Tastes

It smells bourbony. The palate is like really weak bourbon. This is a weird experience. There's some mint and a bunch of cinnamon, but it isn't excessively spicy. It's like the weakest bourbon. It isn't very sweet, though there is a lot of vanilla. As a result, it tastes a bit like coconut La Croix. There is plenty of wood, which I really do appreciate even though it is a bit too bitter and one-note. Some light caramel and a hint of cherry do eventually come in, but the total complexity is fairly low and the flavors are not super excited. It's drinkable, but making a tequila that tastes like a weak bourbon isn't really a good accomplishment. It's funny because I like it as a tequila, but despite the hedonism (from a tequila perspective), the eventual complexity is just not enough. The minimal bad flavors get it bumped up from a 12 to a 13, but a cheap (or maybe moderately priced) bourbon would be a better choice.

The nose is smooth with sweet nectar and mint and some spice and mild bitter herbal. A tad of brown sugar and plenty of vanilla in the nose. The palate is viscous and smooth with a lot of vanilla and mint with some richness in the sweet nectar. There's a little bit of orange and some lime, but not a ton. It's tasty and a good tequila. Similar in quality to Patron Anejo. Maybe a bit better. I'm thinking 14. The flavor is still quite mild, but it has a bit more complexity than regular Patron and somewhat better flavor as well. It's good, bit maybe not quite interesting enough to be a 15. it reminds me a bit of Casamigos. Yeah, 14 seems about right. I don't know, the smoothness is awfully nice, especially with the viscosity. It's better than Casamigos. Maybe it deserves that 15.

It smells woody with that cardboard Don Julio flavor. There are some more layers here than there are in Don Julio Blanco. There sweet toffee is nice though fairly sweet. There are nice almond flavors. There are also hints of peppermint that do not overwhelm. It's fruity, spicy, herbal, and sweet with some nice richness. There's some smoke but it doesn't overwhelm. The flavor is good and nicely balanced and complex super interesting. There are some hints of quite nice flavors bit there are some bitter alcohol notes that I don't like in here. It has those Corralejo mushrooms, but not to the same extent. It's a fairly clean flavor with not a ton of creaminess and some fruity notes that leap out. There's pineapple with some vegetal notes and suggestions of caramel and vanilla. There's some cocoa bitterness that blends well with the umami of the mushrooms. That Don Julio flavor is here, but it is well under control. This makes a bigger statement than the Blanco does, but that doesn't necessarily make it better. It's sweet enough and fairly complex. This is a nice sipper that exceeds the Blanco, but not by the margin it hopes to. The pepperiness is nice, bringing in some balance and avoiding making the lack of creaminess convey a sense of weakness. It's balanced but doesn't have any really exciting note like San Matias Extra Anejo has. It's a tasty reposado that somehow walks the line between being generic and innovative.

This has a surprising amount of that mild wood flavor that characterizes Don Julio 1942. It's sweet with a tad of spice and a lot of a mild herbal kick (including corriander) backed by some lightly caramelized cotton candy. The flavors all match well and there is a decent amount of depth. This is sippable tequila that would be great for mixing. It has less going on than Cabeza Blanco does. It has a bit of mineral terroir like Herradura Silver does, but this one is less aggressive, a tad sweeter, and smoother. This has that quintessential Don Julio smooth terroir to it. It's quite good, but in a odd way that probabaly wouldn't make it my first choice. It's surprisingly leathery on the nose and has minimal spice. There's something a little fruity here, but it's hard to pin down. When comparing the two, I prefer Cabeza Blanco due to its complexity. That sweet, cardboard Don Julio flavor is here and makes it pretty enjoyable. It's kind of fruity with some spice behind it and some weird herbal elements that make it taste like Don Julio. You can't go too far wrong with this tequila. It is fairly creamy with some bite but not too much of one. It has minerals but in a nice way. There's some vanilla and floral presence. It's rich in a creamy way rather than a meaty one. Some Earth and a bit of smoke balance the mineral nicely, bringing with them some herbal notes that stop short of tasting medicinal. The flavor is not really sweet, but it also avoids an I tense alcohol bitterness. This is a very good tequila, but not a profound expression. Despite its relative brashness and bitterness, the fruit and punchy elements of Cabeza make it more appealing.

This is rich with some nice cinnamon spice, toffee, dark chocolate, peppermint, anise, and vanilla. It has more richness but less complexity than the reposado. I like it less. There's a surprising amount of mint up front. The flavor is mellower than that of the Reposado, almost to the point of being bland. There's some more richness to the caramel and the mouthfeel is oilier, but it isn't sweeter. Fruit comes out with some varied tropical elements of pineapple and papaya mixed together. There is some nice chocolate richness hanging out in the background, but I'd like to to be stronger. Overall, my gripe with this tequila is that it is too mild, much like an American Single Malt. It's smooth and an easy sipper with relatively little spice. The mint doesn't keep kicking you either. That said, you really need to get into it to enjoy the complexities and that is just deeper than most people will want to go. I like the richness and sweet undertones, but this drink really needs to be fuller. The finish is quite nice though, emphasizing a richer version of that Don Julio flavor. This is a nice sipper, but it could really use some more presence. Ultimately, the flavors here play better together than those of the Reposado do, but I'm not convinced that this is necessarily a better package as a whole.

This has more umami than 3 Amigos anejo, but the umami is not strictly mushroom. There is a depth of flavor here that pulsates unlike any other tequila I have tried. There is caramel mixed with cinnamon and ginger as well and aside from a hit of spice, the whole thing is quite smooth. This is a remarkably deep and all around good tequila. The price is high, but it is a safe bet if one is looking for quality. In the right (or wrong) circumstances, this tastes a bit like Corralejo reposado as the umami mushroom flavor shines through. Compared to actual Corralejo to reposado though, this has more of a caramel flavor. That said, the fact that they can be compared so directly is a feather in Corralejo's cap. At the end of the day though, Corralejo is bitter and mushroomy, whereas Don Julio 1943 has a beautiful balance. T1 reposado, on the other hand, while not terribly exciting, is we'll balanced for most occasions: a Blanco for anejos and an anejo for blancos. Although there is not a ton of variation over the life of this drink, there is sweet caramel mixed with creamy milk chocolate with some wood and occasional hints of mushrooms. The flavors all blend seemlessly, making this a hedonistic treasure. The real downside is that it's flavor is situationally dependent in that in certain situations it will taste far less delicious. Despite the issues with lack of variation and context dependency, the flavors here are so spot-on in the right context that this drink must not be overlooked. The finish is superb. Wood, caramel, brown sugar, herbal agave notes. It's rich if not super full. The flavor is quite good, but not mind-blowing. A really solid tequila. In the right context, it has a rich, vegetal, and toffee sweetness that finishes with a rich, orange note that is reminiscent of Bushmill's 21. It isn't as good as Bushmill's 21, but it is sure good. Caramel, wood, cabbage. It tastes a bit younger than expected, but it's still quite good. There is some mild cinnamon backing it, but just a little bit. The nose is sweeter than the tongue, but the tongue has a nice richness from the wood and bland vegetable flavors. The young nature is a bit reminiscent of an American Single Malt (but a bit sweet with some vegetal flavor). It has less spice and personality than. Swift (the original kind), so it's not a brilliant American Single Malt flavor. The finish is slightly bitter and quite herbal. It's good and unique, while also tasting like an anejo tequila, though it does not have the depth and varied flavor that it could (but the flavors that it doesn't have are on point). The flavor does not have a ton of variety, but it is rich and deep with young wood, chocolate, and prominent toffee dominating. There are some creamy elements and even some hints of sour cream. The flavor is rich by tequila standards but not by whiskey standards. In the right context, this is a brilliant, sweet, rich drink. Otherwise, it is a bit disappointing. Compared with Tequila San Matias Extra Anejo, the flavor is richer, but less vsried, but also less cherry and less alcohol. The thing is though that the variety of flavor in the San Matias is versitile in a way that makes it always work out. These two drinks are roughly mat hex in terms of quality, but San Matias is a fraction of the price. That said, they are entirely different beasts. This absolutely crushes the Don Julio Anejo. It has tons of toffee and vanilla with that Don Julio cardboard. It's smooth with some cinnamon and nutmeg mixed with some mild tangerine. It's so tasty with a decent complexity. It's good, but it could use more richness and then an extra layer of complexity. There is more richness and sweetness than in Don Julio Reposado. There might be less complexity, but it is very good. This mixes the best of Don Julio Anejo and Don Julio Reposado. It isn't as full as I would like and some more creaminess would help, but it has a nice degree of caramelization and a good woody presence. The classic Don Julio flavor is there and it gives it a nice refreshing complexity. There is some mint, but it is well under control. The cocoa presence is nice as a rich backing and it even brings in some hints of dark roast coffee, but it is under control. The earthy element is unusually present, but it isn't excessive. The vegetal presence and spice are there but they avoid some of the younger flavors like bell peppers. It's rich for a tequila, but not as rich and full as I would like it to be. The caramel sweetness is nice and makes this an easy sipper with some complexity. For a similar effect at a lower price though, get some of the Reposado and Anejo and mix them. The finish is long and nice with both to h was and sweetness coming through but it isn't as hedonistic as it seems like this drink should be.

It smells oddly a bit like framboise liqueur, but there is some added alcohol with lime hints. The palate is sweet and minty with some rich backing that has butterscotch, Earth, some spice, and herbal notes of stewed agave. The stewed agave is really present in this. It's quite sweet and rich in a hedonistic way. It's tasty, though not super complex and interesting or punctuated by notes of great sophistication. It's a very good reposado that is quite sippable despite being a way from greatness. A bigger sip reveals more nuances and makes this suddenly be a much better tequila.