How to Try the $500 Limited Edition Nobu Tequila

Perhaps you’ve paired a glass of sake or two with an omakase, or even some bento box sushi, but if you ask renowned chef Nobu Matsuhisha, tequila is the perfect way to end a meal at any of his restaurants.

“Having a shot or glass of tequila makes it easier to communicate,” explains Matsuhisa. “After one shot, it’s much easier to talk. Everyone’s happy.”

For the first time, the 1989 Food & Wine Best New Chef has created a bottle of his own, a collaboration with QUI tequila called Nobu Rare Reserve 2008. The tequila is made similarly to a vintage wine or Champagne, by using a blend of agave harvested in 2007 and 2008. Aged in traditional American whiskey barrels prior to maturation in steel tanks, the spirit’s tasting notes include sweet oak, toasted almond, and maple, with aromas of wood, tobacco, caramel, and vanilla.

Matsuhisa says that tequilas like the new Nobu Rare Reserve 2008 are an ideal counterpart to cold dishes. Nobu classics include yellowtail sashimi, tiradito, and ceviche, and the acidity of these chilled, citrus-forward plates brings out the sweetness in each sip of tequila. 

Just 1,500 bottles of Nobu Rare Reserve 2008 exist, and the best way to try it on the rocks (or in a cocktail) is by heading to one the 51 Nobu locations across the United States and internationally. An especially limited stock of bottles will be available for retail purchase for $500, for collectors who can’t make it into one of the restaurants, or who simply have to have a bottle to stow away at home. Each bottle is individually numbered, making it a collector’s item for tequila fanatics and those who appreciate rare, aged spirits. 

While Nobu Rare Reserve is the only collaboration spirit Matsuhisa is currently working on, he says that fans can look forward to future collaborations and batches.

“I like it as a shot, on the rocks, and in cocktails,” he says. “Tequila like this can really do so much.” 

For more ideas on how to incorporate tequila into some of our favorite classic cocktails, like a Margarita or Tequila Sunrise, here’s a handy guide.