Don Julio Blanco Tequila

Excellent

Sweet agave profile, with a rounded mouth-feel.

Rating: 15/23 N: Mellow. Less of that briny, tart, agave character that many tequilas have. This is more papery and smoky with some funky roast meat. A touch of chili powder. I am getting a little agave though and also just a tad of grass. Wow, that's really most of what I'm getting. I don't recall this dram being like this at all. P: Savory with a meatiness that hints at rotting, but doesn't quite go there. A touch of smoke. Papery. Sweet canned pineapple. Some grass and a bit of lime. It's kind of oily too. Some prickly spices.There's a lot happening here. It's good, but a bit challenging at points with its meatiness. And it certainly isn't a typical tequila profile. It is fairly rich and full though. F: Paper and pineapple are the strongest flavors here. Bits of roast meat with light smoke come out at times. Very faint herbal notes long in the finish. I really like the papery finish here. It's a bit odd, but it's kind of nice. - Conclusion - This really isn't how I remembered it. It's funkier and harder to rate. I'm inclined to rate 7 Leguas Blanco higher than this, though not by a huge margin. They're very different styles, of course. There's a bit more of a direct bitter flavor here, oddly. Side by side, Partida Añejo (15/23) also likely beats this. The Partida is more balanced. This has some off notes that most blancos do not, so there are other concerns here. This sort of papers over them though with its...paper flavor. It's funky, but not entirely in a good way. Still, I can't help but like it. It might be a bold choice of tequila, but I tend to prefer that anyway. There's a touch too much of sulphur, but it's very slight and blends well into the roast meat. I'm definitely giving this a 14, but I might go up to a 15. Yeah, this can have a 15. I'm not so sure anymore that Partida Añejo beats this.