Hasta La Ideas

This blended “extra ages” liquid arrives in a slender, faceted gold-ombre glass bottle

Though not available yet for retail purchase, Volcan De Mi Tierra‘s ultra-premium X.A. tequila is now arriving at glamorous bars, clubs and restaurants around the world. The luscious liquid is housed in a slim, faceted bottle that stands tall. Crafted from gold-ombre glass, the bottle is also adorned with a factory built-in gold LED light at the base that glitters in the dark.

Volcan, which is part of the LVMH portfolio and is the conglomerate’s first tequila, is characterized by its blending philosophy. Rather than choosing just one form of production or one type of blue Weber agave (as many other brands do), Volcan, which has its own distillery, uses multiple techniques and blend the results. The “blend-it-all” approach is akin to the process used by cognac-makers to extract delicate aromas and construct elegant, nuanced spirits.

That blending philosophy is carried through in X.A., which stands for “extra ages.” The liquid is a blend of three different spirits of different ages, including a reposado aged for six months in virgin American oak casks, a 14-month-old añejo that’s a blend of European and American oak cask finishes and an extra añejo aged in American oak for three years.

“We blend many things,” Volcan De Mi Tierra’s COO, Santiago Cortina Gallardo, says. “We source agave from different spots. We use different processes: traditional roller mill, tahona, open wood fermentation versus stainless steel, different use of yeasts. We also blend casks.”

Designed for what Gallardo calls “easy drinking occasions” and “long-lasting nights,” Volcan X.A. was developed to sit alongside nightlife fixtures like champagne and vodka. Unlike premium añejos or extra añejos that are designed for sipping or presented as after-dinner drinks, Volcan X.A. has the complexity of aged liquids, but also the lightness and fetching sweetness of a reposado. As such, it can be sipped and savored or mixed.

“You have a very long finish with immediate sweetness, honey, vanilla and most forward, you have cooked agave,” Gallardo says. “In that ultra-premium category, no one has cooked agave.” Volcan X.A. has no flavor additives, which detract from tequila’s authenticity.

The new expression is a limited edition batch, which is one reason why Volcan’s team opted to provide it to the bottle-service set first. Only 250 restaurants and nightclubs, including premier locations in New York, LA, Mykonos, St Tropez and Ibiza, will have access to the bottles. “If we opened up retail, we would’ve been out of stock relatively quickly and not be able to replenish,” Gallardo explains.

“If you were to launch an ultra-premium tequila, your dream would be to be listed in these accounts,” Gallardo says. “This is the perfect complement to the Moët Hennessy portfolio.” That said, Volcan X.A. will eventually make a retail debut, perhaps as early as next year. Even then, offerings will be “selective,” given that there is a limit to the number of virgin American oak casks the tequila-makers have access to each year.

“We have seen premium spirits surge,” Gallardo says. “People are looking for better products.” From the brand’s reputation to the liquid’s complexity and rarity, Volcan’s X.A. certainly qualifies as such.

Images courtesy of Volcan De Mi Tierra