Cambio Tequila Blanco Review

BOTTLE DETAILS

• DISTILLER: Inulina y Miel de Agave Distillery (NOM 1605, Capilla de Guadalupe, Jalisco, Mexico)
• MASH BILL: 100% Blue Weber Agave
• AGE: 2 months or less
• YEAR: 2025
• PROOF: 92 (46% ABV)
• MSRP: $49.99
• BUY ONLINE: Cambio Bottle Shop

STEVE'S NOTES

SHARE WITH: Somebody who claims to love blanco tequila but who hasn't tasted a wild thing like this one. And even then, give it to someone who will enjoy the surprise of it. Newcomers and adventurous tequila drinkers alike will dig this.

WORTH THE PRICE: No doubt. Sip this and appreciate it, and you'll feel almost guilty paying only $50 per bottle ... and then you'll regret not putting a second one in your cart.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Bottles. You'll want two: One for yourself so you can experience how it changes with air over time, and a second one to share with guests. You don't want to ignore this, so get two.

OVERALL: In Spanish, Cambio means "change," but in the distillery's release, it's stretched to mean, "Change for the better." Clearly, this brand wants uniqueness. In making the tequila, the distiller utilizes "extremely low temperatures" and wine yeasts for fermentation. Its fermentation tanks are lined with American white oak and traditional Mexican pine, compared to others, which are all metal. Metal models are easier to sanitize, but they also don't lend any unique flavor to the spirit.

It's distilled "slower," but there's no detail on exactly what that means. But like good barbecue, low and slow is often the way to go. And though this is a blanco, it can spend as long as two months in a barrel before becoming a reposado. This maker uses French oak wine barrels to his tequilas' advantage.

I'd sure love to know more about its low-temperature fermentation and its slower distillation to see how both affect flavor and spirit texture. But what's immediately apparent is the impact of wine casks on this blanco: spice, subtle grape character and slight tartness.

The brand was created by a chef-sommelier named John des Rosiers, who became fascinated with tequila to the point of visiting 18 different destilerias for research. Thankfully, he wanted to make old school, handmade tequila using whole agave hearts (typically they are halved to lighten them for handling and stacking for roasting in an horno) which are slow roasted before crushing under a stone tahona wheel. That he lent his knowledge of wine aging to tequila aging is fantastic. There are thousands of tequila labels on the market, and I've only tasted a fraction of them. But within a sample of hundreds, I've never tasted a blanco like this–much less a wine cask-finished one.

The nose leads with a peculiar aroma of cooked agave and vinazes, which is the byproduct of tequila making (think spent mash in whiskey making). The smell of vinazes is pungent and a little sour, but you know you're at a tequila distillery when you smell it. Frankly, I like it. Behind the vinazes is plenty of sweetness: cotton candy, agave syrup, some peppermint candy and crushed white grapes. Woven between all those aromas are tropical flowers, lemon zest and eucalyptus, and even more going on if you hang with it.

The palate is even more exciting. It's simultaneously sweet and tart, coating yet refreshing. Imagine an adult version of Sprite that's alcoholic, tingly, lightly sweet but with the tang of tamarind–and you want to sip it neat all the time. The wine barrel influence is there also: toasted oak and remnants of grapes that put on a sideshow of added but not overpowering complexity. I haven't tried pairing any food with this tequila, but given that a chef helped create it, I can only imagine this is ideal for food pairing. After multiple sips, a sturdy and slightly drying substrate of minerality forms on the palate to make a terrific finish.

That tequila, this good and innovative, only costs $50 a bottle, is truly striking. If you're a fan and you see a bottle, don't hesitate to get it at that price. Maybe get two if funds allow. You'll burn through the first one quickly, I bet.

BRAND NOTES

Cambio Tequila Blanco is made with a higher set of standards, going beyond traditional expectations. First, whole Blue Weber Agave piñas are roasted slow and low for superior flavors, then the juice is extracted using a Tahona stone wheel. The fermentation process utilizes extremely low temperatures and wine yeasts that yield a wider variety of nuances, and the fermentation tanks are carefully lined with American white oak and Mexican pine and temperature controlled. The slower distillation allows for more nuance and control over the spirit’s flavor. Finally, the tequila spends time in used French oak wine barrels, giving it a level of complexity and character unlike any other Blanco.

Disclaimer: Bourbon & Banter received a sample of this product from the brand for review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.