Fluere Smoked Agave
Fluere Smoked Agave
Tequila / Fluère NA / 0.0%
FLUÈRE Original bursts with carefully selected botanicals that give a complex yet balanced taste and ensure a unique, fresh after-bite. Coriander Seed and Lime Peel give a bright and zesty character to the nose whilst the Lavender and Juniper add herbal & floral notes
At first blush, the idea of a non-alcoholic might seem like it doesn’t make all that much sense. When it comes to beer and wine, and all of the extra calories that come along with those, having something to sip on at a party or cookout that doesn’t come with all of the detrimental health effects seems more natural. Many people don’t even like the taste of distilled spirits, so why would they want to drink one that doesn’t even give them a buzz? But the NA liquor industry is beginning to boom with everything from vodka to whiskey to various liqueurs begin marketed sans alcohol.
As most of these spirits have yet to be perfected without their primary ingredient, many of these products are best enjoyed as elements of a mixed drink. In recent years, tequila has also had a bit of a renaissance with premium versions being released left and right and many high-profile celebrities investing in their own brands of tequila. Fluere is doing their best to combine these two growing industries by coming out with a Smoked Agave spirit that is intended to pack all of the delicious flavors of a high-quality traditional agave spirit in a package that won’t leave you feeling hungover if you end up sipping down one too many. These types of NA spirits have a wide range of outcomes, so let’s see how this one stacks up through this Fluere Smoked Agave review.
Photo Credit:
https://www.flueredrinks.com/
Fluere Smoked Agave Review
Although the word “tequila” is never used in any of Fluere’s branding (perhaps for some sort of legal classification reasons), it is pretty clear from the first glance at the packaging what this spirit will be attempting to imitate. The bottle has that light blue tinted glass forming a ribbed spiral that is reminiscent of traditional tequilas, and the label is the shade of desert sand framed by silver, also the color of the font.
The labels don’t provide us with a ton of information regarding this spirit, other than the line “created for cocktails,” which leaves me a bit skeptical on whether or not this will be at all enjoyable on its own, but I’m going to give it a try both ways and see. Also present on the bottle is the nutritional info, telling us that there are a miniscule 1.2 calories and less than 0.3 grams of sugar per 60ml serving. So while they don’t seem to be pushing the health benefits of this spirit through marketing, it is indeed much better for your body that traditional tequila.
Poured over ice so that I can take in the full aroma, what I get from this is smoke, quite a bit of it. It is rich and delightful while not overpowering, but it is truly the only note that I find. Now, I am by no means an expert on the scents of agave liquor, but exploring their website I find the claim that there is also honey and pear on the nose. If I go back in and dig really deep, I can find the faintest trace of honey, but that’s about it.
This isn’t to shoot it down. As I said, the smoke is quite pleasant, but I wonder if more flavors will appear on the tongue. The only way to find out and answer the question, “Is Fluere Smoked Agave good?” is by diving in and taking the first sip.
Is Fluere Smoked Agave Good?
My first instinct after sampling this spirit is that it, in fact, was not made specifically for sipping on its own. On the rocks the flavor is by no means offensive, but there just isn’t a whole lot to it. The smoke comes through, but even that is tamed down to nearly negligible levels. The honey note is stepped up just a smidge from the nose.
Overall, the spirit tastes like a very high quality distilled water. I hesitate to use that word because “watery” quality has a rather negative connotation when it comes to the booze-tasting world. This doesn’t taste diluted. The texture and mouthfeel are very nice. It simply leaves my tongue wanting some flavor that never shows up.
Next, as suggested by their website, I added it to a bit of Coca-Cola to make a variation of a Batanga cocktail. Without having to worry about overkill on the booze, I made the drink roughly half and half and was surprised by the results.
Despite the spirit not having that much character on its own, it actually comes through the Coke quite well. The soda takes a back seat to the smoke, and some of the lesser notes, like honey and pear, even show up more than they did over ice, as little sense as that makes. A smokey Coca-Cola is not terrible by any means, but I still fail to really notice agave qualities, and it is ultimately disappointing.
While Fluere is correct to say that this spirit is created for cocktails, it is still lacking too much to earn very high marks. But let’s see what I arrive at for my final Fluere Smoked Agave rating.
Fluere Smoked Agave Rating
Perhaps this is too simple of a thought, but the two things that I was absolutely expecting to find in this Smoked Agave spirit were smoke and agave. So it’s too bad that only one of those elements really shows up and not much else. It is a bit challenging to come up with a fair grade for this beverage, because it’s not like there are any characteristics that are offensive to the senses. It just comes up short in so many ways.
I feel compelled to wrap up with Fluere Smoked Agave review by giving it a rating of 2 out of 5 stars. If you want something that simulates the flavors of an agave liquor, this really isn’t it, though the smoke quality is pretty solid itself and could work in some drinks. Fluere has other offerings that sound like they may have more distinct flavors, so I’m interested to sample those and see if I get more from them.
