Nobu Introduces $500 a Bottle Limited Edition Tequila

Jul 18, 2023

By Pat Saperstein

Deputy Editor

At Nobu Malibu on Monday evening, celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa explained why he's long been looking for a tequila brand with which to partner.

"I tasted a lot of tequilas," says Matsuhisa, before he tried Qui. The company specializes in aged tequilas — an unusual platinum extra añejo and the select 7-year extra añejo. When he tried Qui, "Immediately, I loved it," the restaurateur said, as guests sipped cocktails and tasted pure tequila overlooking the Pacific.

Even those guests who avoid sugar could find a suitable cocktail: Nobu's Qui Garden, made with platinum extra anejo tequila, ginger monkfruit, fennel liqueur, garden juice and fresh lemon, is a fresh, citrusy blend that happens to be sugar-free.

Tequila is the famous Japanese chef's favorite liquor, Matsuhisa says, "I like to have it after dinner."

Matsuhisa says he finds tequila pairs well with all his raw seafood specialities, from tiradito and ceviche to sushi.

The liquor company's co-founder, Medhat Ibrahim, explains that the name Qui is the middle of the word tequila, representing the middle of the agave distillation. "The reason we call it Qui (pronounced "key" as in te-kee-la) is that after each distillation, we actually get rid of the heads and the tails, and it's just the heart that we distill," says Ibrahim.

Nobu's first tequila, the Nobu Rare 2008 Reserve, released just 1,500 numbered bottles, which are priced at $500 and also available to try at Nobu restaurants. The deep amber tequila is smooth and fragrant with notes of caramel and wood. Created with agave harvested in 2007 and 2008, it's aged in whiskey oak barrels before maturing in steel tanks.

Ibrahim, who was introduced to the world of fine tequila while traveling to Mexico as a banker, and Qui co-founders Pete Girgis and Mike Keriakos were on-hand for the Nobu tasting to explain their passion for making aged sipping tequilas that are accessible to more people.

Qui's Platinum Extra añejo tequila, aged for three and a half years in American whiskey and French Bordeaux barrels, is the first extra-aged Platinum version of the agave spirit, filtered to make it clear rather than the dark whiskey color usually seen in añejo tequilas. Qui's Select Extra Anejo is aged for a lengthy seven years, bringing notes like tobacco and coconut to its smooth caramel finish.

The Nobu empire, co-owned by Matsuhisa with Robert De Niro, producer Meir Teper, and restaurateur Drew Nieporent, now numbers 51 locations around the world. The Malibu location is a frequent spot for celebrity sightings, drawing everyone from Sean Penn to Leonardo DiCaprio, various Kardashians and Rihanna.