Tequila is a hardened staple on any bar menu. From the Margarita to the Paloma, the Mexican spirit is king among consumers. However, some feel that agave-based spirits have a lesser reputation than, say, aged whiskies. Tequila is synonymous with Jose Cuervo and shots, and drinkers may not reach for nicer aged tequilas to sip on. And when you find a fine bottle, it can be expensive.
That’s the start of Brett Beckett’s story, who founded Ameragave in April. The Austin, Texas-based company makes agave spirits right here in the United States using Blue Weber agave and aged in American oak barrels without using any additives. “I wanted to see what happens when you take a premium agave spirit and you age it like a whiskey,” Beckett says. “When you use unused oak and charred barrels and see really what comes out of this.”
Before we go any further, a quick primer on terms. Tequila is a spirit made from Blue Weber agave that can only be made in the state of Jalisco, in addition to limited areas in the states of Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit and Tamaulipas, according to Mexican law. If it isn’t made there, you won’t see tequila on the bottle. Mezcal is a Mexican spirit made from any type of agave. It’s mostly produced in Oaxaca (and some in eight other states) and, again, can only be produced in Mexico.
Interest in Agave Spirits Is Growing Outside of Mexico
US and international distillers now offer tequila-like spiritsSpirits made from agave produced outside of Mexico, like Bekett’s Ameragave, are usually referred to as agave spirits. With many craft distillers in the United States making agave spirits, why would a drinker reach for an American-made bottle rather than a brand-name bottle of tequila?
There isn’t much data about American agave spirits specifically, but the U.S. tequila and mezcal market has grown in volume by 294% since 2003, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, with the fastest growth seen on the high end. This suggests Americans have a taste for agave spirits, and craft distillers with a higher price point may be able to compete against the big dogs.
And that craft distiller might very well be Ameragave, which claims that “toasted oak provides deep, complex flavors” in its signature Gold offering, which retails for $75 and has won several major awards. The company uses Blue Weber agave from Jalisco, roasting the agave using traditional methods before double distilling it.
In Colorado, Peach Street Distillers also offers an agave product that they call D’Agave (and not the “T-word,” as they call it). They also use oak barrels to create a “woody, smoky character,” but instead of roasting the agave, they distill a Blue Weber agave syrup because they don’t have the right equipment to process the plants.
In Peach Street’s case, they began making an agave spirit for a friend’s brand more than a decade ago, and it was popular in their tasting room, with Margaritas always being a top seller. They eventually launched their D’Agave brand and added offerings aged in their used bourbon barrels. “It really took off locally, and in our tasting room was just the bread and butter of people’s interest in the style,” says Dustin LeMoine, who was recently Peach Street’s sales and marketing director.
While selling a Margarita at a tasting room or a bottle to a discerning drinker may not always be challenging, brands like Ameragave and Peach Street still need a strong identity to attract consumers. Ameragave leans into patriotism and the Made in the USA ethos. Beckett has a background investing in American companies, and his bottles feature an eagle medallion and 13 stripes in a nod to the original American colonies.
“The people that are buying our stuff are just Americans through and through,” Beckett says. “If you see two leather wallets in the store and one of them says ‘Made in the USA’ and you’re going to purchase that one because of that stamp on the back, then you’re probably our kind of customer.”
In the next few years, Beckett hopes to make a product using agave grown domestically, of which there are several efforts in places like Texas and California, to make a fully made-in-the-USA agave spirit.
Meanwhile, Peach Street is known for its locally-sourced approach, using grains and fruits from farms surrounding Palisade on the Western Slope of Colorado. While its D’Agave is perhaps the only spirit that falls outside of that approach (their agave syrup comes from a farm in Mexico), LeMoine says consumers still identify with that mission.
He says the biggest challenge for craft distillers is setting a price point that’s affordable while also meeting the growing expenses that beverage producers face. “I hope people still keep appreciating the work that’s being put in by the distilleries that are doing it all the way from farm to the flask and trying to be involved in their community, still involved in supporting the people who support them,” LeMoine says. Even when it doesn’t involve the t-word.
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