January 2, 2025 • 22 mins
Discover the culture of Mexico and the nuanced flavors of premium sipping tequila.
ABS Community Business Engagement Specialist John Bowles and Clase Azul Mexico Global Brand Maestro Rubén Vargas join host Jocelyn Rawat to discuss tequila-making practices, tips for enjoying premium expressions, and traditional cocktail recipes. Guests examine tequila’s growth in popularity and how you can be the first to learn about masterclasses and other tasting events in ABS retail stores.
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Announcer (00:00):
Welcome to Spirited Discussions, a podcast by
Alcohol Beverage Services,exploring alcohol products,
trends, and policies inMontgomery County.
Jocelyn Rawat (00:12):
Thanks for joining us.
I'm your host, Jocelyn Rawat,and today our guests are going
to help us understand premiumsipping tequila.
From ABS, we have businesscommunity engagement specialist,
John Bowles.
John has been with ABS for twoyears, joining us after an
extensive career as a managerfor an alcohol distributor.
And before that, he was arestaurant owner.
Hi, John.
John Bowles (00:33):
Hi Jocelyn.
Thank you for having me.
Jocelyn Rawat (00:35):
Joining us from Austin, Texas, we have Ruben
Vargas, who is the global brandmaestro at Clase Azul Mexico.
In this role, Ruben shares hisexpertise around the world.
He leads large-scale trainingsessions and masterclasses on
tequila production and theunique qualities at Clase Azul.
Welcome, Ruben.
Rubén Vargas (00:53):
Thank you.
Thank you for having me.
Jocelyn Rawat (00:54):
So, Ruben, I want to start with you.
Can you tell us what Clase Azulis?
Rubén Vargas (00:58):
Clase Azul Mexico, it's a company that was founded
27 years ago, 1997.
It was founded by ArturoLomeli.
And then like two or threeyears later, he invited his best
friend, Juan Sanchez, to joinhim.
So they are now the owners ofClase Azul Mexico.
And it's a spirit company.
We produce tequila, mezcal, andit's considered one of the most
(01:21):
luxurious or high-end tequilasin the industry, which is great.
It was two years ago with the25th anniversary of the company
that the owners decided that wedon't longer want to continue
being just a spirit company.
So we're going into the otherbusinesses like destinations and
hotels and many other things.
So we are now, we changed ourname from Clase Azul Spirits to
(01:43):
Clase Azul Mexico.
And with that, we also changedthe logo of the bottles.
You see the old bottles havelike the agave logo and the new
one have like a four petalflower logo.
So yeah, so that's whatClase Azul Mexico is.
Jocelyn Rawat (01:55):
So you recently visited Montgomery County and
hosted two masterclasses withtastings of your products.
One class was offered toMontgomery County residents and
the other was offered tolicensed establishments.
And in those classes, youtalked about the traditions of
tequila making and the practicesthat contribute to the
different expressions.
So let's start there.
Rubén Vargas (02:13):
Sure.
So something that many peopledon't really know is that in
Mexico, we own what is called adenomination of origin.
It's like you can makeChampagne only in the Champagne
region of France, or you can dobourbon and call it bourbon
just in the States.
For tequila, there's actuallyfive states that are allowed to
produce tequila.
From those five states, thebiggest one is Jalisco State in
(02:35):
production.
That's why it's the most famousone.
But in reality, there's fivestates that are allowed to
produce tequila.
That's something that you haveto follow in order to put the
name tequila in the bottle.
And then of course you have touse blue agave.
There's in Mexico, we havearound 190 different agave
varieties.
But the only one that you'reallowed to use to produce
tequila is the blue agave.
So also depending on the regionwhere you grow your agaves,
(02:57):
could be highlands, could betequila valley, could be other
different altitudes, it's goingto change the profile of your
tequilas.
It is kind of known in thebusiness that when you produce
tequilas in the highlands, forexample, of Jalisco, you get
more feminine notes.
You get more like citrus, sweetcitrus, hints of vanilla versus
other parts which are likemore...
(03:18):
lowlands or lower lands, whereyou will find more earthy and
mineral flavors.
So depending on the region.
And then you just have tofollow the steps, how to, you
need to cook the agave, you needto crush it, you need to
ferment it, distill, and thenyou obtain tequilas.
Jocelyn Rawat (03:35):
So the Clase Azul decanters are so beautiful that
people actually display them asthey would any other piece of
art.
So what's the story behindthat?
Rubén Vargas (03:44):
So Clase Azul tequila was born again, 20-some
years.
But the very, very firstproduct of the company was a
product called La Pinta, whichis a pomegranate-infused tequila
that we still have in Mexico.
And after that, it was asuccess for Arturo.
And that's when he created adifferent tequila called Te Por
Ocho.
And that didn't do that good.
(04:07):
So what he did, he went back toschool.
He did a master.
He started to research.
He said, you know what?
I want to create the besttequila I can create.
So that's when Clase Azulstarted.
Mexico was born, right?
The thing is, he had the juice,but he didn't have any bottle
ready to sell tequila.
So he asked his sister to helphim to design some molds for
(04:29):
bottles, and she came with manydifferent ideas.
And at the end, the one that heliked is the one that looked
like the leg of a table.
If you turn around the clear aswell, the idea came from the
leg of a table where they weresitting on.
And that's the history how theshape came from, right?
And then what he did, he wentto ask for people to make it in
ceramic until he found someonethat wanted to partner with him.
(04:52):
And that's how they created thefirst ceramic plant, ceramic
bowl factory that we have.
And that's why everybody'shandmade hand paint, because we
made them.
And we employ 1,500 peopledoing that in Mexico.
Jocelyn Rawat (05:06):
1,500 people?
Rubén Vargas (05:07):
1,500 people in the bowl factory.
Yes.
Jocelyn Rawat (05:11):
Wow.
Rubén Vargas (05:12):
And every bottle takes seven days to be done,
actually, from the beginning tothe end.
It takes seven days because youhave to use, you have to create
the formula for the ceramic,you need to have a mold to make
the shape, and then you have tocook it for the first time.
Once you have strained theceramic, you have to paint it,
you have to glaze it, and thenyou cook it again so you can
glue all the colors and all theglaze to the bottle.
(05:33):
And finally, you have a bottleready.
But it takes seven days foreach bottle to be done.
And that's why if you comparethere's no two bottles
that are alike.
That is correct.
Jocelyn Rawat (05:54):
Exactly.
So in the two classes, you alsoprovided some guidance on how
to taste the tequila for themost enjoyable experience.
Can you go over that?
Rubén Vargas (06:01):
Sure.
So...
There's so many differentbrands of tequila with so many
different profiles.
I won't say this is foreverything, but what you want to
do if you want to have a niceexperience, you want to really
taste what you're drinking, wesuggest to use sipping glasses,
right?
Like tequila sipping glasses,which are very similar to the
(06:23):
champagne flutes, just a littlebit shorter.
Or you can use also a tulipglass, which are mostly used for
whiskeys, right?
You want to use these kind ofglasses so you can have more of
the flavors and the aromas andthe taste you can get from a
tequila.
So normally what you want to dois you want to follow a couple
steps, four steps.
You want to look for the color.
The color, that's why you wantto use a clear glassware so you
(06:46):
can see it through the glass.
And what you want to see withthe color is, let's say, the
quality of the water or thefiltration process they use or
we use, anybody in the industry,so you can see how clean it is,
let's say.
Then you want to move yourglass around a little bit until
the tequila touched the wall ofthe glass.
And then you will appreciatethe body of the product, right?
(07:08):
The body tells you mostly thequantity of alcohol inside your
tequila or your mezcal or yourrum or whatever you're drinking.
So normally when you have morebody, it means it has more
alcohol and also tells you alittle bit of the quality of the
sugars from where it came from.
So we want to be with a lotmore body or full body as
possible.
(07:28):
And that depends for eachtequila.
And then the aromas.
So you want to take your glass,open your mouth so you can let
it pass as much alcohol in gaswithout affecting your
perception of the tequila.
And then you want to breathein, sip into your mouth, pass it
through your mouth, swallow,and then exhale.
(07:49):
With that, what you do is yourelease more alcohol in gas and
you keep mostly with the flavorsfrom the liquid.
That's a trick you can do.
But that's how important it isto have the proper glassware and
to kind of follow step-by-stepso you can really enjoy
something.
I'm not saying this is forevery tequila.
Again, there's some tequilasthat smell like you don't really
want to stay that much time,but it
(08:10):
depends on each company.
Jocelyn Rawat (08:12):
Okay, thank you for that.
John, you have a unique role atABS.
What exactly is a businesscommunity engagement specialist?
John Bowles (08:20):
I get that question a lot.
Basically, I'm going out intothe field, visiting all the
establishments that we have inMontgomery County, or try to,
And just communicate with them,figure out what's going on with
their business.
What's moving?
What's not moving?
How can we improve our serviceto the licensees, whether it's
(08:44):
inventories, deliveries, orderfrom the iStore?
Just trying to get their feelfor what's going on, whether
it's working or it's notworking.
And then just reporting backany trends or anything to
upper management and see what wecan do to try to improve our
services to these licensees,who's basically the backbone of
(09:08):
our business.
Jocelyn Rawat (09:09):
So when you say licensees, you mean any licensed
establishment in MontgomeryCounty, anyone who can sell
beer, wine, or spirits either ina store or in a restaurant?
Is that right?
John Bowles (09:20):
Yes.
Yes.
Any business establishment thatserves any type of alcohol.
Those are the people that wewant to try to reach out to.
Jocelyn Rawat (09:29):
And about how many of these licensees are
there in Montgomery County?
John Bowles (09:33):
There's a little over 200 independent beer and
wine stores and roughly about900 or so restaurant
establishments in the county.
Jocelyn Rawat (09:43):
Okay, that's interesting.
So, ABS keeps over 35,000products in active inventory.
That's a lot for thesebusinesses to keep up with.
How do licensed establishmentsget educated about available
products?
John Bowles (09:56):
There's a couple ways they can do it.
One is through the iStore.
The iStore gives a list of whatproducts we do carry in the
county.
They can easily access that andfigure out what products they
would like to carry.
We also do a lot of in-storetastings that are similar to
(10:16):
what Ruben did, the Taste andTell programs, where we'll have
someone come in and just talkabout the story of the brand.
Give people an idea of what'sout there.
We can also do in-storetastings in the county stores,
the Oak Barrel and Vine.
They will do tastings prettymuch every weekend.
(10:38):
You can go on the website andfind out.
They usually have what theirtasting schedule is for the
weekends.
And also the independent storeswill have tastings available to
them.
They'll reach out to theirsales reps regularly.
from different suppliers, andthey'll arrange tastings on
their own.
Jocelyn Rawat (10:59):
Okay, so that's a couple of different types of
ways to taste and learn aboutthe program.
So as you said, the ABS storeshave tastings in the store.
So if you're shopping, you justgo and you get a taste, which
is different from the type ofmaster class that Ruben offered.
So we're talking about twodifferent programs.
One is just kind of incidentalwhile you're shopping, and the
other is what we call a tasteand tell program where you get
(11:21):
more of an in-depth education.
And ABS's largest tasting roomscan hold about 20 people.
So that means that the classesfill up pretty fast.
In fact, in Ruben's twoclasses, they filled up in about
15 minutes from the time thatthey were posted.
So for anyone who wants to bethe first to know about these
opportunities, what should theydo?
John Bowles (11:41):
I would recommend going on the ABS Facebook page.
That is usually the first onethat you can reach out to.
Of course, you'll probably haveto check that multiple times
during the day.
especially on some of thesecases like Rubens, you don't
really see a tasting open to thepublic at no charge for that
(12:04):
expensive bottle of tequila.
So there are all opportunitiesout there for you to taste
products that you may have seen,but you don't think you can
afford.
But once you try them and youcan realize how they can play,
not just sipping tequila, butwhat they can mix with, I mean,
you have like the Reposado, youknow, you can use that in place
(12:28):
of whiskey for an old fashionedor Manhattan.
The profile of these tequilasover the years has really
changed.
It's not the tequila that we,well, that I grew up with, a
little older than most people.
But yeah, so we're, I mean, atfirst it's like, no, I'm not
really in the tequilas, butafter you try them, The
(12:52):
difference in the quality isunbelievable.
Jocelyn Rawat (12:55):
John, as you travel around the county and
meet with businesses, what areyou seeing in terms of tequila?
John Bowles (12:59):
You're seeing more of the expensive tequilas
moving.
It's similar to the case withRuben's product, the Classe
Azul.
It's on the back bar.
And as soon as someone at thebar orders a drink, it sets off
an alarm to the people aroundthem saying, look at that
bottle.
What's going on?
(13:20):
And you see that, and theneverybody else would want to try
it.
So they'll have a mixed drink.
Tequila sunrises used to be avery popular drink.
You don't see that too muchanymore, but you're seeing only
tequila and soda with a lime oran orange slice in it.
It's really incredible, thedifferent profiles of some of
(13:41):
these tequilas that you have outthere.
And the package helps a lot onsales on the tequilas.
There are some beautifulbottles out there of all brands
that just stand out on the backbar.
And people, you know, they wantto be part of the in crowd.
So when they see that, they'llreorder.
(14:01):
You know, they'll place theorders on it.
But they're just, it's reallyjust a category that's been on
fire lately.
Jocelyn Rawat (14:09):
So Ruben, John said that when people order a
premium tequila at a bar, thatit sets off an alarm.
And I think he was speakingfiguratively when he said that.
but it's literally true, right?
Rubén Vargas (14:20):
It is, yes, for sure.
Jocelyn Rawat (14:21):
Your bottles have a bell on them, is that right?
Rubén Vargas (14:24):
Well, the thing is, because of the shape of the
bottle, the owner, when he wasdesigning the bottle, he had
some, let's say, complaints fromclients.
It was too hard, too pour,because the upper part of the
bottle, we call it the mouth, itwas like a hole, actually.
It was going down, not up, asright now.
(14:46):
So he started to change theshape of the cap and he made the
mouth go higher to be able toput the spout to pour tequila.
And because of that reason, hechanged the shape of the cap.
And because it was made ofmetal, which is actually a metal
called samac, when you hit itby accident, the actual bottle
of ceramic, it will make a soundlike a bell sound.
(15:07):
So people sometimes ask us ifwe put a bell on the top as
marketing, for marketingpurposes, but we didn't.
We just how the bottle evolvedjust because we needed to be
better.
That became to have what wecall the bell on the top now.
Jocelyn Rawat (15:23):
Okay, so John also talked about other ways
that people are enjoyingtequila.
So do you have any guidanceabout how to mix it or how to
sip itor what food to pair it with?
Of course.
And this is depending oneverybody's taste, right?
I like very fresh drinks,cocktails, not so sweet, but
(15:44):
fresh, like for summertime andthat kind of stuff.
So I prefer the plata.
Plata will go very nice withthe paloma, with the margarita,
with different...
You can even make a Moscowmule, but let's say mezcal or
tequila mule.
So you can do that too.
So you can have traditionaldrinks and then you can just
replace...
bourbon or tequila or whiskey,I mean, bourbon or vodka for
(16:09):
tequila, and you will create adifferent drink.
So it's very interesting.
Then when you move to more agedtequilas, like older tequilas,
I would suggest to havesomething more refined or
elegant, like an old-fashionedor like a martini.
You can do also that with agedtequilas.
And then when you go more likeolder tequilas, like añejos or
extra añejos, I will just keepit just for sipping.
(16:30):
If you are drinking the goodstuff, you should enjoy by
itself just a tequila.
And as John mentioned, a verycommon thing to do in Mexico is
you just add mineral water orsparkling water to it just to
create bubbles.
And then you have the perfectcocktail.
You have tequila, you havewater, no more sugars on it, and
(16:51):
just a nice piece of lime ontop and you're good to go.
So sometimes simpler is better, right?
Rubén Vargas (16:57):
It is, yeah.
Many people, if I may, manypeople complain about hangovers
with tequila the next day, butthey don't realize that it's as
important as tequila is thequality of the sugars or syrups
you add to the cocktail thatwill make you feel worse or
better the next day.
John Bowles (17:14):
Yes, some of the people that complain about the
hangovers are also the peoplethat do the shot with the...
salt and the lime after 12, 14beers.
So that would give thehangover.
Very true.
Jocelyn Rawat (17:29):
Yes, we do.
We do always encourage peopleto consume responsibly.
And part of that means drinkingwater, too.
So when you were here, you alsooffered a taste of mezcal.
And I'm normally a winedrinker, so I was a little bit
skeptical about mezcal.
I thought it was going to betoo bold and too smoky for my
palate.
But I couldn't have been morewrong.
I really enjoyed it.
(17:49):
So what do you recommend forpeople like me who are trying to
branch out into newexperiences?
Rubén Vargas (17:55):
Well, I will say, first, you need to know what you
like, right?
If you are already somebodythat loves bourbon, or maybe
trying tequila, which has beenaging in whiskey barrels, will
be something that you will likebecause you will share those
vanilla and caramel notes thatcome from the bourbon barrels.
And if you love, let's say,smoky scotches and beer, Maybe
(18:19):
you will love mezcal becausemezcal is, the way we cook
the agave for mezcal is usingunderground pits.
And that will change the flavorfrom being, in tequila
business, we use steam.
So that's why there's no smokeinvolved.
In the mezcal business, we useunderground pits using smoke,
right?
We just fire the firewood andwe cook with the smoke for three
(18:40):
days.
So it becomes very smoky.
Now, depending the type of woodyou use, depending the region
where you have your distillery,that's where it's going to
change the profile.
And you have a beautifuluniverse in the mezcal business
because you have, in the mezcalbusiness, there's nine states
that are allowed to producemezcal, but you can choose any
agave plant that we have inMexico.
(19:00):
And again, we have around 192.
So tasting different mezcalsfrom different regions, from
different altitudes, withdifferent rain patterns is going
to change the profile for eachof them.
So if you ever try one mezcaland you say, you know what, it's
not for me, it's too smoky, youneed to try a different one
because maybe the next one won'tbe.
And there's even mezcals, as wehave one, it's called mezcal
San Luis, that it is cookedusing steam, as we do with
(19:25):
tequila.
So it is not smoky, but it's amezcal, because it's made in a
different region, in San LuisPotosi State, made with a
different agave called agavesalmiana.
Jocelyn Rawat (19:34):
Okay, thank you.
I'm really glad I got theopportunity to work with you at
that class, and I learned a lotfrom it.
So I'm going to let John havethe last word here.
So what does it mean when ABSsays that its customers are
pouring back into the communitywhen they buy a Clase Azul or
any type of alcohol in thecounty?
John Bowles (19:52):
Basically, what it's telling you is that any
profit that is made through thesale of the alcohol is going
back into the community.
It's not going into somecorporation or an independent
supplier or distributor.
It's going back into thecounty's coffers to help offset
(20:14):
some of the costs of running ourservices throughout the county.
Jocelyn Rawat (20:18):
So is that true just if you shop at an ABS
retail store at an Oak Barreland Vine, or is that true
wherever you buy your alcohol inMontgomery County?
John Bowles (20:27):
That's true wherever you're buying the
alcohol in the county.
Everything comes through thecounty warehouse.
The county sells it to the beerand wine stores, restaurants,
and the money from those saleshelp offset costs of other
services in the county.
Jocelyn Rawat (20:46):
Okay, pouring back into the community.
Thank you, John Bowles andRuben Vargas for participating
in today's Spirited Discussion.
Rubén Vargas (20:54):
Well, thank you.
Thank you so much for havingus.
Jocelyn Rawat (20:56):
If there's a topic you'd like us to cover on
the podcast, email us atabs.spiriteddiscussions@
montgomerycountymd.gov.
Announcer (21:06):
Alcohol beverage services is the alcohol
wholesaler of beer, wine, andspirits for Montgomery County,
and it operates neighborhoodretail stores.
ABS also manages alcohollicensing, enforcement, and
education for more than 1,000businesses.
Its profits are used to pay forresident services that
(21:27):
otherwise would be funded bycounty tax dollars.
This podcast is brought to youby County Cable Montgomery, your
source for news and informationfrom the Montgomery County
Government.
Connect with us via cable,Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube
by searching for County CableMoCo.
Welcome to Spirited Discussions, a podcast by
Alcohol Beverage Services,exploring alcohol products,
trends, and policies inMontgomery County.
Jocelyn Rawat (00:12):
Thanks for joining us.
I'm your host, Jocelyn Rawat,and today our guests are going
to help us understand premiumsipping tequila.
From ABS, we have businesscommunity engagement specialist,
John Bowles.
John has been with ABS for twoyears, joining us after an
extensive career as a managerfor an alcohol distributor.
And before that, he was arestaurant owner.
Hi, John.
John Bowles (00:33):
Hi Jocelyn.
Thank you for having me.
Jocelyn Rawat (00:35):
Joining us from Austin, Texas, we have Ruben
Vargas, who is the global brandmaestro at Clase Azul Mexico.
In this role, Ruben shares hisexpertise around the world.
He leads large-scale trainingsessions and masterclasses on
tequila production and theunique qualities at Clase Azul.
Welcome, Ruben.
Rubén Vargas (00:53):
Thank you.
Thank you for having me.
Jocelyn Rawat (00:54):
So, Ruben, I want to start with you.
Can you tell us what Clase Azulis?
Rubén Vargas (00:58):
Clase Azul Mexico, it's a company that was founded
27 years ago, 1997.
It was founded by ArturoLomeli.
And then like two or threeyears later, he invited his best
friend, Juan Sanchez, to joinhim.
So they are now the owners ofClase Azul Mexico.
And it's a spirit company.
We produce tequila, mezcal, andit's considered one of the most
(01:21):
luxurious or high-end tequilasin the industry, which is great.
It was two years ago with the25th anniversary of the company
that the owners decided that wedon't longer want to continue
being just a spirit company.
So we're going into the otherbusinesses like destinations and
hotels and many other things.
So we are now, we changed ourname from Clase Azul Spirits to
(01:43):
Clase Azul Mexico.
And with that, we also changedthe logo of the bottles.
You see the old bottles havelike the agave logo and the new
one have like a four petalflower logo.
So yeah, so that's whatClase Azul Mexico is.
Jocelyn Rawat (01:55):
So you recently visited Montgomery County and
hosted two masterclasses withtastings of your products.
One class was offered toMontgomery County residents and
the other was offered tolicensed establishments.
And in those classes, youtalked about the traditions of
tequila making and the practicesthat contribute to the
different expressions.
So let's start there.
Rubén Vargas (02:13):
Sure.
So something that many peopledon't really know is that in
Mexico, we own what is called adenomination of origin.
It's like you can makeChampagne only in the Champagne
region of France, or you can dobourbon and call it bourbon
just in the States.
For tequila, there's actuallyfive states that are allowed to
produce tequila.
From those five states, thebiggest one is Jalisco State in
(02:35):
production.
That's why it's the most famousone.
But in reality, there's fivestates that are allowed to
produce tequila.
That's something that you haveto follow in order to put the
name tequila in the bottle.
And then of course you have touse blue agave.
There's in Mexico, we havearound 190 different agave
varieties.
But the only one that you'reallowed to use to produce
tequila is the blue agave.
So also depending on the regionwhere you grow your agaves,
(02:57):
could be highlands, could betequila valley, could be other
different altitudes, it's goingto change the profile of your
tequilas.
It is kind of known in thebusiness that when you produce
tequilas in the highlands, forexample, of Jalisco, you get
more feminine notes.
You get more like citrus, sweetcitrus, hints of vanilla versus
other parts which are likemore...
(03:18):
lowlands or lower lands, whereyou will find more earthy and
mineral flavors.
So depending on the region.
And then you just have tofollow the steps, how to, you
need to cook the agave, you needto crush it, you need to
ferment it, distill, and thenyou obtain tequilas.
Jocelyn Rawat (03:35):
So the Clase Azul decanters are so beautiful that
people actually display them asthey would any other piece of
art.
So what's the story behindthat?
Rubén Vargas (03:44):
So Clase Azul tequila was born again, 20-some
years.
But the very, very firstproduct of the company was a
product called La Pinta, whichis a pomegranate-infused tequila
that we still have in Mexico.
And after that, it was asuccess for Arturo.
And that's when he created adifferent tequila called Te Por
Ocho.
And that didn't do that good.
(04:07):
So what he did, he went back toschool.
He did a master.
He started to research.
He said, you know what?
I want to create the besttequila I can create.
So that's when Clase Azulstarted.
Mexico was born, right?
The thing is, he had the juice,but he didn't have any bottle
ready to sell tequila.
So he asked his sister to helphim to design some molds for
(04:29):
bottles, and she came with manydifferent ideas.
And at the end, the one that heliked is the one that looked
like the leg of a table.
If you turn around the clear aswell, the idea came from the
leg of a table where they weresitting on.
And that's the history how theshape came from, right?
And then what he did, he wentto ask for people to make it in
ceramic until he found someonethat wanted to partner with him.
(04:52):
And that's how they created thefirst ceramic plant, ceramic
bowl factory that we have.
And that's why everybody'shandmade hand paint, because we
made them.
And we employ 1,500 peopledoing that in Mexico.
Jocelyn Rawat (05:06):
1,500 people?
Rubén Vargas (05:07):
1,500 people in the bowl factory.
Yes.
Jocelyn Rawat (05:11):
Wow.
Rubén Vargas (05:12):
And every bottle takes seven days to be done,
actually, from the beginning tothe end.
It takes seven days because youhave to use, you have to create
the formula for the ceramic,you need to have a mold to make
the shape, and then you have tocook it for the first time.
Once you have strained theceramic, you have to paint it,
you have to glaze it, and thenyou cook it again so you can
glue all the colors and all theglaze to the bottle.
(05:33):
And finally, you have a bottleready.
But it takes seven days foreach bottle to be done.
And that's why if you comparethere's no two bottles
that are alike.
That is correct.
Jocelyn Rawat (05:54):
Exactly.
So in the two classes, you alsoprovided some guidance on how
to taste the tequila for themost enjoyable experience.
Can you go over that?
Rubén Vargas (06:01):
Sure.
So...
There's so many differentbrands of tequila with so many
different profiles.
I won't say this is foreverything, but what you want to
do if you want to have a niceexperience, you want to really
taste what you're drinking, wesuggest to use sipping glasses,
right?
Like tequila sipping glasses,which are very similar to the
(06:23):
champagne flutes, just a littlebit shorter.
Or you can use also a tulipglass, which are mostly used for
whiskeys, right?
You want to use these kind ofglasses so you can have more of
the flavors and the aromas andthe taste you can get from a
tequila.
So normally what you want to dois you want to follow a couple
steps, four steps.
You want to look for the color.
The color, that's why you wantto use a clear glassware so you
(06:46):
can see it through the glass.
And what you want to see withthe color is, let's say, the
quality of the water or thefiltration process they use or
we use, anybody in the industry,so you can see how clean it is,
let's say.
Then you want to move yourglass around a little bit until
the tequila touched the wall ofthe glass.
And then you will appreciatethe body of the product, right?
(07:08):
The body tells you mostly thequantity of alcohol inside your
tequila or your mezcal or yourrum or whatever you're drinking.
So normally when you have morebody, it means it has more
alcohol and also tells you alittle bit of the quality of the
sugars from where it came from.
So we want to be with a lotmore body or full body as
possible.
(07:28):
And that depends for eachtequila.
And then the aromas.
So you want to take your glass,open your mouth so you can let
it pass as much alcohol in gaswithout affecting your
perception of the tequila.
And then you want to breathein, sip into your mouth, pass it
through your mouth, swallow,and then exhale.
(07:49):
With that, what you do is yourelease more alcohol in gas and
you keep mostly with the flavorsfrom the liquid.
That's a trick you can do.
But that's how important it isto have the proper glassware and
to kind of follow step-by-stepso you can really enjoy
something.
I'm not saying this is forevery tequila.
Again, there's some tequilasthat smell like you don't really
want to stay that much time,but it
(08:10):
depends on each company.
Jocelyn Rawat (08:12):
Okay, thank you for that.
John, you have a unique role atABS.
What exactly is a businesscommunity engagement specialist?
John Bowles (08:20):
I get that question a lot.
Basically, I'm going out intothe field, visiting all the
establishments that we have inMontgomery County, or try to,
And just communicate with them,figure out what's going on with
their business.
What's moving?
What's not moving?
How can we improve our serviceto the licensees, whether it's
(08:44):
inventories, deliveries, orderfrom the iStore?
Just trying to get their feelfor what's going on, whether
it's working or it's notworking.
And then just reporting backany trends or anything to
upper management and see what wecan do to try to improve our
services to these licensees,who's basically the backbone of
(09:08):
our business.
Jocelyn Rawat (09:09):
So when you say licensees, you mean any licensed
establishment in MontgomeryCounty, anyone who can sell
beer, wine, or spirits either ina store or in a restaurant?
Is that right?
John Bowles (09:20):
Yes.
Yes.
Any business establishment thatserves any type of alcohol.
Those are the people that wewant to try to reach out to.
Jocelyn Rawat (09:29):
And about how many of these licensees are
there in Montgomery County?
John Bowles (09:33):
There's a little over 200 independent beer and
wine stores and roughly about900 or so restaurant
establishments in the county.
Jocelyn Rawat (09:43):
Okay, that's interesting.
So, ABS keeps over 35,000products in active inventory.
That's a lot for thesebusinesses to keep up with.
How do licensed establishmentsget educated about available
products?
John Bowles (09:56):
There's a couple ways they can do it.
One is through the iStore.
The iStore gives a list of whatproducts we do carry in the
county.
They can easily access that andfigure out what products they
would like to carry.
We also do a lot of in-storetastings that are similar to
(10:16):
what Ruben did, the Taste andTell programs, where we'll have
someone come in and just talkabout the story of the brand.
Give people an idea of what'sout there.
We can also do in-storetastings in the county stores,
the Oak Barrel and Vine.
They will do tastings prettymuch every weekend.
(10:38):
You can go on the website andfind out.
They usually have what theirtasting schedule is for the
weekends.
And also the independent storeswill have tastings available to
them.
They'll reach out to theirsales reps regularly.
from different suppliers, andthey'll arrange tastings on
their own.
Jocelyn Rawat (10:59):
Okay, so that's a couple of different types of
ways to taste and learn aboutthe program.
So as you said, the ABS storeshave tastings in the store.
So if you're shopping, you justgo and you get a taste, which
is different from the type ofmaster class that Ruben offered.
So we're talking about twodifferent programs.
One is just kind of incidentalwhile you're shopping, and the
other is what we call a tasteand tell program where you get
(11:21):
more of an in-depth education.
And ABS's largest tasting roomscan hold about 20 people.
So that means that the classesfill up pretty fast.
In fact, in Ruben's twoclasses, they filled up in about
15 minutes from the time thatthey were posted.
So for anyone who wants to bethe first to know about these
opportunities, what should theydo?
John Bowles (11:41):
I would recommend going on the ABS Facebook page.
That is usually the first onethat you can reach out to.
Of course, you'll probably haveto check that multiple times
during the day.
especially on some of thesecases like Rubens, you don't
really see a tasting open to thepublic at no charge for that
(12:04):
expensive bottle of tequila.
So there are all opportunitiesout there for you to taste
products that you may have seen,but you don't think you can
afford.
But once you try them and youcan realize how they can play,
not just sipping tequila, butwhat they can mix with, I mean,
you have like the Reposado, youknow, you can use that in place
(12:28):
of whiskey for an old fashionedor Manhattan.
The profile of these tequilasover the years has really
changed.
It's not the tequila that we,well, that I grew up with, a
little older than most people.
But yeah, so we're, I mean, atfirst it's like, no, I'm not
really in the tequilas, butafter you try them, The
(12:52):
difference in the quality isunbelievable.
Jocelyn Rawat (12:55):
John, as you travel around the county and
meet with businesses, what areyou seeing in terms of tequila?
John Bowles (12:59):
You're seeing more of the expensive tequilas
moving.
It's similar to the case withRuben's product, the Classe
Azul.
It's on the back bar.
And as soon as someone at thebar orders a drink, it sets off
an alarm to the people aroundthem saying, look at that
bottle.
What's going on?
(13:20):
And you see that, and theneverybody else would want to try
it.
So they'll have a mixed drink.
Tequila sunrises used to be avery popular drink.
You don't see that too muchanymore, but you're seeing only
tequila and soda with a lime oran orange slice in it.
It's really incredible, thedifferent profiles of some of
(13:41):
these tequilas that you have outthere.
And the package helps a lot onsales on the tequilas.
There are some beautifulbottles out there of all brands
that just stand out on the backbar.
And people, you know, they wantto be part of the in crowd.
So when they see that, they'llreorder.
(14:01):
You know, they'll place theorders on it.
But they're just, it's reallyjust a category that's been on
fire lately.
Jocelyn Rawat (14:09):
So Ruben, John said that when people order a
premium tequila at a bar, thatit sets off an alarm.
And I think he was speakingfiguratively when he said that.
but it's literally true, right?
Rubén Vargas (14:20):
It is, yes, for sure.
Jocelyn Rawat (14:21):
Your bottles have a bell on them, is that right?
Rubén Vargas (14:24):
Well, the thing is, because of the shape of the
bottle, the owner, when he wasdesigning the bottle, he had
some, let's say, complaints fromclients.
It was too hard, too pour,because the upper part of the
bottle, we call it the mouth, itwas like a hole, actually.
It was going down, not up, asright now.
(14:46):
So he started to change theshape of the cap and he made the
mouth go higher to be able toput the spout to pour tequila.
And because of that reason, hechanged the shape of the cap.
And because it was made ofmetal, which is actually a metal
called samac, when you hit itby accident, the actual bottle
of ceramic, it will make a soundlike a bell sound.
(15:07):
So people sometimes ask us ifwe put a bell on the top as
marketing, for marketingpurposes, but we didn't.
We just how the bottle evolvedjust because we needed to be
better.
That became to have what wecall the bell on the top now.
Jocelyn Rawat (15:23):
Okay, so John also talked about other ways
that people are enjoyingtequila.
So do you have any guidanceabout how to mix it or how to
sip itor what food to pair it with?
Of course.
And this is depending oneverybody's taste, right?
I like very fresh drinks,cocktails, not so sweet, but
(15:44):
fresh, like for summertime andthat kind of stuff.
So I prefer the plata.
Plata will go very nice withthe paloma, with the margarita,
with different...
You can even make a Moscowmule, but let's say mezcal or
tequila mule.
So you can do that too.
So you can have traditionaldrinks and then you can just
replace...
bourbon or tequila or whiskey,I mean, bourbon or vodka for
(16:09):
tequila, and you will create adifferent drink.
So it's very interesting.
Then when you move to more agedtequilas, like older tequilas,
I would suggest to havesomething more refined or
elegant, like an old-fashionedor like a martini.
You can do also that with agedtequilas.
And then when you go more likeolder tequilas, like añejos or
extra añejos, I will just keepit just for sipping.
(16:30):
If you are drinking the goodstuff, you should enjoy by
itself just a tequila.
And as John mentioned, a verycommon thing to do in Mexico is
you just add mineral water orsparkling water to it just to
create bubbles.
And then you have the perfectcocktail.
You have tequila, you havewater, no more sugars on it, and
(16:51):
just a nice piece of lime ontop and you're good to go.
So sometimes simpler is better, right?
Rubén Vargas (16:57):
It is, yeah.
Many people, if I may, manypeople complain about hangovers
with tequila the next day, butthey don't realize that it's as
important as tequila is thequality of the sugars or syrups
you add to the cocktail thatwill make you feel worse or
better the next day.
John Bowles (17:14):
Yes, some of the people that complain about the
hangovers are also the peoplethat do the shot with the...
salt and the lime after 12, 14beers.
So that would give thehangover.
Very true.
Jocelyn Rawat (17:29):
Yes, we do.
We do always encourage peopleto consume responsibly.
And part of that means drinkingwater, too.
So when you were here, you alsooffered a taste of mezcal.
And I'm normally a winedrinker, so I was a little bit
skeptical about mezcal.
I thought it was going to betoo bold and too smoky for my
palate.
But I couldn't have been morewrong.
I really enjoyed it.
(17:49):
So what do you recommend forpeople like me who are trying to
branch out into newexperiences?
Rubén Vargas (17:55):
Well, I will say, first, you need to know what you
like, right?
If you are already somebodythat loves bourbon, or maybe
trying tequila, which has beenaging in whiskey barrels, will
be something that you will likebecause you will share those
vanilla and caramel notes thatcome from the bourbon barrels.
And if you love, let's say,smoky scotches and beer, Maybe
(18:19):
you will love mezcal becausemezcal is, the way we cook
the agave for mezcal is usingunderground pits.
And that will change the flavorfrom being, in tequila
business, we use steam.
So that's why there's no smokeinvolved.
In the mezcal business, we useunderground pits using smoke,
right?
We just fire the firewood andwe cook with the smoke for three
(18:40):
days.
So it becomes very smoky.
Now, depending the type of woodyou use, depending the region
where you have your distillery,that's where it's going to
change the profile.
And you have a beautifuluniverse in the mezcal business
because you have, in the mezcalbusiness, there's nine states
that are allowed to producemezcal, but you can choose any
agave plant that we have inMexico.
(19:00):
And again, we have around 192.
So tasting different mezcalsfrom different regions, from
different altitudes, withdifferent rain patterns is going
to change the profile for eachof them.
So if you ever try one mezcaland you say, you know what, it's
not for me, it's too smoky, youneed to try a different one
because maybe the next one won'tbe.
And there's even mezcals, as wehave one, it's called mezcal
San Luis, that it is cookedusing steam, as we do with
(19:25):
tequila.
So it is not smoky, but it's amezcal, because it's made in a
different region, in San LuisPotosi State, made with a
different agave called agavesalmiana.
Jocelyn Rawat (19:34):
Okay, thank you.
I'm really glad I got theopportunity to work with you at
that class, and I learned a lotfrom it.
So I'm going to let John havethe last word here.
So what does it mean when ABSsays that its customers are
pouring back into the communitywhen they buy a Clase Azul or
any type of alcohol in thecounty?
John Bowles (19:52):
Basically, what it's telling you is that any
profit that is made through thesale of the alcohol is going
back into the community.
It's not going into somecorporation or an independent
supplier or distributor.
It's going back into thecounty's coffers to help offset
(20:14):
some of the costs of running ourservices throughout the county.
Jocelyn Rawat (20:18):
So is that true just if you shop at an ABS
retail store at an Oak Barreland Vine, or is that true
wherever you buy your alcohol inMontgomery County?
John Bowles (20:27):
That's true wherever you're buying the
alcohol in the county.
Everything comes through thecounty warehouse.
The county sells it to the beerand wine stores, restaurants,
and the money from those saleshelp offset costs of other
services in the county.
Jocelyn Rawat (20:46):
Okay, pouring back into the community.
Thank you, John Bowles andRuben Vargas for participating
in today's Spirited Discussion.
Rubén Vargas (20:54):
Well, thank you.
Thank you so much for havingus.
Jocelyn Rawat (20:56):
If there's a topic you'd like us to cover on
the podcast, email us atabs.spiriteddiscussions@
montgomerycountymd.gov.
Announcer (21:06):
Alcohol beverage services is the alcohol
wholesaler of beer, wine, andspirits for Montgomery County,
and it operates neighborhoodretail stores.
ABS also manages alcohollicensing, enforcement, and
education for more than 1,000businesses.
Its profits are used to pay forresident services that
(21:27):
otherwise would be funded bycounty tax dollars.
This podcast is brought to youby County Cable Montgomery, your
source for news and informationfrom the Montgomery County
Government.
Connect with us via cable,Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube
by searching for County CableMoCo.
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