The Best Floral Reposado Tequilas

Rancho El Puertecito is located about three miles west of Arandas in the heart of Los Altos. In his label notes, Master Distiller Carlos Camarena says, “Puertecito is complex and still gentle. The waves of flavor come along softly in harmony and don’t throw you in the ocean.” El Puertecito Reposado is unusual in that only 16 cases were made and it was never commercially released.

Aged for eleven months in an American oak barrel, before being finished in a Cognac cask for three months, this offering from Tequila Herradura's Coleccion de la Casa line is offers an interesting, if subtle flavor profile. It is classified as a reposado tequila because of the eleven months of aging in American oak even though this tequila spent 14 months total in two different barrels, enough for an añejo designation.

Based in the Tequila Valley of the eponymous town of Tequila in Jalisco, Fortaleza (known as Los Abuelos outside of the US) holds on to classic production methods dating back over a century. They hand-harvest their agave, roast them in brick ovens for 3 days which are then crushed by a tahona pulled by an electric tractor (which took the place of their mule after he died). Later the pulp is rinsed with local spring water and the mash is fermented for 3.5 days in a wooden fermentation vat. It is double distilled in classic alembic stills. This reposado is rested in American oak barrels for 7 months in used whiskey barrels.

Rancho Las Pomez is located in Jesus Maria county, a half-mile from Felipe Camarena’s distillery, La Esmeralda. One of the highest elevation Camarena estates at over 6,500 feet, Las Pomez has rich red volcanic soil and its own microclimates, with temps that range from highs of 80 F to lows of 48 F. The extremely ripe agave plants were harvested at 9.5 years old.

Originally the estate tequila served to guest and the family at Casa Herradura, Antiguo Reposado is matured for four months in used, American oak bourbon barrels compared to 11 months for their Herradura Reposado expression. Carbon filtration is used after aging which mellows the tequila a bit.

Tequila Ocho is the first brand to follow a technique reserved until recently the wine business. Ocho is the only single-estate vintage tequila on the market. Since all agave is harvested from individual family farms, each is allowed to showcase nuances found only at those estates. El Refugio is located at 2055m above sea level and has soils rich in red iron oxide. Agave from this area and climate have a very high sugar content.

Corzo's iconic bottle holds a triple-distilled and double-aged Highland agave distillate. The double-aging is done in both new American and French Oak casks for less than 4 months. After fermenting with a proprietary yeast and distilled, micro-bubbles of oxygen are introduced to give a characteristic mouthfeel and lightness.

1 2 3 or as it is meant to be pronounced “Uno, Dos, Tres” is a certified organic tequila brand. The agaves used were sourced from the Tequila Valley and the piñas were cooked for close to two days in stone ovens. The reposado, or “Dos” is aged in white oak for 6 months.

KAH brand line is marked by their hand-painted skull shaped bottles, intended to signify the Mayan culture and tequila’s heritage over the past 3000 years. The reposado in particular is painted as "El Diablo" or the Devil. This bright yellow-orange bottle contains a 10 month old, 110-proof spirit aged in French Limousin oak casks.

Bottled in a beautiful handmade and hand painted ceramic decanter. Inside is a distillate that is carefully aged for eight months in second-use oak barrels. It is then triple micro-filtrated to ensure the highest purity.