Big Red Takes A Trip to Mexico

Big Red Liquors Takes A Trip to Mexico
How is tequila made?


In Big Red’s ongoing effort to educate its employees a trip was taken last February to Tequila, Jalisco in Mexico to find out exactly how tequila was made. Sauza® Tequila invited six Big Red employees to visit their tequila producing factory and give them a first hand look at how they produce tequila.

Planting & Harvest
Planting agave (the plant used to make tequila) is a very important process in producing tequila. In one 8 hour day one person can plant up to 1200 agave plants. Why so many? It takes a long time for a blue agave plant to become mature. In fact it takes anywhere from 8 to 12 years for a plant to reach full maturity. Allowing the agave plant to fully mature plays an integral part in how the final product, the tequila, tastes. If a plant has not fully ripened it produces a bitter flavorless tequila. If the plant is too ripe it can produce a heavy, overly sweet spirit. It is up to the Jimador, the person in-charge of harvesting, to decide when the plants are ready for harvest. When the plant is ready for harvest a tool called a Coa, a sharp paddle-shaped blade, is used to slash off the spiky leaves to reveal the piña. The piña is the heart of the agave plant and can weigh as much as 150 pounds!

Making Tequila
The first step in making tequila is extracting the juice from the piña. At Sauza® the piñas are loaded onto a conveyer belt and sent thru three different shredders to extract as much of the juice out the piña as possible. From there the agave juice is cooked in an autoclave and roasted to a golden sugary liquid. The sugary liquid, called aguamiel, is then milled and mixed with water and sent to the fermentation tanks. The tanks are made of either wood or stainless steel. Temperature during the fermentation period also has an affect on how the tequila will taste. A colder fermentation will create a fruiter tequila while a warmer fermentation will create more complexity in the tequila. Sauza® keeps its tanks at a temperature that will give a rich sophistication to the tequila.
Once the fermentation is done the tequila is distilled. The distilling process involves boiling the fermented agave and then condensing the liquid, allowing different compounds to be captured at different boiling points. The three stages of distillation are: The Heads, The Heart, and The Tails. The Head is usually discarded because of high alcoholic content and many unwanted compounds. The Heart is valued for the alcohols and fatty acids that give tequila much of its texture and complexity. The Tails is the lowest in alcohol and may be discarded or it can be added to the next batch of aguamiel for additional distilling.
Once the distillation process is finished it is ready to either be bottled or barreled depending on what type of tequila they are making. Blanco or white tequilas are bottled immediately as well as Joven, or gold tequilas that have caramels added to give the golden hue. Reposado and Añejo are aged in American White Oak barrels that once held whisky or bourbon.
Reposado or “rested” tequilas are aged in wood tanks or barrels for at least two months. They are often straw pale in color and are mellower than the Blancos. They provide smooth mixability for more sophisticated cocktails or can be enjoyed straight.
Añejo tequila must be aged in oak barrels for twelve months or more. It is gold to amber in color and has a soft, smooth, complex flavor brought on by its marriage with the aromatic wood. This is the tequila to sip slowly and appreciatively.

Facts and Myths about Tequila
1. In order to be called “tequila” it must be produced within certain areas of Mexico mostly in the state of Jalisco.
2. There are two types of tequila classifications: 100% Blue Agave and Mix to Tequila. In 100% Blue Agave all of the sugars must come from the Blue Agave plant. Where as Mix to Tequila only 51% of the sugars must come from Blue Agave the rest typically comes from cane sugar.
3. Tequila and Mezcal are not the same. Mezcal is made in a different state of Mexico and the agave is roasted in underground charcoal ovens yielding a smoky taste. Mezcal frequently has a worm in the bottle where tequila never does.

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Big Red Opens Outlet Store

Big Red Liquors Opens Outlet Store In Bloomington


Big Red Liquors is taking a new approach this winter opening its first ever Outlet Store. The new store will be located on the corner of 2nd and Walnut Street in Bloomington and will carry many unique items that are not found at other Big Red Liquors locations at a great price. “The idea behind opening an Outlet store was to offer consumers a price sensitive opportunity to shop with a local retailer and get the same great values you would get from a national retailer.” says Wade Shanower, President of Big Red Liquors. “The store will still carry big name items found in all the Big Red’s but will focus more on products that are not found in our other Big Red Liquors locations.” The Outlet store will carry many inexpensive table wines ranging from $2.99 a bottle to $9.99 a bottle and different brands of liquor ranging from $5.99 to $14.99. “We still rely on our Customer Service to give us an edge over the big box stores.”, says Rob Williamson Director of Marketing and Promotions. “We remain committed to providing each customer with the best possible service.” The Outlet Store is currently open for business Monday thru Saturday 8am to 10pm. It is closed on Sundays.

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New Store In Martinsville

Big Red Liquors Opens New Store In Martinsville


Big Red Liquors, Inc. has expanded to Martinsville, Indiana and carries with it a simple principle that has been the backbone of its success and growth since 1972, which is “Performing Common Jobs Uncommonly Well”. Adhering to this simple principle has generated rapid growth as Big Red operates multiple locations in Bloomington, Terre Haute, Bedford and now the Martinsville location formally Southside Liquors just west of SR 39.

Wade Shanower, President of Big Red Liquors for the last four years states, “We work very hard to find a great range of products and many of them are exclusive to Big Red Liquors that you can’t find anyplace else. Therefore, when people shop at Big Red they know they are getting not only the best selection in the area with added savings that we pass onto our customers instead of keeping it for ourselves, but also the extra value of excellent customer service with a smile that welcomes them to our store as if it was their home.”

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Big Red Liquors Visits Heaven Hill

Big Red Liquors brings you Evan Williams Single Barrel


While Big Red Liquors has always carried Evan Williams Single Barrel, the new Single Barrel that is coming into the stores this holiday season is unique in that representatives from Big Red Liquors actually chose the barrel to be bottled. Toby Heidkamp, Manager and Wade Shanower, COO visited Heaven Hill Distilleries this fall to choose what will be the bourbon that is bottled and placed into all Big Red Liquor stores. The bourbon from that particular barrel is exclusive to Big Red Liquors. In celebration of this fine bourbon bottled specifically for Big Red Liquors we are passing along the savings to all of our customers by reducing the price from $24.99 to $19.99! Come in today to get your bottle of Evan Williams Single Barrel.

Some facts about Evan Williams Single Barrel…

Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage Bourbon is bottled solely from one barrel hand-selected by Master Distiller Parker, not from the mingling of many barrels, which is the practice for standard blended Bourbons.

Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage is the first and only vintage-dated Single Barrel Bourbon. Like a fine wine, each bottle of Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage Bourbon contains a vintage date telling when it was put in oak. The most recent vintage is 1995.

The 1990 Vintage was the first Bourbon awarded "Whiskey of the Year" by The Spirit Journal, the nation's foremost authority on reviewing spirits.

The 1991 vintage was awarded "Domestic Whiskey of the Year" by The Malt Advocate, a leading authority on malt based spirits and brews.

The 1992 vintage was awarded Food & Wine Magazine's "American Whiskey of the Year".

A true super-premium Bourbon, Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage Bourbon shares in the popularity of the Evan Williams name. Evan Williams was the first man to open a commercial distillery in Kentucky and Evan Williams Black Label is the second largest selling Kentucky Straight Bourbon in America.

The elegant bottle is sealed with a cork stopper, finished in black wax and features a distinctive label and gift carton that reflect the hand-crafted care that goes into the making of this Bourbon.

Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage Bourbon is available in 750 ml and is bottled at 43.3 percent alcohol by volume (86.6 proof) by Old Evan Williams Distillery, a subsidiary of Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc., Bardstown, KY.


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Big Red Liquors Remodeled

Big Red Liquors is pleased to announce that as of Monday, August 23rd the Big Red Liquors located at 9th Street and College Avenue has opened its doors with a bold new look. Since the beginning of May, 2004, Big Red Liquors has been undergoing major construction to change the store into one of the largest and most modern wine and liquor stores in the State of Indiana. “This is our flagship store where we stock more beer, wine, and liquor than any other of our 15 stores,” says Mark McAlister, President of Big Red Liquors. “By remodeling this store we are setting a precedent for the rest of our chain with a design that will help accommodate the demands of our customers and offer them the best facility possible.The building that was once the old A & P grocery store has not been changed since its purchase by Mark McAlister in 1978.

Although the entire store has been remodeled the most significant changes can be found in the wine area of the store where new custom redwood racking displays over 15,000 bottles of wine in an easy to see “laydown format” A temperature and humidity controlled “fine wine” room was also installed for premium wines.

Just off of the wine area Big Red has installed a tasting bar for customers to sample beer, wine, and liquor. Selected bottles of wine will be “on tap” for customers to taste before buying the wine they are sampling. This is accomplished through the installation of a special pressurized and refrigerated system that will keep open bottles fresh for several weeks. Up to eight wines will be available for sampling at all times.

Another change that will catch customer’s eyes is the walk-in beer cooler. Six packs, twelve packs, and cases of beer will be on display for easy access to the consumer, while the singles of beer can be located just outside of the cooler. Kegs are purchased at the register and loaded into cars in the “Keg pick-up” parking space located near the back of the store. “Having a keg door located towards the back of the store should increase the efficiency and speed at which the kegs are sold and loaded into customers cars.” said, Jason Hill Manager of the newly remodeled store.

The newly remodeled Big Red Liquors is open from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday thru Thursday and 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

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