The Beckmann family dominates the tequila market with Jose Cuervo, a brand that has held the number one spot in terms of sales for many years. The family’s Proximo Spirits company also owns Maestro Dobel, a tequila brand that released the first cristalino expression in 2008 called Dobel Diamante. Now Dobel is launching the new Grandes Maestros Collection with an expensive limited-edition tequila finished in mezcal barrels, which it claims is another first for the industry.
The inaugural release, the Francisco Toledo Edition, is named after the late Mexican artist Francisco ‘El Maestro’ Toledo. The liquid is an extra añejo tequila made from agave that is at least seven years old before harvesting, cooked in stone ovens for 48 hours, and aged for at least three years in new American oak barrels (not the typical bourbon barrels), followed by a secondary finish of up to four months in American oak mezcal barrels. We got an early sample of the tequila to try, and this is definitely one of the better releases from Dobel. The palate leads with soft, subtle smoke, followed by notes of ripe stone fruit, savory barbecue, black pepper spice, vanilla, and charred oak. There’s a nice bitter amaro character to this tequila, a surprising but welcome and very unique tasting note.
According to Dobel founder and 11th-generation tequila maker Juan Dobel, the idea for this collaboration first came up in 2016. “Francisco and I shared a deep passion for Mexico and its culture, which we reflected through art and tequila,” he said in a statement. “El Maestro and I envisioned a timeless art piece, one that would transcend conventional expectations and become an object that embodied Toledo’s artistic principles and exceptional craftsmanship while showcasing Dobel’s commitment to tequila excellence and innovation.” To that end, Toledo designed the frosted bottle that the liquid comes in and packaging that includes a stone pedestal and bottle top and a “rotating four-cube wood prism base.”
This tequila might be hard to get your hands on, however, because just 281 bottles of Dobel Tequila Grandes Maestros Collection: The Francisco Toledo Edition are being released. And only 15 of those are coming to specialty retailers in the U.S. with a price tag of $5,000 apiece. One of those bottles will also be up for auction until April 29, with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit Friends of IAGO (the Graphic Arts Institute of Oaxaca) and the Manuel Álvarez Bravo A.C. Photographic Center. You can bid on that bottle here, and the rest of the Dobel lineup, including high-end expressions in the Dobel 50 series, can be purchased at ReserveBar now.
Authors
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Jonah Flicker