WARNING! If someone finds this article full of prejudice, I want to stress that I have no intention to put anyone in a bad light. And forgive me, if some of you longtime Tequila Connoisseurs out there find that I convey trivial Tequila facts. I’m a Tequila newbie shocked about my findings. So shocked, that I have to spit it out online. So what is so shocking to me?
In short: We, Europeans are supposed to be cultural advanced and surely more advanced than Americans. After all, the classy Champagne, the finest Cognac, the superior Scotch are all Top class European products that we cherish and enjoy with manners. Whereas the Americans…
But: The Tequila export map tells a complete different story. Doing a little research on the CRT database, the 2011 export figures reveals that Americans are the refined Tequila consumers with a high share (41 percent) of 100 % Agave Tequila in their import from Mexico. On the other hand, Europeans are, baring a few notable exceptions, exposed as uneducated savage drinkers of the poor low-quality Tequila.
Take a look at Germany which is by far the largest European market for Tequila. Only 5 percent of the Tequila import is 100 % Agave, the rest – 95 percent – is lower quality. That’s pretty shocking, and looking at the broader European map, the story repeats itself with little variation.
Poland and The Netherlands though, are bright exceptions in Europe. Poland? Aren’t they supposed to be pouring down poor Vodka by the gallons. Well, they might do that as well, but the Tequila fact is that the 100 % Agave share in Poland’s Tequila import is a staggering 81 percent. How did that happen? I have no clue…
My own country, Denmark, is doing very poor. Nothing. Nada. Nul. 0 percent of our Tequila import from Mexico is 100 % Agave products and thus everything we import is in lower quality.
Sure, we do have access to fine Tequilas here too. We get the bulk of quality Tequila from German wholesalers and, I guess from UK, The Netherlands and the US – but the supplies are scarce.
The overall picture is thus depressing and the widespread offering in our local retailers of the awful Sierra Tequila – ‘the-one-with-the-red-hat’ – is a reminder of the terrible state of Tequila culture here. So, for all that cultural finesse, we didn’t evolve from the Viking habits of drinking.
We have to change that and that’s what this blog is all about.
