Mijenta Tequila Blanco
Travel Distilled reviews Mijenta Tequila Blanco, made in the highlands of Jalisco, already a success in the USA and now available in the UK.
The name Mijenta is inspired by the phrase Mi Gente, or My People. The company was founded in 2020 by a team which included a former CEO of Bacardi, Mike Dolan, the award-winning mixologist and entrepreneur Juan Coronado, and the designer and environmental activist, Elise Som.
Mijenta hired the Maestra Tequilera, Ana Maria Romero Mena, who has over 25 years’ experience of tequila-making, to oversee everything, from field to bottle.
Maestra Tequilera Mijenta Tequila
First Expression
“Mijenta Blanco is our first expression and was created with a strong feeling for the land,” says Mijenta Co-Founder, Juan Coronado. “We wanted to develop a tequila that encapsulated the biodiversity, aromas, flavours and colour of the land of the region of Arandas.”
Arandas
Arandas is 65 miles due east of Guadalajara in the highlands of Jalisco, and is also home to the Cazadores distillery and the Altos distillery. For a town of under 50,000 people, there’s some serious tequila-making going on there.
“I’m extremely proud of the way this company does business,” says co-founder Mike Dolan, “focusing on sustainability, and support for the local communities that harvest and produce our superb tequila.”
Having visited a number of tequila distilleries in Mexico, and the communities that surround them, I know the truth behind statements like this. The communities rely on the distilleries for employment, and the distilleries do very much support those communities and their workers.
The Mijenta Foundation
Putting their money where their mouth is, the company has established The Mijenta Foundation. This non-profit foundation is dedicated to promoting the preservation and protection of ancestral skills, included those involved in the making of tequila. Mijenta works closely with local businesses and communities, directly re-investing a portion of its profits, offering healthcare assistance and providing assistance for team members and their families.
Sustainable Practices
Sustainable Practices are also at the core of what Mijenta is about. Their labels and boxes are made of agave waste and Mijenta actively supports local businesses and communities by purchasing all their packaging elements in Mexico. Mijenta has also joined forces with an organisation called Whales of Guerrero to boost community-driven conservation efforts in the region. Whales of Guerrero preserves whales in the fishing village of Barra de Potosi, which is on the coast a few hundred miles south of Arandas, and in the southwest Pacific State of Guerrero, Mexico.
Making Mijenta Tequila Blanco
The agave for this 100% blue agave tequila all come from lands where no pesticides or herbicides are used. They’re slow-cooked and the distillation is in pot stills. The tequila isn’t filtered, is bottled at 40% ABV (80 proof), and the final touch is the hand-numbering of each bottle.
Tasting Mijenta Tequila Blanco
The tequila comes in a surprisingly heavy bottle, showing the quality of glass that must have been used. The label is tasteful and shows a drawing of the Jalisco highlands, bringing back memories of my own trip there. It has a glass stopper, which is very classy, making you feel you’re opening a decanter, not just another bottle.
On the nose this is immediately fruity, and creamy, with vegetal agave aromas too. It’s very rounded and you know at once it’s going to taste delicious. And it does. All the same flavours are there, with the vanilla creaminess very evident, plus a dash of smoke and spice. It’s an exceptionally good blanco tequila, very smooth, with a warming aftertaste. I was delighted to read that this blanco will be followed by a reposado later in the year. Now that’s something to look forward to.
Awards
It didn’t surprise me to discover later that Mijenta Blanco was awarded 97 points by Tasting Panel Magazine in the USA and won a Silver Medal at the 2020 LA Spirits Challenge.
Buying Mijenta Tequila Blanco
In the UK Mijenta Tequila Blanco costs £54.99 for a 70cl bottle, which comes in a very handsome gift carton. It’s available from Master of Malt, which ships almost worldwide, and you’ll soon be able to buy it direct from shopmijenta.co.uk. In the USA it’s available from Drizly.
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