Global spirits company Amber Beverage Group is set to launch the fifth expression in its fast-growing Rooster Rojo Tequila range - an Ahumado (smoked) variant - at Bar Convent Berlin (BCB).
Being held on 10-12 October, delegates at the BCB will be amongst the first to have the opportunity to sample this tequila.The brand will then roll out in the UK, US, South Africa, Australia, and the Baltic States in the Autumn.
The new product follows the highly successful launch in 2021 of another smoky tequila - its Rooster Rojo Smoked Pineapple expression.
Unlike the other tequilas in the collection, which are 38% ABV, the Ahumado is 40% ABV, enabling the taste notes of this extraordinary spirit to shine through.
“Rooster Rojo Ahumado is an extraordinary drink which has the best features of mezcal but at the same time is rather gentle, smooth, and highly drinkable as a sipping tequila,” Mantas Zlatkus, the Global Brand Director of Rooster Rojo Tequila, said.
“Ahumado is what I would call a ‘democratic liquid' in that it will appeal to a wide range of tequila lovers. Its main advantages are that it captures the growing trend for smoky taste notes, just as our Smoked Pineapple Tequila does, and that it can be sipped neat. It also lends itself to any traditional mezcal or tequila cocktail."
The recommended serve is neat, at room temperature (around 20 degrees Celsius) or with one ice cube. The brand also presents this in a cocktail called Smoky Mango or in a classic Margarita. There is a growing trend for smoked flavours.
This spirit is a Reposado tequila and is made by roasting the agave using an artisanal underground oven for 48 hours using stones heated with Mesquite firewood. The agave is first cut, then covered with dried agave fibre and the entrance to the oven is sealed with moistened earth. The roasted agave is balanced with traditionally cooked agave before being fermented and double distilled. It is then rested in oak barrels for at least two months, creating a masterfully balanced tequila which is smoky and complex, yet delicate and smooth. Like all Rooster Rojo Tequilas, it is made as all fine tequilas should be, with 100% Blue Weber Agave and designed to be sipped and not ‘slammed'.
Rooster Rojo Ahumado is a brand with a strong craft appeal as it uses traditional glass with the Rooster motif prominently etched into the bottle. Earlier this year, the brand launched a global advertising campaign designed to underline the fine qualities of the range with a headline of SIP DON'T SLAM.
The water used to complete the creation of Rooster Rojo Tequilas is filtered through Mexican silver, which gives the resulting liquid greater complexity, softness, and a gentle taste on the palate.
Available in a 70cl format in the UK, it will be priced at around £30.
Jo Taylorson