ARANDAS, JALISCO, MX (AUGUST 22, 2024) – Tequila OCHO announces today that it will release Plata Puntas 2024, the brand’s third release of the overproof expression, and its highest ABV to date. Puntas 2024 is slated to hit shelves beginning in August.
Already a highly-anticipated seasonal release, Tequila OCHO Plata Puntas debuted in 2022 with co-founder and 5th generation tequilero Carlos Camarena upping the ABV each year since. At 108 Proof (54% ABV), Puntas 2024 further demonstrates both Camarena’s expertise as a maker of artisanal tequila and, perhaps more crucially, the importance of quality, fully-mature agave in the creation of top-notch tequila.
Agaves used to make the single-field Plata Puntas 2024 were harvested solely from Rancho Mirandillas, a field named after the small Highlands town in eastern Jalisco that it neighbors, which is just over an hour northwest from Arandas, home to OCHO’s new Tequilera Los Alambiques. With maximum sunlight and a robust rotation of crops previously, Rancho Mirandillas has produced the purest, ripest agave, with a very high 31% sugar content for the piñas, resulting in a truly exceptional tequila.
Says Tequila OCHO Commercial Director Fany Camarena, “Everything we do at OCHO, every decision, is made with intention and care. By separating only the end of the heads and beginning of the heart of the distillation – we call this the “neck and shoulders” – it gives us an incredibly aromatic and flavorful result, one that is an even closer reflection of the agaves at the time of harvest. Puntas 2024 is our highest proof in the Ocho line up, but the real significance of this is, by using less water to proof down the tequila, we can preserve even more character of the agaves. The result is an explosion of flavors that evoke all of the senses and a beautiful sipping tequila that expresses the unique terroir from which the agaves were harvested.”
Tequila Ocho Puntas 2024 by the numbers:
- 54% ABV/108 proof
- Available in 750 ml bottles
- Cases: 3500 cases in the USA
- SRP: $74.99
- Availability: Coast to coast
Tasting notes: Cacao spiciness, butterscotch, and a long, creamy finish
Nose: Agave, dried fruits & salted chocolate
What are the “Puntas” of agave spirits and why does it matter?
The puntas, or “distiller’s cut,” of agave spirits are cut from the very end of the heads and the very beginning of the heart of distillation. They have long been considered the most coveted part of the distillate and are traditionally set aside by the distiller to be enjoyed with friends and family on special occasions. Other high-proof tequilas on the market only use the “heart” cut of distillation, rather than the highly selective cut known as Puntas.
Tequila Ocho Plata Puntas 2024 is a blend of high-proof cuts proofed to 108 using deep well water from nearby the Tequila Ocho distillery. It’s at this high proof that drinkers will discover the highest concentration of agave flavors, while still experiencing a spirit that is extremely enjoyable to sip and savor neat.
ABOUT TEQUILA OCHO
Tequila OCHO is the world’s first single estate tequila; curating, selecting and harvesting the very ripest agaves only from the world-renowned highlands, and distilled in the town of Arandas, in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. Complete control of raw materials from seedling to fermentation is quite unlike most other tequila makers who source on the open market, and leads to a liquid which is quite unparalleled.
The result of a dream shared by maestro tequilero Carlos Camarena and legendary tequila ambassador Tomas Estes, Tequila OCHO reflects the nuances of each and every agave field and is instantly recognizable by its annual vintages. Cooking, fermentation and distillation happen in the most traditional way in slow-cooking brick ovens, wooden vats, and copper pot stills, respectively. Such a painstaking approach has led Tequila OCHO Plata to be recognized by Forbes as the World’s Best Blanco Tequila.
As a tequila brand that prides itself on producing maximum agave flavor and essence, Ocho’s aged expressions, reposado, añejo and extra añejo, rest lightly in old bourbon barrels for a gentle rounding and smoothing by the wood – always complementing, yet never overshadowing, the pure, sweet, cooked agave notes.
Every expression of Tequila OCHO is certified 100% additive free, respecting the traditional, artisanal methods used for generations.
