Many of the best tequila brands that win blind tasting awards are priced at a normal level and are put into bottles that don’t wow anyone. This is even more true for mezcal, which might be in a bottle that doesn’t even have a label if you buy it in Oaxaca. So when I see a brand like Tequila Solarum that is built on impressive packaging and gimmicky product lines, I’m skeptical from the start. I had the chance to give it a fair shot with a full-blown tasting though, so here’s my review of how that turned out.
First of all, we couldn’t have asked for a more sublime setting for our tasting that at the big bar terrace of Impression Isla Mujeres by Secrets. This dramatic property, which cascades down a cliff to the gorgeous sea and pier complex, set up this tasting with a view just as the sun was making its way toward the horizon. We started out with the regular tequila while it was still daylight, then switched to their signature product at sunset, which made sense considering its attributes that I’ll get into in a minute.
All the while we were socializing with fun people and nibbling on good food while our Solarum Tequila host explained the brand story and what we would be tasting: their blanco, reposado, and anejo offerings. Then the show-stopper signature tequila that costs a lot more.
Standard Tequila Solarum Tasting Notes
The kind of spirit you like is a very personal choice that often has little to do with inherent quality. One person’s “best bourbon ever” may be Maker’s Mark because they like the flavor profile and telling them that some award-winning fancy brand that costs three times as much is better is going to ring hollow for them.
So take what I say as just my own opinion, though I have probably tasted more tequila brands than 99.9% of the population. We started out with the Solarum Plata and for me this was the best of the bunch. This tequila is made from agave grown in the highlands of Jalisco and this one had some nice floral overtones, herbal notes, and a bit less pepper than you get in the lowlands. It was a solid tequila that can hold up to most others out there.
The reposado is what I would normally buy for everyday use but this one only spent two months in oak barrels, which made it taste to me like a tequila that wasn’t sure what it wanted to be when it grew up. It felt adolescent instead of fully developed and I wrote “cantina tequila” in my notes.
The Solarum Añejo was more balanced, with 12 months in oak for it to find its footing and become refined enough to sip after dinner. I enjoyed it all the way through the glass, but it had more of a bit than most aged tequilas from Los Altos, with less leveling-out than I’d expect and a harsher alcohol-forward nose than you usually get with something aged this long in oak. In all fairness though, it retails for under $50, so it’s a fair value.
Succession Flashbacks With Flecks of Gold
One of my favorite episodes of the great TV show Succession was Episode 6 when boss man Tom takes his protege Greg out for a night on the town in New York. They eat at a restaurant where Greg asks why there are no prices on the menu and Tom answers, “Because they’re insane!” They go hang out alone in a VIP area of a club, overlooking the people dancing, and Greg asks why what their shots have flecks of gold in them. Tom says something to the effect of, “Because we’re rich!”
Tom shows multiple times throughout the series that he’s impressed by outward signs of wealth, even when they’re goofy, like gold flecks in a drink that are only going to end up getting flushed down the toilet a day or two later. That’s what you get with Solarum’s signature offering, a “extra añejo cristalino” tequila filled with flakes of 24-caret gold, retailing for around $90 in Mexico. So the liquor has been treated to eliminate the color from the barrel aging and then a pinch of gold, maybe from the hand of fairies, went into the concoction.
At a time when gold is trading at $3,356 per ounce as I write this, I’m a bit torn about how to feel about this package, which I’ve got to admit is quite striking. On the one hand it seems like a bargain if you just want to pull something out at a party that will get people talking. On the other hand this seems like an ostentatious waste, even if it is just gold leaf. I kept reflecting on these mixed feelings as our host at this tequila tasting poured from a lit-up bottle meant to show off the precious metal shavings going into our glasses.
But hey, in an environment when a new brand of tequila seems to pop up every month, half of those new ones endorsed by celebrities, you’ve got to do something to stand out. Being great isn’t enough, especially if you want to woo the young cocktail crowd, so you’ve got to find a marketing gimmick that will help the youngsters remember your name next time they’re in a bar.
Solarum Tequila definitely hired a good marketing and packaging agency because their products look beautiful. Gorgeous boxes, nice bottles, caps that have some heft, and a logo with a cool background story. Maybe all that, combined with gimmicks like precious metals floating into your glass, will be enough to succeed.
But what about the quality of what’s inside? If I closed my eyes and ignored the gold, the 24K bleached extra anejo didn’t taste any better (or more natural) than similar ones I’ve tried like Don Julio 70 and Tequila Cosmico. It’s just that in this case, you’ve got a trick inside of a trick, which is probably just what some showy partiers are looking for.
See more at the official website here (Spanish only). As best as I can tell, this brand is not available in the USA at the time of writing, but probably will be later. In Vegas at least…
