Tromba Tequila’s Roots Have a Surprising Canadian Connection
Starting a new tequila brand, or any kind of spirits brand, is not the kind of endeavour that one takes on flippantly. The tequila space is already a competitive one, filled with upstarts and legacy houses all vying for a spot one your bar shelf. Before getting Tromba Tequila off the ground, Marco Cedano already had an extensive background in the category spanning decades, including a stint as Don Julio’s master blender. Even then, Cedano was not about to go it alone.
With the help of a small handful of founding partners — including Canadian Eric Brass — he and his son Rodrigo launched Tromba Tequila. The brand’s reputation has been skyrocketing since around 2012, when Tromba Blanco scored 93 points in the Ultimate Spirits Challenge in the US, all while being the only independent competitor to reach the event’s finals. To this day, the brand continues to produce exceptional tequila that marries Marco’s knowledge of craft and tradition, with Rodrigo’s eye for innovation and forward-thinking.
Brass’ arrival in the tequila category was not one what was especially well planned. He had the good fortune of meeting Marco during his travels through Mexico; Marco happened to be the master blender at Don Julio at the time. Returning home to Canada, he noted an obvious gap in the premium tequila market. It wasn’t long before dialogues began between Brass and his partners in Australia, and the pitch was made to Marco and Rodrigo to launch Tromba.
Meet Tromba Tequila: A Top Shelf Tequila Brand With a Surprising Canadian Connection
Meet Tromba Tequila: A Top Shelf Tequila Brand With a Surprising Canadian Connection
Meet Tromba Tequila: A Top Shelf Tequila Brand With a Surprising Canadian Connection
Meet Tromba Tequila: A Top Shelf Tequila Brand With a Surprising Canadian Connection
Meet Tromba Tequila: A Top Shelf Tequila Brand With a Surprising Canadian Connection
Meet Tromba Tequila: A Top Shelf Tequila Brand With a Surprising Canadian Connection
Meet Tromba Tequila: A Top Shelf Tequila Brand With a Surprising Canadian Connection
Meet Tromba Tequila: A Top Shelf Tequila Brand With a Surprising Canadian Connection
Meet Tromba Tequila: A Top Shelf Tequila Brand With a Surprising Canadian Connection
Meet Tromba Tequila: A Top Shelf Tequila Brand With a Surprising Canadian Connection
Named after the heavy rainstorms that wash across the Jalisco highlands and provide nourishment to the agave plants that find their way into the finished product, Tromba’s production process is a labour of love. The blue agave take seven years before reaching the appropriate maturity to produce the brand’s tequilas. Soil, climate, rainfall, topography, plant spacing, and the tending of the fields all contribute to the characteristics of the agave, and a wrong turn can have a disastrous effect on the finished product. Harvesting the agave is a process of precision, and one that is still completed entirely by hand. The heart of the agave plant weighs roughly 35 kilograms when harvested, and how it is cut can have a detrimental effect on the flavour profile.
At present, the brand offers three tequilas in the Canadian market. The unaged Blanco is the beginning of the range, followed by the Reposado, which is aged between six and eight months. The Añejo is aged for 20 to 24 months, which comes as a bit of a surprise considering the minimum required to call a tequila an Añejo is only one year of aging. Either way, depending on whether you’re a sipper or more of a cocktail person, the Tromba lineup has all of the bases covered.
Learn more about Tromba Tequila here.
