Mayenda releases reposado Tequila

Campari Group-owned Mayenda Tequila has added a reposado to its portfolio, aged in a combination of American and European oak casks.

Following the brand's process of infusing the Tequila with both roasted agave and agave miel (honey) and its copper pot still distillation, the liquid for Reposado Double Cask was then aged in a mix of American and European oak for six months. The brand said the two barrel types ‘enhance the opposing characteristics of one another’ – with one adding impact, and the other softening the liquid. Jesus Susunaga, maestro tequilero at Casa San Nicolás, said: "With Mayenda Blanco, we knew we had unlocked new possibilities for expressing deeper flavours of the agave, thanks to the two extra steps in our signature process; yet it still felt like we had only scratched the surface of what was possible. "When developing our reposado, we decided to employ a double cask maturation and longer ageing process. This resulted in an exceptionally smooth and balanced, aged Tequila that maintains the soul of our beloved Blanco." The expression is said to balance European oak's spicy and earthy profile of cinnamon, chamomile and red apple, with American oak's rich, fresh, sweeter notes of butterscotch, honeycomb and vanilla. Its finish is described as 'fresh cracked black pepper, mineral and earthy with a slight warming with a caramelised agave'. Contrary to the typical reposado ageing period – two to three months – Maydenda’s double cask release is set to a minimum of six months, so each cask has time to bring 'the optimal amount’ of flavour. Sitting at 40% ABV, Mayenda Reposado Double Cask is available at select retailers in the US for US$75 and in Mexico for MXN$1,445 pesos. The brand recently won a Gold medal for its blanco at The Tequila & Mezcal Masters 2024. It was launched last year by Campari Group as the third Tequila in its portfolio, after Cabo Wabo and Espólon.