100 Años broadens U.S. product line

Since it hit American stores in 2005, 100 Años Tequila Reposado has been selling well. Well enough, in fact, for 100 Años Tequila Blanco to join it in the U.S. market as of this month.

The brand, popular in Mexico, is a product of Beam Global Spirits & Wine Inc., a unit of Fortune Brands Inc., and Sauza Tequila, one of the world’s largest tequila brands. The suggested retail price for the blanco is $19.99 for a standard 750ml bottle.

The 100 Años portfolio is the No. 1 seller by volume in the Mexican tequila wholesale market and No. 2 in the Mexican retail market, according to ISCAM figures from last October. Its reposado showed 129.5% percent growth in the past 52-week period, according to A.C. Nielsen research figures released in January.

The drink specialists at 100 Años call the blanco "a mixable tequila that can be served on the rocks, sipped, or combined with a number of mixers."

I haven't yet sampled the blanco, so I may think differently after doing so, but my experience with the reposado tells me to refrain from mixing it too much. The 100 Años line tends to have a crisp, slightly fruity flavor I find best sampled over ice without diluting it with other ingredients.

Sauza, on the other hand, produces a Hornitos reposado that I use as my "house brand" for mixed drinks. It maintains its own flavor in mixtures and imparts a citrus-floral nuance.

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