Tastes

Nose - stewed agave, black and white pepper, minerality, clove, oily sautéed vegetables, vegetal earthiness, nutmeg, mild briny smoke, mint, grassiness, lemon lime citrus, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - sweet cooked agave, ginger, creamy vanilla, black pepper, citrus zest, rocky minerality, mint, nutmeg, clove, savory brine, fresh cut grass, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with vegetal, cooked agave, and ginger citrus flavors. This is a really nice one, and an amazing value. It’s almost half the price of Patron Silver and I find the nose and palate to be richer and more interesting. I think this is slightly better than the Olmeca Altos Reposado. It is a mainstay on my bar and has become the house tequila for cocktails, although it’s not at all a disappointing sipper, just not quite as full and complex as some of the hallowed expressions from NOM 1579 and 1139 to name a few.

Nose - sweet tobacco, smoked pepper, butterscotch, creamy vanilla, cooked agave, nutmeg, clove, green pepper, apple, pear, cinnamon, grape, light grassy earthiness, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - butterscotch, creamy vanilla, cooked agave, tobacco, cocoa, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, pear, apple, fresh cut grass, ginger, chili pepper, green wood, powdered sugar, floral notes, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with sweet cooked agave, caramel, ginger, and baking spice flavors. In my opinion, this is better than the Silver and Reposado offerings. The bright crispness of the Silver is here. There is very little of the Reposado’s vegetal funk. It’s certainly the sweetest of the three, with the caramel, baking spice, and apple notes presenting strongly. I don’t think I like it quite as much as Don Julio Anejo, and it’s absolutely a step down from Fortaleza and Pasote, but overall this is a decent sipper.

Nose - fungal earthiness, vegetal funk, subtle vanilla, chili pepper, clay, clove, cooked agave, nutmeg, green pepper, decomposing grass, old wood, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - green pepper, nutmeg, clove, fungal notes, cooked agave, chili pepper, ginger, mint, prickly pear, green wood, tobacco, vanilla, caramel, apple, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with chili pepper, cooked agave, and vegetal funk flavors. This is definitely less boring than Patron Silver, but I’m not sure it’s better. There’s more sweetness here, but also more fungal, vegetal, grassy funk. There’s this prickly pear, green wood vibe going on that I also find in Don Julio Añejo, although not quite as pronounced here. I’ll give it the same score as the Silver. Solid tequila, but significantly overpriced.

Nose - fresh cooked agave, vegetal and floral notes, lime zest, mint, subtle pepper, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - cooked agave, white pepper, grapefruit, sweet lime, citrus zest, spearmint, floral notes, grassiness, salt, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with citrus, mint, and cooked agave flavors. This is a quality tequila, albeit a bit boring. I like that cooked agave is the first note I pick up on the nose and palate. What stands out most is the crispness. The flavors are all treble notes, as opposed to the earthy, fusty bass notes I perceive with many other tequilas. There’s almost an effervescence to the whole experience, a bit like drinking a lime LaCroix. However, there is no value here. At ~$50 near me, this is more expensive than El Tesoro and is creeping dangerously close to Fortaleza prices, both of which are significantly better products in my opinion. I can see this being a really good introduction to well made tequila for the uninitiated, as you get some good cooked agave flavors and there are no challenging elements to negotiate.

Nose - mint, pepper, cooked agave, vegetal earthiness, citrus zest, grapefruit, salted butter, floral notes, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - cracked pepper, sautéed green pepper, ginger, citrus zest, mint, grapefruit, cooked agave, vegetal and floral notes, clove, moderate alcohol bite, finishing decently fast with mint, citrus, and cooked agave flavors. This is absolutely better than the Especial Silver, but that’s not saying much. The nose and palate are richer, however the flavors are a bit sour and generally muddled. I’d pass on this one in favor of better options in the price range.

Nose - mint, pepper, vegetal notes, clay, orange zest, vanilla, old wood, light cooked agave, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - sweet mint, vanilla, powdered sugar, citrus zest, lime, grassiness, ginger, clove, subtle agave, light wood notes, moderate alcohol bite, finishing fast with vegetal, mint, and vanilla flavors. I’m torn on whether I like this more or less than the Silver offering. Both are not great. This one is less prickly (in a good way) and sweeter, but the agave notes are almost completely absent. I’m not gonna think too hard on this one. I’ll score them both the same.

Nose - mint, pepper, clay, light cooked agave, fresh wood, subtle citrus zest, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - sawdust, citrus zest, mint, ginger, pepper, earthy grassiness, sweet cooked agave, clove, vanilla, moderate alcohol bite, finishing fast with fading pepper, mint, and grassy flavors. This is not great, but not quite as bad as I expected. The cooked agave takes a backseat on the nose and palate, which is a good indicator that this is not quality, well made tequila. If you’re on a shoestring budget, this will do for mixing, but I recommend stepping up a bit in price to something like Olmeca Altos Plata, which is much tastier and 100% agave-based.