In 2011, a group of television professionals sought to create the first tequila reality show. They called upon the industry expertise of then journalist and Editor at Tequila Aficionado, Mike Morales. When production began, just under 20 tequila start ups vied to be crowned the Last Tequila Standing in the world’s first broadcast Tequila Reality Show.
What? No Tequila Shots?
The creators of Last Tequila Standing only filmed their pilot season back in 2011. From there, in the old school way of doing things, they sought to sell the program to a television network. But the Latino markets they were approaching had no love for a tequila show that didn’t include shots. They felt the world, or at least their audiences, wasn’t ready for such a thing.
Tequila History Preserved
Here at Tequila Aficionado, we knew better. After years of discussions, we were finally given access to most of the show’s recorded materials. As this was not a Tequila Aficionado Media Production, we don’t expect to see another season but we’re thrilled that we were able to preserve these tequilas’ stories, personalities, and cocktails for posterity here at Tequila Aficionado Media.
The litmus test for most tequila start-ups is five years. If you can make it in this business for that long, you’re in it for the long haul. We’re very happy to see that many of these then “start-ups” are alive and kicking down doors five years later in the industry today!
Watch the whole Last Tequila Standing series here:
Join us this evening as Mike Morales and Lisa Pietsch talk with the founders of Senor Rio Tequila about their tequila and other products they’re bringing to market from the Senor Rio family.
Jonathan Gach and Debbie Medina, co-founders of Jalisco International Imports, Inc., met in business and they first built a friendship which turned into love. They discovered that they had mutual interests and passions. One that they decided to pursue was their love for tequila, but why Senor Rio tequila?
It all begins with estate grown 100% blue weber agaves cultivated in the ideal conditions of the arid red clay soil from the low lands in Jalisco Mexico, The pinas (the hearts of the agave plants) are harvested by hand after reaching maturity. They are then slowly cooked in traditional stone ovens. After being cooked, they are fermented with the tanks open so that the fragrance from the fruit trees, which surround the distillery, blends into the tequila naturally for a hint of tropical citrus. Finally, the tequila is double distilled by their master distiller to keep the true agave flavor of their premium tequila.
In 2011, eighteen tequila start ups vied to be crowned the Last tequila Standing in the world’s first broadcast Tequila Reality Show.
The creators of Last Tequila Standing only filmed the one season back in 2011 and we were very limited in our access to the show’s materials. As this was not a Tequila Aficionado Media Production, we don’t expect to see another season but we’re thrilled that we were able to preserve these tequilas’ stories, personalities, and cocktails for posterity here at Tequila Aficionado Media.
Click on the links below to catch up on any episodes you may have missed:
Senor Rio was born on Cinco De Mayo 2009 in Tequila, Mexico
Handled with white gloves, this quality tequila is proudly introduced by Jalisco International Imports, Inc. Queen Creek, AZ and its owners Debbie Medina and Jonathan Gach
Senor Rio was first introduced to Arizona as it arrived on May 29, 2009 and the first establishment who ordered Senor Rio was Juan Jamie’s tacos & tequila, Chandler, AZ
The bottle designed by Jonathan Gach was made to resemble a unique crystal decanter, definitely not your typical tequila bottle. It was also designed to be bartender friendly with a long sexy neck for easy pouring. The stopper, sometimes referred to as a chess piece, is also unique with the logo lasered into the glass stopper.
The cork is not a natural cork and it will not dry out and crumble into the tequila.
The name and logo are to honor Debbie’s father who gave them the process to make this ultra-premium tequila that dates back three generations in his family.
The taste is superb and Senor Rio has received rave reviews in blind taste tests among other ultra premium tequilas and is 100% natural.
Senor Rio’s bottle design received a bronze medal in the L.A. Wine and Spirits Competition for packaging in June 2009.
Senor Rio’s Blanco tequila received a bronze medal at the Spirits of Mexico Competition in September 2009.
Senor Rio’s Anejo received a bronze medal in The San Francisco World Spirits Competition in May 2010.
During the fermentation process, we keep our tanks open so that the fragrance from the mango and various citrus trees that surround the distillery seep into the tequila naturally for that hint of tropical citrus.
The Blanco is very smooth with a hint of citrus that can be recognized on the back of the tongue.
The Reposado, which is aged for 6 months, is very complex. It has a natural sweetness and a hint of smokiness to it from resting in the French white oak barrels along with a little spice which comes from the rich red volcanic soil which the agave growns in located in the lowlands of Jalisco, Mexico.
The Anejo, which is aged for 2 years, has an earthier richness from the French white oak barrels and has been referred to as “The Cognac of Tequilas”. The exquisite taste lingers on the palette for a long lasting finish.
Senor Rio tequila is only made from 100% blue weber agaves that are all estate grown to keep the quality consistent.
The agaves are harvested by hand and slow cooked in traditional stone ovens.
Senor Rio tequila is only distilled twice to keep the true tequila flavor.
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Learn all about tequila from field to glass and then get paid to share your love of agave spirits with others! Buy Them Both Now!
First ever Tequila Reality Show kicks off on National Tequila Day!
For Immediate Release!
In 2011, eighteen tequila start ups had vied to be crowned the top Brand Of Promise(TM) in the world’s first broadcasted Tequila Reality Show.
Tequila Aficionado Media Presents Last Tequila Standing
July, 2015, San Antonio, TX: Starting July 24, 2015, National Tequila Day, 45 exclusive episodes of Last Tequila Standing will be streamed daily over Tequila Aficionado Media’s website and on-demand over its own YouTube playlist, as well as featured throughout all of its powerful social networks.
“Through the expansion of opportunities on the Web, and Tequila Aficionado
Last Tequila Standing.
Media’s own explosive growth, we are proud to present for your enjoyment, Last Tequila Standing,” declared Tequila Aficionado’s CEO, M.A. “Mike” Morales.
Never-before-seen raw footage of some of the tequila industry’s most promising labels will be aired. Each will relate their start up stories and demonstrate their tasty signature cocktails, too.
Colorful brand owners, master distillers, and top flight brand ambassadors took the stage with their enduring tequilas, many of which are still thriving even in 2015’s more competitive tequila market.
[Tweet “Tequila Aficionado Media Presents Last Tequila Standing!”]
The Dare
In the late summer of 2011, 18 brave tequila brands took up this challenge–
To appear on the first ever televised tequila reality show to share with the world their personal stories and to participate in a judged tasting competition to be named the Last Tequila Standing.
Rocky Road
As with most TV pilots and shows that are ahead of their time, Last Tequila Standing struggled to find a permanent network home.
“After a series of fits-and-starts, several failed business deals and cable company mergers that never happened, Last Tequila Standing was all but lost,” recounts Morales, a producer and one of the hosts of the show.
From the moment Season 1’s taping had wrapped, Morales worked tirelessly for months with the Executive Producers to try to fulfill the show’s original mission–
To educate and inform tequila aficionados worldwide in an entertaining fashion on the finer points of Mexico’s national spirit, as well as to help promote organic, artisanal, small batch, and boutique tequila Brands Of Promise(TM).
“But just a few years later, with the advent of streaming video made popular by services like Hulu, Amazon, and Netflix, the playing field has changed dramatically,” adds Lisa Pietsch, Tequila Aficionado Media’s COO in charge of social media marketing. “Last Tequila Standing lends itself perfectly to our binge watching audience.”
Along with Tequila Aficionado Media’s CEO and Tequila Journalist, M.A. “Mike” Morales, Clayton J. Czczech guest judges on Last Tequila Standing.
Also on hand to impart his vast tasting expertise is industry expert Christopher Zarus, inventor of the only take home tequila tasting kit, TequilaRack, which will also be featured extensively.
A Global Event
“Since the taping of Season 1 of Last Tequila Standing, the Tequila Industry has aggressively pursued global expansion into countries like China, Russia, India, and Brazil,” explains Morales.
[Tweet “The streaming of Last Tequila Standing is a global event of epic proportions!”]
“Given that our audience is not only viewing Tequila Aficionado from these locations,” asserts Pietsch, “but all across Canada, the United States, Germany and Mexico, we can truly say that the airing of Last Tequila Standing will be a global event of epic proportions!”
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Watch for new episodes of Last Tequila Standing premiering every day–for 45 days–beginning on National Tequila Day, July 24, 2015 at 11AM CDT.
[*Editor’s note: As a courtesy and at the request of Clayton J. Czczech, Tequila Aficionado has attempted to remove all videos and photographs in which he was featured without degrading the balance of the Last Tequila Standing content provided to us.]
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Learn all about tequila from field to glass and then get paid to share your love of agave spirits with others! Buy Them Both Now!
I admit, I have a soft spot for Señor Rio tequila.
A snifter of Señor Rio añejo on the patio.
Sure, it’s produced at the famed La Cofradía distillery (NOM 1137), where its flagship tequila, Casa Noble, grabs all the headlines these days. And the co-founders, Jonathan Gach and Debbie Medina have a great love for tequila and a great love story, too. And, yes, it comes in a helluva pretty bottle. But those aren’t my reasons for my affinity to the brand.
It’s their exclusive cigars that pair so well with Señor Rio tequila that bring a smile to my face.
In The Beginning…
Waiting to be lit.
I was first introduced to Señor Rio Cigars when CEO, Jonathan Gach, sent me a pair that were infused with Señor Rio blanco tequila. It was a novel idea at the time since tradition dictates that cigars be paired with wines and darker spirits. Naturally, these were meant to be enjoyed with Señor Rio blanco and its fragrant smoky bouquet and long finish.
The concept of pairing cigars with blanco tequilas compelled me to seek other blanco tequila and cigar combinations that ultimately lead to my recent article in Cigar Advisor.
Completely hooked, I couldn’t wait to spark up these newer versions of Señor Rio Cigars that Jonathan was kind enough to share.
Pure Elegance
Señor Rio’s presentation dresses up any occasion.
Simply placing the Señor Rio bottles outside on the patio table dresses up any occasion and calls for your fanciest lighter, ashtray and crystal snifters. One whiff of the big, veiny Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper and I couldn’t stray from tradition. A snifter of Señor Rio añejo was in order.
From the very start, this stick had all the signs of a handmade gem, lighting beautifully, drawing smoothly and burning evenly with a nice ash. The combination of the Honduran and Dominican filler, along with the Connecticut broadleaf binder made for a tequila lover’s delight.
Nice ash.
The hints of leather, wood and nuts courtesy of the wrapper blended nicely with Señor Rio’s initial sweetness. The cigar’s light spiciness (cloves) enhanced the nose and married graciously with the aroma of the añejo. Moreover, the cigar’s easygoing softness didn’t interfere with Señor Rio’s medium-to-long finish imparted by its aging in used French white oak barrels for two years.
With the reposado, however, the pairing was more evenly matched. Aged only six months in used French white oak barrels, it does not have as long a finish as the añejo and this fusion was a duel of the senses. Each commanded my attention with every sip and draw. While at times the añejo seemed to step aside, the pairing with the reposado demanded to be noticed.
Up close and personal with Señor Rio tequila.
Once Señor Rio blanco was served, it was comparing night and day. Everything I had experienced throughout my enjoyment of the cigar was brought to bear with the blanco. It was a Wimbledon tennis match at Centre Court between two distinct athletic styles where your taste buds are the line judge and the crowd cheers with every volley.
The Añejo Way Of Life
Enjoying the Añejo Way Of Life.
You don’t have to be a CEO of a Fortune 500 corporation (or of a tequila brand or online tequila media company, for that matter) to enjoy Señor Rio. The pure elegance of its bottle presentation and the tequila’s flavor profile alone can take you to your happy place, what I call “the añejo way of life.” Coupled with a Señor Rio Cigar, and your trip there will be that much quicker.
Sadly, these puros are not available for retail, yet, and are primarily used at special events and promotions. But, as Jonathan Gach puts it, “I have been a cigar smoker for 37 years and along with tequila, this is another passion of mine.”
On the positive side, Jonathan is contemplating some exciting future plans for Señor Rio that includes the addition of even more enticing tobacco blends to go along with his stellar tequila.
In the meantime, look for Jonathan and Debbie and the whole Señor Rio tequila crew at your nearest cigar bar and liquor store. It’ll be your shortest route to the “añejo way of life.”
Jonathan Gach and Debbie Medina, founders of Señor Rio tequila.
For more information on Señor Rio, visit them here.
At Facebook. On Twitter @senorrio .
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Learn all about tequila from field to glass and then get paid to share your love of agave spirits with others! Buy Them Both Now!
In 2011, a group of television professionals sought to create the first tequila reality show. They called upon the industry expertise of then journalist and Editor at Tequila Aficionado, Mike Morales. When production began, just under 20 tequila start ups vied to be crowned the Last Tequila Standing in the world’s first broadcast Tequila Reality Show.
Handled with white gloves, this quality tequila is proudly introduced by Jalisco International Imports, Inc. Queen Creek, AZ and its owners Debbie Medina and Jonathan Gach
Senor Rio’s Blanco tequila received a bronze medal at the Spirits of Mexico Competition in September 2009.
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Tequila Boss Ladies
Sipping off the Cuff: Montalvo Blanco and the Vinturi Spirit Aerator