Geez, you know a lot about Tequila! I always wanted to try mezcal, but keep forgetting it when in the liquor store, and end up buying tequila. Do you know a good brand of mezcal sold in the US?
I'm not the connoisseur you are, so I drink the "regular" (and cheaper) stuff, like Cuervo and Margaritaville. There was one time that I bought a bottle of Cabo Wabo, in the cool bluish bottle. You would know about it. The musician Sammy Hagar was one of the founders, but I think he has since sold all, or most of his interests in that company. I thought the Cabo was better than the regular stuff. I didn't find it vastly better, or enough to justify 3x the price!
What are some brands of your 50 bottles? Which brands do you age?
There are loads of great mezcal brands that you can find at decent liquor stores. As it is gaining in popularity, it is starting to be more and more common.
Some good brands to look out for are Bozal, Mezcal Vago, Don Amado, Nuestra Soledad, and Xicala. The Xicala is becoming quite common where I live, and at $37, it's great. But different brands have different distribution areas.
As for the tequila, I have loads of brands in my stock. What I drink depends on how I'm drinking it- sipping, mixing, etc-, if I'm having it with food, who is drinking it, what the occasion is, etc.
I have some $100 bottles that needless to say I only drink on occasion, and only sip. I have some cheaper stuff that I use for cocktails. I have stuff in between that are my go-to sippers. I have some that I mostly have for others to sample and dip their toe into the water.
I've got some Olmeca Altos, Maracame, t1, Fortaleza, Cava de Oror, El Set, Charbay, Arte NOM, Dulce Vida, Tapatio, Arette, Herradura, Cuervo, Codigo 1530 just for starters.
I like going to liquor stores and trying to find bottles from brands that are no longer around, or aren't imported to the US any more, and stuff like that. Some bottles I keep, some I turn around and flip.
If you're drinking Cuervo, or even Cabo Wabo, we gotta fix you up, man. If you want solid juice for a reasonable price point, I suggest Olmeca Altos. Most big box grocery stores carry it, and their blanco usually runs $20-23. It's a great deal for that. Smooth and good enough to sip, cheap enough to mix. Tapatio is usually pretty easy to find, and it's only like $32 for a liter. It's some really good stuff.
Cuervo makes some high-end stuff that's good- their Reserva De La Familia line- but their cheap stuff isn't fit for consumption. It's what gives tequila a bad name. And Cabo Wabo was good once up on a time, but not anymore. And Patron is overrated and overpriced and their product is only mediocre.
Guess it's time to pay up and see what some of it is about. I will look for Olmeca Altos and Tapatio. Then I gotta try one of your brands of smoky mezcal. If I can tear myself away from Margaritaville