Halloween is fast approaching, and so is Day of the Dead or Dia de Muertos, the Mexican holiday that celebrates those who have left this mortal coil. For the second year in a row, luxury tequila brand Clase Azul has a high-end bottle coming out to commemorate the occasion, and this one is finished in rum casks from Martinique.
The new Clase Azul Tequila Día de Muertos Colores, the second in the “Nuestros Recuerdos” series, isn’t the first tequila to be finished in rum barrels—brands like El Mayor and Tequila Ocho have employed this secondary maturation process as well. But this new expression from Clase Azul follows a very specific aging formula devised by master distiller Viridiana Tinoco that makes it stand out. The anejo tequila was matured for a total of 28 months—22 in American whiskey barrels, and then another 6 months in rum casks from the French island of Martinique. The rum from this island is technically known as rhum agricole, which is made from sugarcane juice as opposed to the molasses that many other countries use for rum distillation. The result was to impart notes of crystalized orange peel, clove, walnut and cacao into the tequila, according to the brand.
“With this edition we remember, as we do every year, all of our loved ones who are no longer with us” said Tinoco in a statement. “So, inspired by the calaveritas [tiny candy skulls] created as tokens of their memory, I wanted to craft this tequila through a double aging in casks of American whiskey and a fine finish in rum casks from the island of Martinique which naturally impart a hint of sweetness to the tequila.”
As is always the case with Clase Azul, the ceramic decanter is handmade and ornate, part of what drives up the value of this tequila brand. For this second edition, a white glaze was applied to the outside to represent the alfeñique, or cane sugar paste, that is used to make the calaveritas, and the base is adorned with papel picado (decorative tissue paper), marigold and skull designs. “Día de Muertos is one of the most important celebrations in Mexican culture,” said Clase Azul creative director Miguel Hernández. “It’s a time of remembrance and gathering, so creating a decanter that embodies so much meaning and nuance is no easy feat. This year’s edition, Colores, has left me with a deep sense of pride in my team for conveying what this holiday represents and the role that colors play in it for so many.”
There are just 6,500 1-liter decanters of the new Día de Muertos Colores tequila available globally, each with an SRP of $1,050 starting today.
