Tastes

I feel like this might be a great… reference tequila. Their blanco is just a yard stick against which I keep finding myself judging others against. Their reposado here is what I feel like other repo’s I’ve had have been dancing around or trying to mimic. It’s got that bright, vegetal cooked agave sweetness that screams “tequila”, but rounded out by woody, earthy, vanilla notes and more complex elements like brown sugar, lyche fruit, and deceptively tropical elements.

It’s damn good, but yet underwhelming, all at the same time. The nose is the most of a flop, yet still has pleasing notes of grass, cedar, vanilla, and maybe…. Just maybe… star fruit? Something bright and juicy, in any case. But it’s all pretty subtle and subdued. Once it hits the tongue the story improves and intensifies, but it’s still mellow. The whole package reminds me of a Rum Agricole Vieux (specifically, did a side-by-side of this with Clement V. S. O. P. and they had way more in common than they had distinguishing factors). But, of course, this is lighter, greener, and the aging comes across as less pronounced. In any event, this is a nice sipper! The quality and availability make it easy to recommend as a go-to, but the return on investment might not be high enough to justify it, since significantly better options are significantly cheaper (but maybe not as easy to identify and then source).

Rich to the point of being buttery. It’s decadent and gets better the more sips you take, especially once it opens up. Side by side with Patron Anejo and there’s not much of a contest, the nose alone on this one is a solid win—full of woody, agave, vegetal, and spicy notes. The Patron nose is almost not present. Flavors are a bit of a closer call, but the Tapatio still comes out ahead by a good margin. Patron has that mellow smoothness that you can either take as a lack of character or refinement, depending on your disposition. The Tapatio has tons of character, including something almost reminiscent of buttery street corn without all the toppings. Yep, there’s a chardonay-like vibe here that I dig.

Those bourbon and whiskey barrels really come through nicely. Lots of woodiness. Literally tastes like you took their blanco offering and mixed in a small splash of something like Four Roses or Elijah Craig. It’s got some dark undertones that start revealing themselves more in the long finish, which seems to linger and evolve longer than it should at this price point. Tannins grip the back of the throat long after the well hidden ethanol burn fades. It does have a flaw, though… it’s not El Tesoro, which is lighter, brighter, and better balanced.