Casa Dragones Joven

I read a lot about the wine and liquor industry. I love trying to figure out what the new trend or the new hot product will be. A lot of the information I get is from having a solid relationship with brewers, winemakers, distillers, importers and distributors that sell to me at our store. I also read a lot online and talk to other bloggers via Twitter. Twitter can be very informative as well as entertaining if you know who to follow and who not to follow. The people I follow, and who follow me, keep me current. There is a wealth of knowledge out there and I love being tapped into it. 


As you know by now, I love tequila. If I thought it were socially acceptable, I'd replace the milk in my Cheerios with a nice spicy Reposado aged in bourbon barrels. I think the spice and complexity of the tequila would pair well with the sweet nuttiness of the whole grain oats. Maybe I'm just weird, or maybe I just enjoy pairing food with wine, beer and liquor. After all, it has been my job for the last 18 years. When it comes to pairing, there really is no right or wrong answer if you ask me. Everybody has different tastes. Some people like tequila. Some people don't.

I don't exactly remember where I first read about Casa Dragones Joven. It might have been a retweet or just a "mention" that I clicked on. After poking around their website, I was curious to try it. I started asking my suppliers if they new anything about it. When I would go to NYC, I would ask store owners and restauranteurs if they knew anything about it. To my dismay, the answer was "I've never heard of it." 


After about two months, my search for Casa Dragones finally ended. One of my suppliers had apparently brought it into Connecticut. They called us up and asked if they could come to our shop and give us a little sample while they pitched it to us. Of course I said it was okay to come and give us a sample. I was elated.


They poured it into a tequila tasting glass that resembles a champagne flute. As I swirled it in my glass to release its aroma, I noticed the legs and lacing on the side of the glass. This is usually a good indication that this is (A) quality stuff and (B) will have quite a long finish. On the nose, I got a hint of lime citrus followed by that sweet smell of pure agave. My first sip revealed mellow vanilla bean and agave. If anyone ever wanted to know what agave tastes like, this is it. I got just a touch of cinnamon spice in there as well. Casa Dragones Joven is simply delicious. I was curious to see how long this finish would last. By my watch it was nearly 15 minutes. That's pretty damn amazing if you ask me. 

Since it's the only quality Joven on the market I know about, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Joven is literally translated as meaning "young". The Joven tequila you usually find is of lesser quality and is blended with neutral cane spirits and has added caramel color as well. Here is the exception. Casa Dragones Joven is classified this way simply because they blend a platinum tequila with a 5 year old Anejo. There are no cane spirits added nor any coloring. This is pure unadulterated happiness in a bottle. 

This is truly a sipping tequila. I wouldn't dare put this in my Cheerios! Casa Dragones should be savored one sip at a time. Enjoy the long finish. So, if you have some spare change and would like to splurge and get yourself something nice, grab a bottle of this elegant and delicious Joven.