The rules of excellence - our Grand Tour into quality continues

Our Velier TV channel selection now features new sections and our world tour of the rules of excellence continues. After exploring the treasures of Italy and France, we continue our quest for the greatest distillers and the greatest tales of inextinguishable passion for top-quality ingredients.

The centuries-old history of agave in Mexico, with its successes and major themes; the great versatility of sugar cane in the Caribbean, producing a huge range of rums of all kinds; the care and centuries-old traditions in the distillation of whiskey coupled with the work of pioneers experimenting with different grains and terroirs - we still have a long journey ahead of us.

CANTINA MEXICO

Let's start with Mexico and agave, which over the last few years has been enjoying significant popularity with both tequila and mezcal - spirits that have made the history of Mexico. Sales data show steady growth, where mezcal has a small but well-established base of connoisseurs and tequila is the second-fastest growing spirit in recent years.

There is no doubt tequila is increasingly popular, but a growing demand inevitably carries the risk of producers compromising on quality and production methods to increase sales volumes. Fortaleza brand ambassador Stefano Francavilla tells us about his battle to preserve tradition at each stage of tequila production, as well as the importance of debunking the most outdated clichés about this spirit.

We then move on to mezcal - perhaps the world's most artisanal spirit which, in the wake of a general revival of agave, like tequila also risks being altered beyond recognition as well as having a negative impact on the local agriculture. Industry expert Héctor Vazquez introduces the topic and has a conversation with Roberto Artusio, owner of Rome-based restaurant La Punta Expendio de Agave and a pioneer in promoting tequila and mezcal in Italy.

MASTERS OF RUM

Our journey continues and takes us to the Caribbean. Talking about rum is second nature to Velier given its dedication to not only selling but scouting for and selecting the best rums around the world, something it has been doing for well over 30 years. 

Daniele Biondi takes us on our first exploration of rum, which comes from a single ingredient yet is capable of expressing a stunning diversity of production methods and results. Daniele shows us how our ongoing quest has led us to collaborate with the best distilleries in the Caribbean, including Neisson and Foursquare.

For the second stage of our tour, together with Daniele Biondi we visit two more of the Caribbean's best distilleries - Saint James and Hampden.

Located in the heart of Martinique, for the first time Saint James partnered Velier for the creation of a set of co-bottlings celebrating the 25th anniversary of Martinique's AOC designation.

With a tradition dating back all the way to 1753, for the first time Hampden bottled its own pure rum thanks to a cooperation with Velier.

After discussing the diversity of rum and Velier's search and selection work, we have a conversation about sugar with three major players in the global market: Distillerie de Port-au-Prince Master Distiller Herbert Linge, Ian Burrell, one of the leading popularizers in the industry, and Foursquare Distillery owner Richard Seale.

As there are no specific regulations, large-selling producers often add sugar to their rum, in some cases to hide flaws. Our experts believe that the point is not whether or not one adds sugar, but that consumers should be told the truth if one chooses to do so.