Photo's provided by Comisario
Comisario
By: Brent Nakano
Hawaii Distributor: Island Distribution
Distillery Location: Arandas, Jalisco (Highlands of Jalisco)
Distillery: Casa Tequilera de Arandas (NOM 1499)
Producer: Casa Aceves, the Casa Tequilera and Certified Tequila Masters
Distillery Location: Arandas, Jalisco (Highlands of Jalisco)
Distillery: Casa Tequilera de Arandas (NOM 1499)
Producer: Casa Aceves, the Casa Tequilera and Certified Tequila Masters
Founding Story
Casa Aceves History
Tequila Comisario has been a multi-generational effort building upon a family legacy in the Tequila business. It started three generations ago when Francisco Aceves became one of the first to grow agave in corn fields of the Los Altos (Highlands) region of Jalisco, Mexico. His son Jose Aceves Sr., expanded upon agave farming by serving as a local sales representative for a very old tequila distillery in the region. In the early 2000s the next generation, José Jr. and César, further expanded the family’s tequila business by opening their own distillery. Shortly thereafter, the youngest Aceves brother, Álvaro joined them after completing a bachelor's degree and then a Maestría en Procesos del Tequila (Master’s in Tequila Process). The latter degree, was a newly developed program by the Council Regulator de Tequila (CRT) and the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara’s which rooted Tequila production in science rather than being purely apprenticeship based. “We learned tequila production by school, not by myths,” said José Aceves .Jr, who goes by “José”.
Tequila Comisario has been a multi-generational effort building upon a family legacy in the Tequila business. It started three generations ago when Francisco Aceves became one of the first to grow agave in corn fields of the Los Altos (Highlands) region of Jalisco, Mexico. His son Jose Aceves Sr., expanded upon agave farming by serving as a local sales representative for a very old tequila distillery in the region. In the early 2000s the next generation, José Jr. and César, further expanded the family’s tequila business by opening their own distillery. Shortly thereafter, the youngest Aceves brother, Álvaro joined them after completing a bachelor's degree and then a Maestría en Procesos del Tequila (Master’s in Tequila Process). The latter degree, was a newly developed program by the Council Regulator de Tequila (CRT) and the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara’s which rooted Tequila production in science rather than being purely apprenticeship based. “We learned tequila production by school, not by myths,” said José Aceves .Jr, who goes by “José”.
|
Tequila Comisario
As the Aceves brothers were developing their company, their initial approach was to develop and market brands in-house and seek investment as needed. Through this process they met Dr Roy Morita, who had a desire to build a world class brand that left a legacy and a comfortable retirement. Bottle Design During the initial investment meeting, Dr. Roy Morita brought up an issue with the original packaging which was a small, squatty, square bottle that resembled other traditional Mexican-style tequila bottles. “The original bottle and label were terrible and the product was having trouble selling,” he recalled. This he knew he would have to fix, but he had ideas. Upon finalizing the contract for investment, Dr. Morita sketched the current bottle which was inspired by the brand’s name Comisario meaning Commander, Commissioner, or Sheriff. The resulting bottle features a sash and a medallion around the long bottleneck, which also helps with ease of pouring. With these sketches in-hand, Dr. Morita set-out to manufacture a high quality bottle that used premium Portugues corks. Little did he know that it would take a global search that lasted two years until the end of 2009 to find a company to bring his vision to life. “The only bottle company that could make a mold and manufacture our bottle was Vetro Glass in Italy. Little did I know this bottle would be so well received by people,” said Dr. Morita. Overtime, the package sourcing has undergone changes. “Given global logistics, we have now attempted to source some materials closer to production, without any compromise,” said Steve Rice, CEO of Comisario Tequila. |
Early Product
With the bottle designed and developed, Dr. Morita led with the assistance of a cousin in the beverage alcohol industry, let the bottle create the path. That path, it appeared, would be Whisky and Bourbon sipping individuals. “We tried to get our product into both off and on premises. We did get Comisario distributed by Southern Wine and Spirits and into BevMo, but lacking manpower and more financial investment, we stalled,” said Dr. Morita. NBARPA All-Star Game party NBARPA All-Star Game party In 2011, Dr. Mortia’s showcase Tequila Comisario at the National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) All-Star Game after-party co-hosted by Dr. J (Julius Erving) at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles started a new chapter in Tequila Comisario At the time Rick Darnell was involved in the beverage industry through a water bottling plant while also serving as co-President of the NBRPA with Lucious Allen, and was in-charge of setting-up the showcase. Darnell recalled how he met Dr. Morita: “We had every major product there because everybody wanted to showcase to the 300 NBA retired or current players including Dr. J, general managers, and coaches coming from the All Star game. Dr. Morita asked if they could showcase the brand. In planning the event, I didn't have time to taste it. However, I thought it had a beautiful bottle, and was just praying that what was inside it was half as good. During the party, all of a sudden, there were huge lines in front of this tequila and everyone was going crazy for it. And so I had to walk over and I go, ‘What's in that bottle is even better than what it looks like, and it is fabulous’." This meeting led to further collaboration on brand expansion and the realization that the best strategy would be for Rick Darnell and Steve Rice to acquire a majority share of Tequila Comisario from the Aceves Brothers, and a buyout of Dr. Morita. Darnell made sure to note “Jose and his family are always going to be on our team forever.” |
Approach to Tequila
Tequila Comisario’s approach to the creation of a product is a combination of a vision for a flavor profile and more importantly, the execution of the vision by a skilled and innovative production team.
|
The flavor profile
Tequila Comisario is additive-free, with a flavor profile that appeals to the American tequila consumer that is becoming more sophisticated and outgrowing the industrial tequilas reminiscent of spring break in Cancun or Tijuana, but a consumer that still desires: •Floral, herbacious and fruit-forward aromas derived from aroma compounds like Beta Damascone which are retained from fresh agave by auto-clave cooking 70% of the agave. •A sweet flavor profile and soft mouthfeel that is not derived from the addition of abocantes (additives) like Jarabe (sugar-based syrup), sugar, or glycerine but rather from the usage 30% horno (brick oven) cooked agave. This occurs because of the production of Maillard and caramelization aroma compounds in this process. •Clean aromas produced in fermentation by using almost exclusively Saccharomyces cerevisiae rather than by a mix of bacteria and multiple yeast species. •More robust barrel aged aromas similar to those found in whiskey compared to the lighter barrel notes typically found in additive-free tequila, however these must be naturally derived from barrel aging not by the addition of oak extract and caramel color. José notes, “The product is still high quality. It's just modifying the characteristics and production practices of traditional tequilas in Mexico to fit the preference in America. As makers of quality products, our style is to do this by natural processes like selecting fully mature agave that is 2 years older than the industry average, removing as much green from the pina as possible, and using a slow cooking process, and by discarding 45% of heads and tails, by using oxygenation, by recharing and using newer barrels than the industry average, and by cold filtering not by using additives. Rice added, “When you take into account the entire process, profit margin is the last thing we worry about. Our process is likely costing us a few more dollars per bottle than most competitors.” 
Casa Aceves: César, Álvaro and José Jr Aceves (Production partners and Certified Tequila Masters for Comisario Tequila)
|
Tequila Production at Norma Oficial Mexicana (NOM) by a Casa Tequileria
A Norma Oficial Mexicana (NOM) is the registered distillation facility at which the tequila is produced. A Casa Tequileria (Tequila House) is a tequila production company. These can be the same entity or they can be different. Arrangements common in the Tequila Industry but uncommon in the production of other spirits include (on opposite sides of the spectrum): •The NOM being a facility run by a company that creates tequila which can be purchased in bulk. These tequila may be made in different ways to create blending components. The distillery team then can assist clients to blend these pre-made components. This approach is common with celebrity tequila brands. Jose notes, “Many new distilleries are run by people who have jumped from other industries because the Tequila business is trendy. They use chemical engineers who convert agave sugars into tequila in a way that gets the highest yield and the lowest production cost.” •A NOM that functions as a commercial kitchen. In this scenario, a facility is leased by a Casa Tequileria (Tequila house). The Casa Tequileria may be an international brand that needs more production capacity than the distilleries they own, or may be a small company that creates their own tequila but does not have the capital to finance their own facility. In this scenario, the who (Casa Tequileria) is more important than the where (NOM) as it is akin to a chef that leases restaurant space because they do not have the capital to purchase the building. Casa Aceves and Casa Tequilera de Arandas (NOM 1499) Casa Aceves is a Casa Tequileria with partial ownership in Casa Tequilera de Arandas (NOM 1499). While they generally do production at Casa Tequilera de Arandas, they may also utilize other distilleries as needed. Tequila Comisario is produced under this approach. This means that the NOM, while having the equipment that Casa Aceves like using, should be thought of as being a production facility. “While our distillery, Casa Tequila de Arandas, produces many private labels through a leasing agreement, we are not responsible for their quality. Casa Aceves produces tequila specific to a brand, and we are produced by Maestro Tequilero,” said Jose. “We are the only Casa Tequileria that designs products exclusively for partners, and every product by Casa Aceves is high quality, consistent, and designed for competition,” he added. Maestro Tequileros The only academic institution that can provide an official master’s license is Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara. The program was developed jointly by the National Chamber of the Tequila Industry and the Tequila Regulatory Council, AC. For more information: uag.mx/es/maestria/maestria-en-procesos-del-tequila |
Production Process
|
Agave Cultivation
The flavor of agave in tequila results from a combination of growing location and harvest techniques. Growing Location: Los Altos Region The agave is from the Aceves Family Holdings in the Los Altos (Highlands) region of Jalisco. On the bottle’s side label, this is indicated by “Estate Grown”. The Los Altos region is approximately 10 °F cooler than Zona Valles (lowlands) region with temperatures of 61-68 degrees which in the winter, can drop into the 30s. The region also has lower rainfall than the lowlands, but the iron-rich clay soil supplies necessary minerals and helps with water retention. These conditions ultimately result in agave which can reach 154 pounds each compared to Zona Valles agave which are typically 66-100 pounds. Jose notes, “these larger agave with higher sugars result in the citrusy and sweet-fruity notes that people love in tequila.” Harvest age: At least 6 years old. To ensure ripeness the jimador test the sugar content of each piña in the field to confirm ART levels averaging around 25 percent. Additionally, piñas are not allowed more than 20 red spots on the white flesh of the plant. What are the red spots? “We harvest agave when the agave is 6 to 8 years old because of their higher sugar levels and lower acidity,” said Jose. Penca Removal Removal so that the green parts measure no more than ⅓ inch (1 cm) in length. Removing as much green from the pina as possible is important to Tequila Comisario’s production process. “The green parts that contain waxes and chlorophyll which cause hardness and bitterness in the final distillate. However, as you remove more, your cost goes up, but when your focus is quality first you can create beautiful tequilas,” said Jose. Oxidation Prevention Agave is not quartered until reaching the production facility. |
Water
•Fermentation water: Rough Filtered deep well water. “We don’t remove the minerals, because the mineral content provides nutrition for our yeast,” said Jose. •Proofing: Reverse osmosis treated water. Cooking Method 70% Autoclave/ 30% Horno A blend of slow autoclave-cooked agave and horno-cooked agave is used to reduce but not eliminate the cooked agave taste found in traditional tequila. “We cook slowly in an autoclave and then a little more to create this beautiful sweetness from the agave that tastes like pumpkin. This slow cooking in an autoclave is perfect for American palettes. If we were creating a traditional style of tequila with lots of cooked agave taste, we would cook everything in a horno. In industrial production, this cooking process is faster because they add flavor by using additives. Using ripe (high sugar) agave is critical to get the nicely cooked agave flavors from the agave fructans,” said José. Crushing/Shredding Method: Rollermill The rollermill process involves an initial crushing of the agave with a cylindrical roller against a flat plate or another roller, spraying water onto the agave to act as a solvent for the sugar, then crushing it again. Tequila Comisario repeats this process five times so that no more than 2% of sugars remain in the fibers. “By crushing with a rollermill and only fermenting the musto (the sugar without the fiber), it helps us to create very clean and consistent products with no weird flavors from bacteria or non-Saccharomyces yeast, compared to using a tahona (a heavy stone wheel). Also, by not using bagaso (leftover pulp) in the fermentation we are able to create a more aerobic environment, as inclusion of the bagaso results in it floating to the top and forming a cap that creates an anaerobic environment. This doesn't mean that one product is better than other in quality. It's that the average tequila drinker can find the complexity to be too much.” said José. |
|
|
|
|
Fermentation
As the goal is a clean Saccharomyces Fermentation, the malolactic fermentation is avoided. “The fermentation is complete when the CO2 bubbles of the mosto become very, very, very small at which point the brix is measured to make sure there was no contamination that resulted in a stuck fermentation” said Jose. Duration: 18 hours Temperature: Ambient temperature Fermentation vessel Open-top stainless-steel tanks to increase oxygen and prevent reductive aromas. Yeast Inoculation with a mix of a house-developed yeast strain and a commercial strain to enhance ethanol conversion and that compliments the house strains’ phenyl-2-ethanol (floral) and ethyl lactate (buttery and fruity) aromas. Yeast nutrition: None Fermentation is performed without increasing Yeast Assimilable Nitrogen (YAN) because mature agave is used. “We do not add anything like DAP to speed up the fermentation”, said Jose. 
|
Distillation
Distillation occurs within 40 hours to minimize acetic acid bacteria and other microbes from creating undesired flavors. Still type Modern pot still made of copper and steel with copper tubing inside. The distillery’s modern equipment, including the still, allows for precise control over cuts. Number of distillations: Double distillation Distillation Cuts The heads and tales represent 45% of the distillation run with the heart representing 55% of the yield. “We get rid of 45% of heads and tails (the most in the industry), using an average of six kilos of pure agave per bottle, (most of the industry working with half or less than that). By keeping 55% of the ‘heart’ of the distillate we secure a much more fruit-forward agave aroma, enhanced by the subtle notes of older barrels,” said Rice. •Heads: After separation of the foreshots the heads start as high as 96% ABV and are then cut when the aroma changes from acetone to that of ethanol. “Cheap tequilas contain more heads because it is high proof, so you get more yield, but your quality is less and your tequila is bitter. If you send this tequila to our competition, when experts smell that, they consider that a fault,” said Jose. •Tails: “The tails are where you recover all the aromas that were built by selecting good and mature agave from the highlands, by slow cooking, and by fermentation,” said José. At the end of this distillation process, while this tequila can be considered a sipping tequila, it undergoes additional processes to make it more appealing to the American palette. |
|
Resting
36 hour micro oxygenation Micro-oxygenation for 36 hours after distillation to produce the base Blanco is a modern take on the traditional extended resting process. This process is time and space consuming, making it infeasible for industrial productions. “The oxygenation process impacts every drop, literally breaking it up, and as they reconstitute, every drop has a slightly creamier, more glycolic mouthfeel” said Rice. José added, “We have the time to put energy into this process. The industrial producers sometimes use additives to create the same effect of smoothness.” Blanco Unaged
Initial aromas of spun honey, waxy pear and apple, roasted pepper, and delicate herbs evolve into a delicate light-to-medium body of dried apple, mineral, yellow pepper, and acacia honey flavors. Its finish is long and elegant, with gentle spice.
Approach to aging
The tequila industry has historically used American oak barrels that are repeatedly used to the extent that they add almost no flavor. Tequila Comisario, however, puts an emphasis on imparting barrel aromas without overpowering the distillate by using exclusively new barrels. “We have relatively new barrels for tequila, and for Comisario. We blend to increase the balance of the natural vanilla, however the natural vanilla taste takes four or five months in barrel to develop. Then, as it becomes older, you get more vanilla. So the age depends on your profile and if you want vanilla or not,” said José. Blending Blending is critical to all non-single barrel programs for consistency. This is especially important when previously used barrels are implemented as there is an even wider variation in oak compound concentration that is imparted into the spirit. In this process the maestro tequilero adjusts the various elements before and after the fermentation process to get the desired result. “This is perhaps one of the most crucial moments of the entire production, and a high level of skill is critical to ensuring it is done well. A mistake here could create a batch that does not meet the standards of the brand,” said José. Añejo
Aged 19 months 
Initial aromas of buttercream, dried papaya, caramel custard and nougat aromas evolve into a dry-yet-fruity, medium-full body of grilled pepper, mineral and mocha accents. It then warmly finishes with a lingering aroma of cocoa and pepper.
|
Barrel Aging
The barrel program starts with the exact same product as the blanco. It is then aged in used American bourbon barrels with medium toast to impart notes of vanilla and baking spices to balance the spiciness, pepperiness from the agave. Barrels •(Used) Bourbon barrels with medium toast. •Re-charred French Oak Barrels formerly used for California Cabernet Sauvignon Barrels (only used for Añejo)Barrel maintenance Barrel Maintenance •Ozone between usages •Recharge at the distillery to rejuvenate barrels as necessary. Barrels are also purchased regularly to maintain the oak aroma. Age Duration •Blanco: Unaged •Reposado: Aged 7 months •Añejo: Aged 19 months in American Whiskey Barrels, 4 months in California Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. Facility •Temperature: An ambient temperature warehouse with on the Distillery property that is separate from the fermenting/distilling area to avoid heat spill over. •Ventilation: Fans are available but seldom used. Reposado
Aged 7 months 
Initial aromas of dried tropical fruit like pineapple, crème brulé, nougat, dried flowers, and spice evolve into a medium-full body of cooked agave, cookie, herbs like anise, with grilled pepper accents. Its finish is long with a spicy-sweet aroma of buckwheat honey.
Filtration
After micro-oxidation for the Blanco and after barrel aging for the Reposado and Anejo, the tequila is chilled to 24.8 °F (-4 °C) to agglomerate fatty acids. It is then cellulose filtered. This is done to have the highest possible quality tequila with no solids while preserving flavors. Additional ingredients "Absolutely not – 100% natural," said José. |
Published By Hawai'i Beverage Guide