406 Agave Premium Tequila
By Mira Brody CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGIST
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If Big Sky were distilled into a drink, what would it be?
Clear as the skies on a bluebird day, fueled with adrenaline after your last lap down Lone Mountain, your knees aching from fresh powder laps and your heart yearning for the warm bar below where your friends await?
Or maybe amber brown like the pine bark forest that surrounds your hard-earned campsite after a long hike into the Spanish Peaks, a welcome fire crackling and the silhouettes of your family gathered near, clinking glasses in victory.
Big Sky is home to handcrafted adventure that draws all walks of life, and why Payton Hueler founded 406 Agave Premium Tequila—so we could have a drink to pair with our lifestyle.
“I moved here about two years ago and immediately felt a very strong sense of community,” says Hueler, who has been visiting Big Sky with his family since he was eight months old.
His parents have deep roots in the Helena area and to him, Big Sky felt like a natural fit.
“Whether you belong to a club or are working as a lifty, everyone seems to gather at the same places, so I wanted to create a drink that was very approachable and accessible to everyone,” Hueler said.
That’s what 406 Agave is about—gathering around familiar faces.
While traditionally most high-quality tequilas come with a steep price tag, 406 Agave chose a different route with accessibility in mind. Hueler was careful about selecting a distillery. He connected with a family in Jalisco, Mexico which has been producing quality, handcrafted, small batch tequila for four generations, right down to hand-dipping the wax labels. 406 Agave is the first American brand the distillery has worked with and is proud to do so because of the passion they share with Montanans for heritage and tradition.
Right now 406 Agave produces two varieties of tequila: a Blanco and Reposado.
The Blanco, priced at $35-40 a bottle, has sweet aromas with a hint of mint and tasting notes of vanilla and clean tropical fruit. It is an incredibly clean and smooth Blanco tequila that appeals to those who love a crisp, fresh flavor on the palate. Hueler describes it as young, aged at about a week and a half, and the vanilla is applied by spinning the tequila in vanilla-spun casts, keeping it soft but traditional.
The Reposado, priced at $45-50 a bottle, has aromas of caramel, vanilla and honey oak with an authentic, smooth and bold taste. A bit more complex than the Blanco, the Reposado is aged for four and a half months in honey oak barrels to give it a rich, warm and bolder finish. Natural vanilla and caramel gives it a signature sweetness and smoothness.
406 Agave is proud of its Montana roots—the team is 100 percent locally employed here in Big Sky. Following Winter Fest, you can find bottles of the Blanco and Reposado at most bars and liquor stores around town including The Cave Spirits & Gifts, Scissorbills Saloon, Tips Ups, Lone Mountain Ranch, Blue Buddha Sushi Lounge, the Drunken Monk, The Independent, Montage Big Sky and Spanish Peak Mountain Club.
“I’ve had so many great experiences with friends tailgating, après ski or around a campfire with a bottle of tequila and I think it just brings out great stories and great laughter and I wanted to produce a product that reflected that,” Hueler said.
Whether you’re looking to impress a host, fuel some campfire banter or relax post-ski, 406 Agave is sure to satisfy the full spectrum of Big Sky.
