Seminar given by Miguel Cedeno Cruz, Jean-Sebastien Robicquet & Philip Duff at Tales of the Cocktail 2012, and kindly supported by Excellia Tequila. Best listened to in 1 browser while you click through the slides in a 2nd browser - the audio is not synchronised to the slides, because, Lord, that's just too much work.

1. Greater
than the sum of it's parts
The Art of Spirits Blending
With
Miguel Cedeño Cruz
Jean-Sebastien Robicquet
Philip Duff

2. Greater
than the sum of it's parts
Miguel Cedeño Cruz
- Native of Guadalajara
- M.S. Bioengineering
- Committee President, Tequila Regulatory
Council (CRT)
- Master Blender, Distiller and Plant Director
for 24 Years
- Author of 47 Academic Publications
- Lecturer at 55 Beverage, Bioengineering & Agave
Conferences Globally
- Research Professor in Yucatan & Jalisco
- CEO, Caribe Occidente Asesores,
consulting for the tequila industry.

3. Greater
than the sum of it's parts
Jean-Sébastien Robicquet
- Native of Cognac, France
- Family History in Wine Industry Dates to 1500s
- Oenology Graduate and masters In Law,
Economics & Wine Management
- 20 Years Expertise in Marketing, Legal &
Production In the Spirits industry Worldwide
- Owner & Master Distiller, EWG Spirits
- Co-Blender (with Carlos Camarena) of
Excellia Tequila

4. Greater
than the sum of it's parts
Jean-Sébastien Robicquet
- Native of Cognac, France
- Family History in Wine Industry Dates to 1500s
- Oenology Graduate and masters In Law,
Economics & Wine Management
- 20 Years Expertise in Marketing, Legal &
Production In the Spirits industry Worldwide
- Owner & Master Distiller, EWG Spirits
- Co-Blender (with Carlos Camarena) of
Excellia Tequila

5. Greater
than the sum of it's parts
The History

6. Greater
than the sum of it's parts
1853

7. Greater
than the sum of it's parts

8. Greater
than the sum of it's parts
Conception

9. Greater
than the sum of it's parts
Conception
- Utility/Efficiency
- Price Point
- Sustainable Strategy

10. Greater
than the sum of it's parts
Union

11. Greater
than the sum of it's parts
Creation

12. Greater
than the sum of it's parts
Case Study -Tequila
•
Agave from different regions (Highlands, Tequila, Nayarit,
Michoacán, Tamaulipas).
•
Agave quality (Diseases, maturity, weight, sugar content).
•
Eventualities (Fire, flooding, etc.)
•
Different yeast strains.
•
Use of different process equipments for hydrolysis
(ovens, autoclaves, diffusion band), distillation (Pot-stills,
continuous columns).
12

13. Greater
than the sum of it's parts
Case Study -Tequila
•
Different production distilleries from the same company.
•
Tequila from other companies (Maquila, purchase).
•
Tequila produced in different seasons (Summer/Winter),
(Dry/Rain).
•
Correction of a lot with production problems.
•
Blending Tequila from other steps in the process, ej.
Tequila from heads & tails.
13

14. Greater
than the sum of it's parts
Case Study -Tequila
•
Special blend for a brand.
•
Blends for special customer requirements.
•
Special requirements for other countries. Ej. MeOH for
Japan.
•
Tequila from barrels of different regions
( American/French oak).
•
Tequila from barrels used for other spirits ( Port, Cognac,
Bourbon, etc.)
14

15. Greater
than the sum of it's parts
Case Study -Tequila
•
Blend of the same Tequila classes (Blanco, Reposado,
Añejo, Extra-Añejo).
•
Blend of different Tequila classes (Reposado/Añejo,
Reposado/Extra-añejo, Añejo/Extra-Añejo).
•
Aged Tequila with different aging time.
•
Blend of Tequilas from different aging warehouses.
15

16. Greater
than the sum of it's parts
Development

17. Greater
than the sum of it's parts
The
Blender's
Art

18. Greater
than the sum of it's parts
The Blender's Art
- Time
- Intermediate Blends
- Alcoholised Water
- Infusion Vegetal / Paxarette / boisé / Sugar
- Cojones / hogo!

19. Greater
than the sum of it's parts
Birth

20. Greater
than the sum of it's parts
Socialisation

21. Greater
than the sum of it's parts
Maturity

22. Greater
than the sum of it's parts
Release

23. Greater
than the sum of it's parts
Sensory Evaluation
•
Is my product lot (brand) different to other product lot
(brand)?
•
Which are the differences between them?
•
Use of technology, GC-MSD or GC-Sniffing.
•
Trained and calibrated Sensory evaluation panel.
•
Standards (brands) to compare.
•
Consumer tests.
•
Sensory evaluation methods, pair, triangle, 23
etc.

24. Greater
DISCRIMINANTES
than the sum of it's parts
• Pair, triangle, duo-trio tests.
• Statistical analysis
24

25. Greater
DISCRIMINANTES
than the sum of it's parts
Radar map for all samples Intensity value
Cooked agave 0 - Not detected
Metallic 5.50 Aniseed
Rotten egg Sweet 1 - Detected after a careful
tasting
Astringent Citrus 2 - Present, at a low level
4.50 3 - Easily detected
Plastic Mint 4 - Dominate sensory
profile
3.50 5 - Too intense
Spicy Fruity
2.50
Bitter Floral
1.50
Acid Honey
0.50
Burnt Caramel
-0.50
Raw Agave Eucalyptus
Vanilla Herbal
Cocoa Yeast
Oak Pinneapple
Coffee Green Olive
Coconut Apple
Clove Melon
Almond Butter
Nut 25

26. Greater
than the sum of it's parts
Thank You!
excelliatequila.com
philip @ liquidsolutions .org