Casamigos Reposado Tequila

Sweet agave, tobacco, honey, fruit, and oak.

Casamigos. The George Clooney Tequila, as many know it. The start of the celebrity spirit craze (if you ignore Sammy Hagar's Cabo Wabo from years back.) Let's see if this one deserves the hype and recognition. Nose: Vanilla. Lots of vanilla. Lemon and cucumber. Powdered sugar and marshmallow. Caramel. There's some mango and pineapple in there as well. Sweet and enticing nose. Palate: Lemon, lime, and cucumber. Heaps of vanilla. Agave, as you'd expect. Creaminess, as well as caramel. Heavily oaked. Some celery appears as I let it sit. Lots of citrus and vegetal notes, backed by big oak. Very tasty. Finish: Relatively short. Cucumber, lime, and lemon. Black pepper and oak. It's nice--while it lasts. This one grew one me. A lot. Earlier tastings led me to believe that this was a one-note vanilla tequila. This tasting reveals a good bit more depth. I'm still a novice when it comes to tequila, but I can endorse this one. Not that it needs my endorsement with George Clooney's signature printed on the bottle. So back to my original queston: Is this this worth the hype? I think this is a damn fine tequila. The hype is subjective: it depends on who you've been talking to and what you've been reading. So I'll focus instead on the value. At $41, I will certainly be keeping this one in my home bar. Worth a buy.