Tastes

This is quite a tequila! It's flavor is immediately appealing with sweetness balanced by richness and a brilliant smoothness that lets just the faintest hint of side through. The flavor is subtle, but there is a lot going on here. The rich flavor is generally defined by coconut and vegetal notes. It gives a rich impression with some cocoa lurking in the background to provide maybe a tiny bit of smoke. There is a hint of mint in here that balances well with the cocoa. Olives are barely present, but can be found. I do wish it changed over time but barring that (admittedly large) flaw this tequila is excellent. All of the flavors are spot on, though I do wish that some were more pronounced. If you're looking for a price example of a blanco tequila, this is it. Richer but less punchy than Casamigos Blanco. Casamigos has some more lime and a mushroom flavor underlying it, possibly along with a hint of grapefruit. El Tesoro is milder, but more balanced. Honestly, it's a tough call between the two, but El Tesoro might just win out. Espolon Blanco is also good with its interesting sun-dried tomato notes and sweetness, but is not quite on the same level. Definitely not a sweet tequila. The alcohol flavor is a bit strong here and the drink tends toward the bitter side. The flavor is perhaps a bit too mild. There are some unexpected but tasted flavors in here like coconut, caramel, and honeydew. It's creamy. The flavor is good with a fair amount of complexity when it is visible. The mild flavors has smoke and mint with some vanilla. There's some tomato and a little green olive on the nose, mixed with some smoke. There's a little caramel on the palate that balances it out a bit. There are some other vegetal notes hanging out here and there is a little bit of apple and pear. There are hints of pineapple but they are subtle. The complexity is nice and although there are no off notes this is an overly mild drink. It's kind of spicy but manageably so. The flavor is mild and smooth with only a little spice. There is some smoke mixed with stewed agave essence in the form of pineapple and caramel, but those flavors are not too strong. Everything is so mild here that it is hard to pick it apart. The lack of bitter alcohol and medicinal flavors is kind of nice, but there isn't a ton going on here. Yeah, it tastes like tequila, but it's kind of bland with a bit too much of that herbal alcohol flavor. Cabeza is a lot more interesting. It's subtle, but there is some nice sweet umami underlying this, a bit like toffee with added meatiness. There's some nice stewed agave here that is easy to overpower. The flavor is exceedingly delicate and mint quickly comes in with some more pungeant bitter flavors. It's very drying and isn't terribly complex either. It's quite tasty after drinking Del Maguey Chichicapa, but that just means that it is relatively sweeter. The backing is herbal and monotone though. I'd rather have a more rich and complex flavor here. There's some complexity of you can ever get through the oppressively bland overtone. The richness and fruitiness quickly fade though as the alcohol takes over. This is a lot better than Sauza Blue. In comparison, this has much nicer floral notes and is meatier with a more subtle, balanced profile. There are some nice spices and there is a fair bit of oil. It isn't great, in large part due to how mild it is, but it sure blows Sauza Blue out of the water. There's a pretty good balance here with Earth, umami, vegetal, mint, lime, pineapple, green olive and so forth, but it's all very subtle with too much of a bitter overlay. It's a solid enough tequila, but it's too obscured by the bitterness.

The nose has a nice, rich, sweet vanilla to it that reminds me a bit of Clase Azul Reposado. It also smells a bit like mint. The palate is sweet and rich with a moderate mouthfeel and a lot of vanilla and mint. Some warming spice does make its way in, leaving some prickliness here. It's sweeter and richer than Patrón Añejo. The Patrón tastes more like rubber and is more bitter. The El Padrino doesn't necessarily taste more complex, but it has a richer and tastier profile. Ultimately, it isn't a very complex tequila, but it would be a good substitute for Clase Azul Reposado due to its richness and sweetness. The Clase Azul is sweeter with more playful mushroom flavor (like Corralejo Reposado). This has more richness to it though. This is a bit less complex, but it's still really good. A surprisingly good find in a store brand. It's better than Tres Amigos. Surprisingly close to Clase Azul Reposado in quality - and Clase Azul was already worth the money! I dunno, there's a chance that I like this better! It doesn't have the richness of San Matias Extra Añejo though. I probably like the San Matias better. It's still smooth with some good flavor, but the sweetness tastes fairly artificial.

The nose is certainly more aggressive than the palate. The palate is minty and herbal with a weird toffee sweetness, a dosage of licorice, and a fair bit of smoke, a hint of grain, and some stale bread. It's interesting, but the flavors don't blend well. It's OK, but clearly more exotic than good. I could sip it if I had to, but I'd rather not. It's fun to try, but it really just tastes like a digestif. The finish at least stays fairly true to the start rather than becoming super bitter or tart. Some alcohol sneaks in here too. The flavor is full, but not great. I think the Alipus San Miguel Sola is a hair better, but barely so. This is interesting and complex, but that's about it.

This smells super vegetal, like rotting squash, lettuce, and corn. It's an interestingly organic scent, but is isn't a terribly good one. At least it smells a bit sweet. Ugh, the palate tastes like rotting vegetables with mint and smoke! The squash is way too present. Even for a mezcal, this is pretty hard to palate. There's a lot of umami, but it doesn't make me like this drink. There are hints of floral and sweetness with vague references to honey coming out of the sweetness. It's interesting in this way that suggests it is well executed but does not make me enjoy it. It's sort of liking one of those artistic movies. There's a little bit of lamb and pork in here too. Even though it's interesting, I frankly don't like it. It in no way shocks me that people like it, but it seems like it's trying way too hard. This is a real challenge to drink. It executes whatever it's trying to do really well, but I don't really like what it's aiming for. This is like the hippie liberal salt of the earth mezcal. Yeah, it tastes natural, but how good does it taste? The flavors are all distinct and do a good job of tasting like what they are, but they don't make me really happy to taste them - they just taste interesting. Some alcohol does come out (reasonably for this ABV) and that keeps me from giving this the bump to 13 for its originality. It's a 12 for not tasting all that great. Maybe the 25 year old agave gives it a really unique flavor? Actually, as I take that last sip, the complexity comes out with a mix of fruits and vegetables moving in and out. OK, you can have that bump to 13, but I'm not prepared to go above that based on what I tasted.

It smells fruity and vegetal with some herbal notes and hints of spice. The palate is super minty though with a lot of spice and a clean dose of tobacco smoke. This definitely has the characteristic mezcal elements. There's a bit of hat, which is unusual for a mezcal. It's on the bitter and dry side for sure. The herbal elemenets and vegetal remain, with just some fruit (banana, mango, and pear) hanging out there for sweetness. The stewed agave is absolutely there, but it isn't terribly exciting. It's pretty harsh, but some cocoa does eventually show its face. If you want something that tastes like mezcal, you have it. It reminds me a bit of Del Maguey Chichicapa, but it has more chocolate than bourbon cinnamon and vanilla. The sweetness gradually emerges with the chocolate, making this more palatable, though at that point it still only has a couple of really stand-out notes and the rest is quite generic. As it goes on, more of toffee with chocolate and turmeric comes out. The flavor becomes a bit more spiced (the flavorful variety, not the hot variety) and kind of interestingly different. It's a solid mezcal that I could sip, but I don't love it. It has a lot of the alcohol there still and it's overly drying and filled with the usual mezcal notes. It ABV is definitely perceptible, so a weaker drink might have been a good idea.

Update: I don't know why I ever wires such a complimentary first paragraph. A citrus and toffee delight that expands upon most Blanco tequilas. There is menthol for sure and there are relatively few flavors, but this tequila makes an impact and I want to drink more. It's sweet and tastes briefly like tang and grape soda, but it's fun and tasty. I like this reposado, even though it is not sound in the traditional dimensions. There isn't a ton of agave flavor here and there isn't a bunch of wood either. Other anejos taste more like they came from plants grown in the ground, but this reposado is fun. Sure, the meaty smoke mixed with vegetal notes is missing, but it's fun! Compared to Don Julio 1952, this is mild and full of mineral flavor. On the other hand though, it is sweet and fun. It may not be totally refines, but this is a worthwhile tequila. There's a hint of anise that gives it richness, but it doesn't interfere sith the overall flavor. This is a balanced drink. The flavors at the front are mild toffee and citrus mixed with alcohol. The alcohol is fairly overwhelming, though it eventually tastes like minerals. The finish has a nice sweet flavor, but the alcohol and minerals overwhelm the mild good flavors. There isn't much depth here. I initially liked this better than the Blanco, but now I prefer the Blanco. The nose has the lightness, but also the fruity sweetness and spice. The palate has a fun tingling spice to it with some sweet caramel that is light by not sickly. Some tropical fruit notes like mango and papaya come through. It's sweet and smooth, but also light and not all that complex. There's a tad of barrel and some vanilla. This would go great in a margarita. It's not the best thing out there, but it's smooth with a lot of tequila flavors and a nice fruity sweetness. It's good. The Blanco is a bit edgier with more vanilla sweetness. The Blanco is good too, but this is more rich and full. It's an improvement, though not a terrific sipper. It beats Hornitos Reposado in terms of subtlety, though in terms of punch it is lacking and it's too light. It tastes a little bit better than Hornitos Reposado, but it's still in the low end. Actually, I'm going back and forth on them. This has some more interesting rolling complexity throughout, but it lacks the richness with some water added. Neither is any Herradura Reposado though.

Similar to Espolon's Blanco, but drier and more forward with the menthol. Some pineapple is hiding out here and it is mixed with nutmeg, ginger, and white pepper. The drink is enjoyable, though the minerals and menthol puts it behind Espolon Blanco. Since they are in the same price range, get Espolon Blanco instead. Yeah, it has some mint and anise notes. This is a decent tequila at a decent price. The finish is inoffensive. The nose is surprisingly tropical and fruity with some earthy notes, but generally a light minerality the palate is surprisingly viscous with some prickly spice and prevalent mint throughout. The flavor is light with a lot of mineral, but it's not bad. There's a little bit of rubber, but just a hint. It's not very interesting or complex, but it would be a good mixer. It's sweeter than 3 Amigos, but lacks the richness and complexity (not that there is much) with the caramel, vanilla presence. The earth and anise really save this, but it's just not very complex. It gives me a weird Irish whiskey vibe with its bitterness and oiliness. I would not want to sip this, but it can pass for mixing. It has that young flavor that reminds me of Balcones Baby Blue a bit :( It's not awful, but not a very good tequila. It does avoid that 1800 blanco mildewed cardboard taste though. This is a tremendous improvement on 1800 Blanco.

It smells sweet, but not super strong. There are some caramel notes and some nice light fruity ones. Along with a bit of orange blossom, vanilla, and white pepper. The palate is sweet with a bit more of an artificial alcohol and too-young caramel flavor than I'd like. It gradually becomes richer with more orange peel coming out. It has a little bit of that young bourbon flavor, but the rich vanilla, bit of milk chocolate, and viscous mouthfeel really help. This is a big step up over the reposado, though it tastes a bit like it's trying to chest and isn't actually all that amazing. It would be great in margaritas though. Like, great in a Cadillac. The floral and tropical fruit notes come together a bit to counterbalance the impression of youth. The flavor is classic añejo tequila: young bourbon with more interesting flavors and less of a sickly sweetness. The reposado is lighter wish more white pepper. It isn't bad by any means, but it's too light. The sweet caramel and vanilla here are clearly better than anything in the reposado, which in turn just edges out the Blanco. Although this has a much more butterscotchy flavor than Herradura Reposado, they can go toe-to-toe nicely.