After 35 years travelling the world as an executive in the spirits industry, Pepe Zevada retired to Austin, Texas. However, it did not take him long to get back in the game and he quickly launched Z Tequila. His Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo tequilas have received awards and critical acclaim and are well-loved throughout Texas.

Now, Pepe is rounding out his portfolio with the release of an extra añejo tequila. Extra Añejo is a relatively new category of tequila, introduced in 2006. In order to qualify for the title, tequila must be aged for a minimum of three years. The Zevada Family Gran Reserva Extra Añejo is aged for four. It is made from 100% mature lowland agave that is cooked and distilled using traditional old-world methods. The tequila then rests in new American White Oak barrels, which are lightly toasted, not charred. The result is an exquisite and distinctive spirit with a maple nose, flavor notes of caramel and toasted nuts followed by agave, and a smooth, bourbon-like finish.

Retailing at right around $70, the value is as remarkable as the quality, because Pepe believes that luxury shouldn’t be so hard to come by.

What’s the best way to enjoy Gran Reserva? Pepe recommends sipping it from a snifter, or in a rocks glass with a little ice and an orange twist. He also suggests buying a bottle right away, as only 500 cases have been produced.

View Pepe Zevada introducing Z Tequila on May 4th 2011 at Barbeques Galore! Click more to watch video.

Z Tequila continues to prove it has award-winning quality by taking home one of the industry’s most prestigious awards.

Austin, Texas – June 5, 2014 – Z Tequila, and the man who created it, has long been captivating the Austin market with authenticity, tradition and quality. Meanwhile, the list of awards for this locally-based, value priced, 100% Agave Tequila continues to grow.

In 2012 all three Tequila marques, Blanco, Reposado and Anejo took home medals from The San Francisco World Spirits Competition, where 34 judges comprised of industry professionals “blind-taste” the products. Blind tastings are essential to insure taste is the primary criteria and that no brand preference interferes with palate. The Blanco took home the highest award, the coveted Double-Gold.

Z Tequila recently learned it has been awarded another top award from SIP, the largest consumer tasting competition conspicuously absent of industry influence. The SIP Awards took place in California this May. Z Tequila won the highest award, Platinum, for both the Blanco and Reposado, while earning a gold metal for the Anejo, its most aged marque.

Participation in the SIP Awards has become synonymous with elite quality as judged by the selective tastes of the consumer. “This pragmatic and refreshing model of evaluation provides an honest stage for feedback and recognition” says SIP Awards founder, Paul Hashemi. “There is no better salute to superior quality and fine spirits, than winning the consumer panel’s vote in a completely blind tasting.”

Using professional criteria, the blanco tequilas were served “blindly” to 16 members of our judging panel, and rated on a 1-5 point scoring system with 5 being the best. After totaling up the scores, the blanco tequilas were ranked based on the impressions of the judges, and awarded medals according to a set range of final point scores received.

The complete ranking results, along with tasting notes, are published on TheFiftyBest.comwebsite: www.thefiftybest.com/tequila/best_tequila_blanco

TheFiftyBest.com is an award-winning online guide to fine living, featuring rated listings from on unbiased surveys and proprietary tastings judged by food, wine/spirits journalists, and connoisseurs. Adhering to strict tasting rules and rigorous methodology, TheFiftyBest.comachieves the highest standards of spirits evaluation.

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Z Tequila Blanco receives highest medal at the oldest, largest, and most recognized spirits competition in the United States.

Austin, Texas, 5 April 2012 – The San Francisco World Spirits Competition announced the results from their 12th annual competition. This is the first time Z Tequila has entered this esteemed competition that attracts big and small brands alike from across the globe. Z Tequila competed with more than 1,200 other products, from 65 countries and judged by 34 of the most sophisticated palates in the industry.

Every spirit entered in the competition is judged through tastings during the three-day event starting on March 23rd. The well-received spirits are then awarded Bronze, Silver, Gold, or the highest medal honor, the Double Gold Medal. Double Gold Medals are only awarded to a spirit that is awarded a Gold Medal by all 34 judges making it the most sought after medal.

All three Z Tequilas won medals. Z Tequila’s most popular product, Z Tequila Blanco, a premium silver tequila received a unanimous Gold by all 34 judges and was awarded the Double Gold Medal.

Pepe Zevada, the founder and inspiration behind Z Tequila, celebrates this award saying, “It is a great pleasure to announce this recognition. Receiving the Double Gold Medal is a testament to the quality of Z Tequila. I have always felt Z Tequila’s taste is among the best and people who try Z Tequila always agree that our taste is like no other. Now, we have a Double Gold Medal that validates our feeling that we have created a truly special tequila.”

Z Tequila Blanco receives Finalist status and 94 rating in the UBC Ultimate Spirits Challenge.

Austin, Texas March 21, 2012 – The Ultimate Spirits Challenge judges comprised of spirit experts from all over the world gather annually to blind taste/evaluate flights of distilled spirits by classifications within major spirits categories, employing a custom-created, multistage format. Judges record their findings on a worksheet on which they score each product on the 100-point scale.

Multiple 3-person panels of judges are formed. The products from each category that score 90 or more undergo another level of evaluation by UBC panels of experts to arrive at the best products from each greater category. Final scores are derived from the cumulative total in order to allow each product multiple chances to shine. Each category will have a coveted “Chairman’s Trophy” winner selected from the Finalists.

Z Tequila Blanco (Silver) was described as, “Very clean. Oatmeal and grass on the nose followed by a subtle earthiness. The taste profile echoes the aromas with toasted snack cracker, grass and a hint of muscat. The finish is, again, very toasty and shows a touch of the earthiness that precedes it. The USC 2013 gave it a score of 94, making it a finalist and winning the mark, “Excellent, Highly Recommended.”