Corralejo Reposado Tequila

Neat in a wide tulip glass. An eye-catching blue bottle and yellow label, but looks and feels a bit cheap: a gold-trimmed 80s throwback that could probably use an update for the modern authenticity movement. Regardless, it's whats inside that matters. A pale pear juice in appearance with a pleasing syrupy weight. Reticent legs eventually appear to slowly crawl down the glass. A classic and enjoyable aged agave nose - sugar syrup, vanilla, cooked bell pepper, a dusting of salt and expressed lime. Little to no ethanol. Occasionally skews into tropical fruit territory. Light and somewhat zesty on the tongue. Beet sugar flashes quickly to black pepper, then to caramelized onion. Vanilla syrup with notable viscosity and body. More cooked bell pepper and sporadic tropical fruit forays. The metallic notes and mineral acidity pucker the mouth just a tad and tingle pleasantly, lingering despite the low-ish proof. Some of that is standard for agave spirit to my palate, some is certainly attributable to craftsmanship. Extremely easy to drink. I find this more one-dimensional than the critical review, but am in no way complaining. This is delicious and approachable. It goes on sale in my area down to $25 (handles for <= $40) which i think is an absolute steal. This compares quite well to most "ultra premiums" (whatever that means) at around half the cost. I'd lean toward this as an easy sipper vs. cocktail fodder despite its affordability. It's so smooth and quaffable that I'd fear it'd get lost in anything but the most spirit-forward mixed drinks.

Smooth with a normal alcohol content but low alcohol taste. Everyone noticed the vanilla. Great bottle!!!

Not as smooth or full of flavor as Clase Azul, but still a little on the smoother side. The taste is fairly dry with strong earthen, mushroomy notes that have overtones of vegetation without that tomato flavor that is so often present in blanco tequilas or the smoke that is present in many scotches. Mineral flavors are also strongly present. On the long tail of the finish, some chocolate notes and a tad of sweetness come in. Unfortunately, the nose is mostly alcohol and the finish is largely just a duller version of the same flavors. There is some depth here and it does develop a little, but I see this as more of an option for if I'm not feeling like drinking scotch or a good candidate for a mixer. Its quality is on par with that of a $30-40 scotch. Really, it isn't at all bad for the price and I appreciate its nuances, but I don't love drinking it straight. Mixed with Kahlua, it really brings out the rich flavors while masking the confectioner's sugar. It has some smoke too. This tequila seems initially to be bitter and super mushroomy but upon further inspection it is complex and light with some nice balance. The mushroom is still there in a kind of odd way, but it adds richness to the flavor. I kind of like it. Chocolate and mushrooms with some cinnamon, but with a generally light palate filled with mineral. A smooth drink. It's pretty good with a clean, 60% dark chocolate plus some extra umami finish. Weird, but good. I do wish there was some sweetness on the finish, but mix it with some Kahlua and it's okay. There is plenty of that mushroom lingering throughout but there is also some interesting apple cider and champagne flavor in here. It's fairly mellow aside from the mushroom. There's some spice that adds some harshness, but it's more of a slow burn than a prickly presence with spikes. The surprising richness is what really sells this drink. There is some bitter alcohol roughness and the umami can take it a bit far, but it brings in some creaminess too and the overall flavor is very good. There are some nice fruit notes with pear making a surprising appearance along with some astringent orange juice that might be doing more harm than good. It's refreshing yet rich. The drying element belies its age but doesn't make it bad. I think it could use some maturity and tastes a bit too much of mushroom, but it's a good drink that I'd be happy enough to imbibe. The cinnamon and vanilla sweetness are good. Somehow, everything just barely holds together. The sweetness is really what makes this nice. It isn't as strong as I remembered. The flavor is light but intriguing with some richness mixed with herbs and orange that give it the impression of cola. It's clean and refreshing with just the right amount of mushroom flavor. It also has some cinnamon, Earth, and ginger. It's quite good and the mineral flavor isn't bad at all. I'd be happy to sip this.