ARANDAS, Jalisco, Mexico— Tequila OCHO announces the release of Tequila OCHO Añejo Barrel Select Widow Jane 2024, a limited edition tequila aged for 12 months in bourbon barrels from Red Hook, Brooklyn-based Widow Jane Distillery. Bottles will arrive on retail shelves and back bars starting in February.
Building on the success of the two brands’ first collaboration – a reposado aged for eight weeks and eight days in Widow Jane bourbon barrels – this single-estate, single-field añejo was distilled in 2022 before spending a full year at Tequila OCHO’s home in Arandas, Jalisco recently emptied, Widow Jane barrels. The result is a liquid that reflects more influence from the barrel than Tequila OCHO’s core añejo. It’s a playful illustration of OCHO’s commitment to innovation, while remaining true to the core tenet of celebrating terroir in tequila.
As with all other tequilas in the OCHO range, Añejo Barrel Select Widow Jane is crafted using overripe agaves harvested exclusively from a single field, this vintage’s agaves harvested from Rancho El Nacimiento, one of many fields, or ranchos, owned and operated by the family of legendary tequilero and Tequila OCHO co-founder Carlos Camarena.
Said Camarena, “The philosophy of OCHO has always been to showcase the terroir of the agave plants, but we also love to try and experiment with new, innovative ideas.”
This extraordinary expression of OCHO Añejo marries the finest agave-forward tequila with the heady aromas, rich caramel and baking-spice notes from the Widow Jane barrels. The enhanced 96 proof adds a further dash of intensity. The collaboration between makers from two very different parts of the world means an expression of tequila that shines brightest in its profile of agave, yet framed up beautifully by the specifically-chosen bourbon barrels, making for a true OCHO sipping experience.
Tequila OCHO Añejo Barrel Select Widow Jane 2024 is confirmed 100% additive-free and is best enjoyed neat, sipped from a tequila flute.
By the numbers:
ABV: 48%/Proof: 96
Recommended SRP: $90/750ml bottle (find it in FL, GA, NJ, NY, MA, IL, CO, CA, TX)
Total cases: 1300
Aging: Bourbon barrels from Widow Jane Distillery, 12 months
Tequila OCHO Global Brand Ambassador Jesse Estes added, “Given the immensely positive feedback we received about Tequila OCHO Reposado Barrel Select Widow Jane, it made sense to apply what we learned and channel that same spirit of innovation to an añejo. With that said, I could not have imagined how well the Añejo Barrel Select Widow Jane has turned out. The higher ABV carries even more flavor and makes for a superbly rich and delightful sipper.”
About Tequila OCHO
Tequila OCHO is the world’s first single estate tequila; curating, selecting and harvesting the very ripest agaves only from the world-renowned highlands, and distilled in the town of Arandas, in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. Complete control of production from field to fermentation is quite unlike most other tequila makers who source on the open market, and leads to a liquid which is quite unparalleled.
The result of a dream shared by maestro tequilero Carlos Camarena and legendary tequila ambassador Tomas Estes, Tequila OCHO reflects the nuances of each and every agave field and is instantly recognizable by its annual vintages. Cooking, fermentation and distillation happen in the most traditional way in slow-cooking brick ovens, wooden vats, and both a stainless pot still with copper components, and a fully-copper pot still. Such a painstaking approach has led Tequila OCHO Plata to be recognized by Forbes as the World’s Best Blanco Tequila.
As a tequila brand that prides itself on producing maximum agave flavor and essence, OCHO’s aged expressions, reposado, añejo and extra añejo, rest lightly in old bourbon barrels for a gentle rounding and smoothing by the wood – always complementing, yet never overshadowing, the pure, sweet, cooked agave notes.
Every expression of Tequila OCHO is certified 100% additive free, respecting the traditional, artisanal methods used for generations.
For More Information:
https://ochotequila.com/