We hire based on potential. An older example: at Matasano, we built one of the industry's few crypto consulting practices --- it hosts Thomas Pornin now! --- off a team of people who had, prior to Matasano, never worked on any cryptography at all. Empirical hiring processes don't preclude aptitude assessment; in fact, I think they make it substantially easier, by creating measurable objective facts that you can rely on to take "flyers" on people whose resumes and interviewing skills don't do their talent justice.

If you want to hire based on "intelligence" (ick), create an assessment rubric that surfaces the kind of intelligence you're looking for. Don't rely on face-to-face meetings to do that; it doesn't work.