KAH - Fun With Tequila

Fancy bottles are fun. We like to look at them. We like to hold them. We like to remark about them. It is rare, though, that we like to drink what's inside of them. It's usually a low grade spirit or cheaply made wine that's disguised in some nifty little packaging designed by some marketing "guru". In any case, I bought into one brand blindly. KAH tequila just looked "too cool" to pass up.

The Blanco comes in the white skull. Reposado is painted yellow and their Anejo is an eery black skull. A good rule of thumb is that if you want to test the waters of a brand of tequila, try the blanco first. If the blanco is good, there is a good chance that the rest of the line is pretty tasty as well. Now, don't get me wrong. There ARE some exceptions to this rule. There are also a lot of things that a distiller can do to screw up what would be a perfectly acceptable tequila.

 I'd like to make a side note before I begin. It's a cool bottle. But, it is damn near impossible not to spill this tequila all over your friggin' table. So, grab some paper towels and get ready.

KAH Blanco

The Blanco is quite aromatic offering notes of sweet agave engulfed by grassy tones and hints of herbs. It's also viscous on the palate. I am underwhelmed with the initial lack of flavors on the front palate. Then it all creeps up on me in the middle. I get citrus, grass and alcohol. The finish leaves just a reflection of grass and herbs and a dusting of alcohol. To be honest, I thought this was better the first time that I tried it. If I remember correctly, it had more rich agave sweetness and it was more well balanced on the palate. Maybe I was thinking of a different tequila.

KAH Reposado

Okay. On to the Reposado. Yellow Skull = coolness. You have to admit that the yellow skull with the angry devil-demon-dragon thinger on its forehead it pretty serious. It's taunting you to indulge in its devilish libations within. So, as you irrigate your soul with this mighty Reposado, I must warn of it's alcohol content. The Reposado weighs in at a hefty 110 proof. There. I warned you.

If you can get passed the overwhelming aroma of alcohol, you might be able to find some spicy, herbal and floral notes hanging around and some vanilla over there in the corner. The palate seems to prove just as alcoholic as the nose. Once you get over that initial bite, honeysuckle, cinnamon and vanilla run over your tongue. The finish eases up a bit and exits with faint hints of citrus flavors.

I'm the kind of guy who doesn't need a crutch when drinking tequila. But, I bow down to this one. I doubt I'll be drinking this neat in the future. I'll be adding a few drops of water at the very least and possibly using this for a Cadillac Margarita. I'll let you know how that goes.

KAH Anejo

The black skull contains the Anejo. This is my favorite of the three levels. It's a welcome change to the heat of the Reposado. The Anejo is bottled at an easy to handle 80 proof. On the nose you can get more sweet agave, rich caramel, with notes of vanilla oak. The first sip reveals gentle oak and coffee followed by roasted agave with a lacing of sweet chocolate. The finish isn't incredibly long. It does tend to linger, though.

This line of tequila is definitely fun. If you are a bottle collector, you might want to pick up a bottle or two of these hand painted skulls. You could play pranks on your family and friends. May I suggest leaving one of them in your spouse's sock drawer? How about "forgetting" about the one you left in the spice cabinet to ward off the evil spice-eating-monster-troll-things? A friend of mine actually suggested mounting one on the hood of his truck for a hood ornament. There are a lot of fun things you can do with KAH Tequila. Be original and drink responsibly.

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.