years. The barrels are marked and then stacked in racks in an aging room. When the tequila is finally finished aging, it is bottled by hand in the distinctive hand-blown glass bottles that have become a trademark of the Porfidio brand -- a bulbous blue bottle for the reposado and a tall clear bottle with a cactus blown into the bottom of it for the añejo.
At least this is ostensibly how it all works...
Is It Really a Distillery????
This section is being added after the original post to address comments and email from epinions users:
I've been told that this distillery is a sham, and if it is, it is one of the best darn wool-pulling theatrics I've seen. All the equipment is very modern stuff -- the kind of equipment you find in very, very well-heeled artisinal distilleries, but the thing that really gets me is that the whole place even the smells right at every step along the tour.
That said, the Porfidio operation might indeed be a sham operation as other members have claimed. When I checked the CRT lists (both nacionales and extrañeros) of approved tequila producers, I see that comments from epinions user tequila are correct -- Porfidio does not have a license to produce tequila. Well, I thought, maybe it's under the name of one of the principals...sorry, Charlie. There's no licensed distillery in Puerto Vallarta under any name.
At this point, I'm saying "What the heck is up with that?" I don't know what the guys at Porfidio are doing. The crushers and stills seem to be operating, and the aging room is full of barrels, I just don't know what to think. I guess I'll just have to drink the tequila...
A Glass of Fine Aged Tequila...
At their facility, Porfidio pours sample shots of their products into a distinctively shaped snifter glass that helps emphasize the aromatic qualities of the drink. Their glass is shaped similar to a cognac glass, but with a larger bulb, a slimmer waist, and a more widely flared mouth. A cognac snifter would be a fine choice though for serving a tequila like Porfidio Añejo...
Appearance:
What a gorgeous drink! The tequila pours with a deep golden, almost light copper color, with some light reddish orange hues.
Aroma:
My first impression is very light smoky phenolic with some soft plum-like fruitiness and a somewhat spicy, clove-like smell. As I swirl the glass and sniff again, the smokiness becomes a little more pronounced.
Flavor:
Wow! Soft, smooth, and mellow beyond belief. This is a tequila that's sophisticated and gentle on the palate but with an enormous complexity. When I commented on the soft, gentle smokiness, the guide conjectured that it is the contribution of charred oak that I was experiencing. I thought the plum-like fruitiness was softer in the flavor, becoming more like sweet raisins. There's an unmistakable vanilla edge that I think contributes to the overall softness of this wonderfully smooth drink.
Impressions:
Okay, so I might be giving Porfidio extra credit because I was enjoying their tequilas on a beautiful sunny day at the distillery, but I honestly think that even in the worst of conditions, Porfidio Añejo is a tequila that would stand head and shoulders above the competition. This is unquestionably one of the smoothest, most complex, most sophisticated tequilas that I have ever had the pleasure of drinking.
Past Controversy...
You may have read stories late last year about Porfidio's troubles with Mexican government regulators shutting down Porfidio's operation. When I asked a Porfidio employee what that was all about, he dismissed it casually saying that those problems were all behind them and that the stories were more the result of jealous competitors spreading misinformation than actual problems with government regulators. He said that Porfidio had briefly closed down on their own volition because they were unable to purchase enough agave to keep running.
Hmm. Maybe so, but I have trouble believing that the press would print stories based only on rumors. What is clear to me though is that Porfidio is unquestionably still in business, and that the Porfidio Anejo being sold today is every bit as complex and enjoyable as their reputation (the non-shady part of it anyway) promises it to be.
My recommendation to connoisseurs is to keep an eye on Porfidio, but if the chance comes up to sample Porfidio Anejo, jump for it! The tequila is still first-rate!
Bottom Line...
As others have said, this is not a tequila for mixing and blending -- this is something that you absolutely must experience by itself for its own qualities. A definite top-shelf choice!
Recommended:
Yes
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