La Gavilana – Tequila in a Can! … Really?

About a month ago, liquor stores in Guadalajara started prominently displaying a new innovation in tequila presentations – tequila in a can! Actually, a half can, like the new mini Cokes. Of course, we’ve already seen mixed drinks such as palomas in a (full-sized) can, but we’ve never seen straight 100% agave tequila artfully siphoned into an aluminum receptacle with a pop top for our drinking enjoyment. But this is just what the brand La Gavilana did, offering up its canned reposado for about $5 bucks. Needless to say, we had to give it a try.

I’ll be honest – I had my hesitations. Tinny tequila did not sound appetizing. However, the company’s website assured me that a can was the perfect presentation for this tequila because it was easy to chill, easy to transport and recyclable. It also said that this repo is aged 6 to 8 months in American Oak, and is not only double distilled, but filtered!

Despite these assurances, I felt that my evaluation would be tainted by the can factor so I asked my brother Matt Pruitt, who is a member of the punk rock band The Have Nots, to help me assess it. Perhaps it wouldn’t meet my standards, but what about the standards of a touring, hard drinking, hard partying punk who can’t afford to spend $60 (or $30) on a nice bottle of tequila. At 5 shots for $5, maybe it would suffice.

You can see us tasting it for the first time (and our honest reactions) in this video:

We popped the top and I pour the fizzy beverage into my brandy sifter. The color, of a light golden beer, or “piss” as Matt said, was not exactly pleasing. Also, it was very cloudy due to the fizz.

It had a raw agave, mineral nose. The taste was astringent, alcohol, and not much else since we served it ice cold, as recommended on the side of the can.

The verdict: a definite thumbs down from me, a “well, maybe, if I was really desperate,” from Matt, who will drink just about anything.

So, punks, there you have it. If you ever find yourself touring Mexico and need a cheap, easy, tinny tequila option, La Gavilana may be for you. Or not.

-Scarlet