Oh no! The WSJ: Kindred Spirits: How to Get Into Booze Collecting

If there was any doubt that Bourbon people have made their way into our Tequila world the WSJ just invited everyone else in the world to join in ‘collecting spirits’ in their article published July 6th called “Kindred Spirits: How to Get Into Booze Collecting.” Though I was alarmed by the article’s title and content, it is a fairly written, objective piece. Sadly, it singled out “Puntas” as a particular aim or collectors, noting it was for ‘nerds.’ (Picture included). While it noted that a distributor can call anything a limited edition, it did not mention that some of those distributors are really in the pretty-bottle business, not the excellent (limited or not) tequila business.

r/tequila - Oh no! The WSJ: Kindred Spirits: How to Get Into Booze Collecting
Wall Street Journal shoots the starter’s gun for Bourbon Taters to ruin tequila.

My own experience (of being a nerd) is seeing tequila everywhere. In fact, I’m pretty sure I noticed this scene in the season finale of The Bear take place in front of five bottles of Tequila Fortaleza.

Being a tequila nerd for almost two decades, I find that I am always looking forward to exciting releases and developing relationships with the fine folk who run my local liquor shops and even some reputable online ones.

Now, these folks who sell tequila, they are frustrated with how they have to apologize, allocate and operate. Fortaleza is not named in the article, but is definitely the 800-lb gorilla in the room and shadow part of the case study: how a well-made product becomes so in-demand that it can no longer be had by fans. As everyone on this subreddit always says, there are so many incredible tequilas at whatever price point you’re at, please don’t start as a collector, but someone who tastes, loves and shares tequila!

For myself, I have truly, truly enjoyed Tierra de Ensueño and the Alma de Jaguar Nocturna. I am loving the high proof revolution and I am glad to see it’s a direction followed by many of my favorite producers— I am looking forward to the Primo 1861 HP and the Lost Lore High Proof coming this summer. Lastly, I am glad to see some brands sell directly to the public, though I know arcane shipping/tax/alcohol laws mean this does not really solve the problem of equitable availability. But I think it’s a start. Salud.