Tastes

The nose is sweet with some umami and agave and pepper. The palate is sweet with a white pepper spice and a bunch of fruitiness that gives way to some more stewed agave and some of that Don Julio flavor. Yeah, you know the one. It's sweet and spicy. The stewed agave lingers. There's some hints of licorice and spearmint in here too that make it interesting, though not exceptional. Definitely has that Don Julio cardboard. Is fairly rich and viscous. There's a lot of sweetness that just avoids tasting artificial, but it doesn't taste all that matured. There's some decent complexity that beats El Jimador Reposado, but it sure better at this price. I'm not sure whether or not this is as good as Jimidor Añejo. The Blanco has more of a rubber and pepper element than this does. Actually, that rubber in the Blanco really stands out in comparison, making the Blanco rather unpalatable. Still, the blanco is at least strong with some herbal vegetal characteristic. This is a big improvement over the blanco. It's surprising how different they are with only 2 months of aging. Actually, it's surprising that 2 months is enough to qualify as a reposado at all. This is lighter than Embajador premium with more cinnamon (though not in an incredibly spicy way), clove, and floral flavors. The light flavor is nice and sweet with a decent balance. I'd prefer something a bit richer, but this is frankly pretty good. Jimador Añejo takes some more gambles and has a more rich and robust baking spice flavor to it. Between the two, if hazard to say that the Jimador is a bit better. This has a punchier, spicier tequila flavor, but its alcohol also stands out more. The Blanco patron has a lot more nice oiliness with umami herbal and vegetal flavors like Fortaleza Blanco has. The palate has that patrón spice with some more earth accentuating the caramel agave flavor. It's sweeter and more aged tasting, but it's also more numbing with a bit of clove flavor and a faint hint of mint. It isn't that interesting. It's about the same quality as the blanco, but less interesting. The finish is over too soon.

This has a sweet, aged, rich nose with something a tad meaty and smoky going on along with a scent that mixes some vegetal and fruitiness with a tad of grass. The palate is spicy as with the other Patrón. The sweet agave come sour nicely with some of those vanilla, papery elements of Don Julio. The vanilla is really nice with the bouquet of spices that includes cinnamon, clove, and ginger. The flavor is on the lighter side, but it's good. Some fruitiness comes in a bit, like sour orange juice, but it's mild. This isn't exceptionally complex, but it's decently so and thoroughly sippable. It has more distinct flavors than the reposado does, though it isn't quite as viscous. I appreciate the scotchy elements here, but compared to scotches, this is a bit underwhelming. It's definitely sippable though - it just isn't a big success. It doesn't have as much rich caramel and fruit as El Jimador Añejo does and it isn't as robustly flavorful, but it does miss a couple of El Jimador's missteps. It's a little bit tough to choose between the two, but I think I'd take this. Neither has anything on San Matias Extra Anejo though. Given that those two are the same price, the decision to not buy Patrón should be obvious. This has some more richness than Embajador Blanco does and some nice hints of that Don Julio flavor, but it's still pretty bland with mineral. The Embajador Blanco is clearly a little bit better. There is some swirling complexity here a little bit, but it's hard to pick out. I enjoy El Jimador Añejo a tad more as well, though it is rougher.

It smells fruity (tropical), minty, and sweet with some Earth backing it. There's a good amount of spice and enough Earth to control the sweetness. There's pineapple. The Earth is a bit drying and highlights the minerality. It's tasty, but has a couple of flavors that really trample the others. The fruit doesn't really get to make much of a statement. It's weirdly not that bitter despite being earthy. It's kind of cool, but it doesn't have a ton of depth and complexity. It's sippable barely. I'm not enthusiastic about this, though it would be a great mixer.

It smells minty and earthy with a hint of chili spice. The palate is quite minty with sharp spiciness that lingers with an oily presence. There's something here that's interestingly vegetal and herbal without being terribly bitter. There's a bit of a fruity sweetness with orange and maybe some cherry. I appreciate the umami but there are more mineral notes than I'd like. This is on the low side of sippable because of the eventual strong bitterness and alcohol. Lots of vanilla does come out, though that isn't necessarily good. Some light sweet syrup with minerals and mild herbal and earthy notes mixed with some spice, a tad of licorice, some smoke, and a prevalent stewed agave. A hefty dose of mint with a bit more of it landing on the spearmint side. It reminds me of Arta Anejo. I wish it had more complexity and richness. There is some umami with a bit of oil though.

The nose is light and somewhat sweet with caramel and light cherry notes that avoid smelling like José Cuervo. It has a bit of a brandy smell like Hennessy, but it's very light. The palate is surprisingly viscous. The flavor is light but good with some mild prickliness hanging out in the background with some mild cherry like Hennessy. There's some mint from the agave, but it doesn't overwhelm. Unfortunately, there isn't a ton of flavor here and it's quite mild though the flavors themselves are good. It has a better flavor profile than 3 Amigos Blanco does, but it doesn't have a stronger flavor. I prefer Hornitos Reposado because it has more presence. This tastes disappointingly like nothing, which is a real shame because the viscous mouthfeel is really nice. This has a pretty bland and mild nose with some hints of mineral and herbs. Some more earthy notes gradually come out. The palate is light too. The flavor is executed well in character, but it's too light. There's some nice spice and also some bitter herbs with a bit of peppermint and stewed agave. The wood brings in some vanilla that adds to the peppermint flavor. It's actually quite sweet, though not cloyingly so. There are some smooth baking spices on the sweeter side. The finish is fairly short but it has a nice lightly floral sweetness. If this were a bit more potent, it could be really good. The flavor profile is a bit better than that of Herradura Reposado, but it's just way too mild. It's a little bit better than Hornitos Reposado due to its better balance and character, but at such a mild flavor it's really hard to appreciate this tequila. It's also better than Jimador Blanco (which isn't as good as Hornitos Reposado).