Victor Diaz grew up in Guadalajara, Jalisco and began his bartending career there at just 15. The rules about bartender minimum age are a little different in Mexico.
After moving to Austin, Diaz began a decade-long journey to create his own tequila brand, Carabuena. Carabuena is loosely translated as “good face” and the brand’s slogan is Live Your Best Side.
Carabuena offers packaging that’s 100% Mexican, from the distinctive labels featuring nahuales designed by Tabascan artist Pistachie, to the recycled glass.
The brand is made in the Valley, about 45 minutes from Tequila town, at the small Tequilera la Mision distillery in San Juanito de Escobedo (NOM 1564).
The production methods are firmly artisanal there, with distillery-owned agave, stone ovens, open-tank fermentation, and a combination of stainless steel and copper pot stills.
At retail Carabuena is essentially Texas-only at this time, but the brand’s website ships to most of the USA.
The 40% ABV blanco is an unusual combination and would be an intriguing cocktail base for a talented bartender.
Nose: Citrus, flowers, a larger whiff of alcohol than I prefer
Palate: Vegetal and green with a terrific dollop of natural sweetness at the end. This will sound insane, but it’s like sugar-coated broccoli (in a good way)
Finish: Fairly short, but the residual note is that nice sweetness, but crosses over into a bit more acetate than I find optimal
Definitely not a routine blanco flavor profile, Carabuena is worth a try if you can get your hands on one.
NOM | 1641 |
|---|---|
Agave | Jalisco (Los Valles) |
Cooking | Stone and brick ovens |
Extraction | Roller mill |
Water | Deep well water |
Fermentation | Open-air stainless steel tanks |
Still | Copper pot stills |
Age | — |
ABV | 40% |
