By Sacha Delfosse – editor bars&clubs
Vanguard Luxury Brands continues to expand with the addition of the artisanal La Venenosa Raicilla brand to the company’s portfolio.
La Venenosa Raicilla range was developed by chef Esteban Morales four years ago, and it features four different types of raicillas made by four ‘Maestro Taberneros’, each from a different region, and each one using a different agave species, with ABV varying from 42 per cent to 47 per cent.
Raicilla is a type of mezcal that has been produced in the Mexican state of Jalisco for over 400 years, and the name was adopted in the 1780s as a way for distillers to avoid a tax placed on mezcal.
“They convinced the tax collectors that raicilla is not a mezcal and were able to avoid the tax. Most people have little knowledge of raicilla because the world’s most famous mezcal, Tequila, became so popular that it overshadowed the other mezcal production in the state of Jalisco,” said Vanguard Luxury Brands director, James France.
“Jalisco offers a great diversity of agave species, second only to Oaxaca. For this reason, along with diverse terroir, equipment and technique, raicillas offer an amazing journey of flavour and history.”