Everybody knows tequila, but many people believe that there are only two or three of the two or three varieties that are popular in this country and can be found on most supermarket shelves. In fact, this is only a tiny and rather unrepresentative part of the fascinating world of this Mexican specialty, which is extracted from the heart of the legendary blue agave.

Tequila is available in a wide variety of qualities, and numerous brands and manufacturers offer it in its five classic varieties. It is true that around 80% of all tequilas come from the region in Mexico where the city that gave the liquors its name is located. However, there are considerable differences in quality and taste among them.

With this article we want to give you an understanding of the diverse culture of tequila. And before we go into the peculiarities of tequilas that are particularly popular in Bulgaria, we will first answer the not unimportant questions of what tequila is, what differences there are between the different types of tequila and who first came up with the charming idea of distilling schnapps from the hearts of blue spiny plants.

If you stand on the extremely well-kept market place of the small town of Villa de Santiago de Tequila in the Mexican state of Jalisco and ask any inhabitant who invented tequila, the answer will most likely be: "We did!" Whereby this "we" refers to the ancestors of the people in the Municipio Tequila, one of the 56 federal administrative districts from which Tequila may originate today. And of course Tequila was invented right here, in front of the panorama of flickering mountains and plains, over which the fields of the blue Agave tequilana extend as far as the eye can see.

But one must not forget: Tequila is a special variant of Mezcal. To be more precise, Tequila is the kind of mezcal that is extracted from the blue Agave. So the question about the invention of tequila is first of all generally one about the invention of mezcal.

Now nobody knows exactly when and how it happened that people started to think about using agave for making liquor. Some people claim that it was the idea of the Spanish conquistadores in the 16th century to obtain pulp by heating the heart of the agave, fermenting it and distilling it into mezcal. Others are sure that the Aztecs already knew how to produce this fine droplet. After all, the Aztecs would have done all sorts of magic with the pulp, secondly they would have had their own deity for it and thirdly they would have told an interesting story about a divinely sent lightning that struck an agave and split its heart, whereupon a delicious nectar poured out.

Whatever the invention of agave distillation, one thing is guaranteed: in 1795, Carlos IV, King of Spain, allowed Jose Maria Guadeloupe de Cuervo, a citizen of Tequila, to run a commercial distillery for the production of Mezcal. Which from then on distilled exclusively from the heart of the blue agave. The year 1795 is therefore the actual year of birth of the classic Tequila, which subsequently became the national drink of Mexico, successfully defended this status and is now famous all over the world.

The production of tequila is still a strictly regulated process by law and is supervised by a separate authority - the Consejo Regulador del Tequila. Basically one distinguishes between two qualities:

100% Agave azul refers to tequilas that are exclusively made from the heart of the blue Agave tequilana.

Mixto designates tequilas whose alcohol content is only 51% from the Agave tequilana and which are mixed with alcohol obtained from cane sugar, for example.

Among purists the tequilas of the pure Agave-azul quality are of course the only true tequilas.

Furthermore, there is another criterion for classifying tequila types: the degree of maturity of the distillate. Silver or Blanco are called Tequilas if they are bottled directly after distillation. Aged or Resperado is the name for tequilas that have been matured for at least two months in oak barrels. Añejo refers to tequilas aged between one and three years, Extra-añejo to tequilas aged for more than three years. Finally, Gold or Oro is a mixture of Tequila Blanco and more mature distillates.

While there has been a lively tradition of tasting tequila varieties in Mexico for centuries and in the USA for decades, where very differentiated judgements are made about taste, colour and compositional nuances, Europe and especially Germany have long lagged behind in the matter of the "Blue Wonder". It was not until the 1980s that they became noticeably more widespread, and at that time it was mainly mixto varieties that were more or less misused for what is generally known as "boozing" that were popular.

When the Margarita developed into an in-cocktail in the early 1990s, people began to perceive tequila as a taste factor and began to appreciate it not only in circles of excessive party people. Today, the view has become widely accepted among connoisseurs of spirits that tequila is not a schnapps to be downed, but above all that it can be an all-round delight for lips, palate and tongue. An Añejo, for example, is absolutely to be drunk purely. A Blanco is a fine thing for mixing cocktails. But also it can be enjoyed purely, for example on-the-rocks or as a shot with salt and lemon.

When it comes to the question of which tequilas are suitable for the Bulgarian market, the product scouts of our Bulgarian suppliers always face a particularly tricky task. The Bulgarians are proven experts when it comes to schnapps, which, like salad before dinner, is an essential part of their culture. The younger generations in particular like to sip high-proof liquors from all over the world, but also very critically.

Only a few tequila varieties manage to survive in the hip discotheques, bars and good parlours of the bon vivants of Sofia, Plovdiv or Varna and achieve a certain fame there. We present two of them here at Bulgaria-Shop.com.

This Blanco is a 100 % Agave azul and therefore a pureblooded representative of its kind, which is clearly visible in its temperament. Produced from the hand-picked hearts of blue agave cultivated in the Mexican highlands, it was fermented in a particularly complex process and bottled according to its specification directly after distillation. It captivates with its distinct, slightly sweet agave aroma, notes of citrus fruits and a hint of black pepper. In the more tasteful circles of Bulgarian cities it is enjoying growing demand.

It is no coincidence that this top-quality tequila found its way to Bulgaria via Vinprom Peshtera and is now also coming to Germany. This is because the company, which originally comes from the wine-growing sector, has very successfully expanded its expertise in the liquor sector over the past twenty years. Brands such as Flirt Vodka and Black Ram Whisky are known to connoisseurs and trendsetters worldwide.

It is the uncrowned king among the high-proof agave distillates in the clubs of the Bulgarian capital. It too belongs to the class of pure agave azul tequilas and is produced and bottled exclusively for Vinprom Karnobat in Mexico. Its particularly clear and fresh taste with slight hints of vanilla is highly praised and appreciated.

At Vinprom Karnobat, world-famous for its Bulgarian wines and brandies of excellent quality, the business with international liquors is only a side event. However, it is one on which they operate with great passion and expertise, as the Savoy Silver impressively demonstrates.

As we have already learned, limtless tequila is not what the inventors intended.  Especially Tequila is a liquor, where enjoyment is the main thing. Therefore and due to the high expectations of the Bulgarians already mentioned, we have a rather small offer for you in this category so far. However, the product scouts of our suppliers are still on duty to search for previously unknown tequilas that meet Bulgarian criteria.

Nevertheless, you will never find limitless Tequila here. However, in the future you will definitely find one new product or another. So please check back often. And treat yourself to a glass of tequila every now and then. Salud!