Don Julio Reposado Double Cask Lagavulin Finish

Considering how much I enjoyed the blanco, the use of Lagavulin casks (coming from one of my top 5 favorite distilleries) is quite the prospect. I think that this type of experimentation is great; needless to say, I'm very much looking forward to this. Nose: Very similar to what I got from the blanco. A ton of citrus. Grapefruit, lemon, and lime. So much agave, as one would expect. In the background, there is a hint of sea salt and seaweed. I wouldn't say that the Lagavulin influence is pronounced, but rather suggested here. Palate: Here, the Lag influence is a bit more prominent. It's still all about the agave, and that the grapefruit, lemon, lime citrus combination. Nice fresh cucumber, now paired with the seaweed and sea salt. There is a prominent vanilla note, one that I generally associate with whiskies. This was notably absent in the blanco, meaning that the cask influence is palpable in more ways than one. Mid palate introduces black pepper and a second wave of salt. Finish: The citrus notes are there, but toned down in favor of seaweed/salt and more of the pepper. A bit of caramel and vanilla bear credence to the use of whisky barrel-aging. Medium in length. This is a hell of a drink. It's great to this type of experimentation succeed. Don Julio has me off to a great start into my tequila journey. While the Lagavulin influence is less prominent than I had expected, it makes a beautiful contribution to a quality agave-spirit. My experience is very limited, but I'd say this is the whiskey drinker's gateway to tequila. I can't see it being accomplished any better. Well done, DJ.

Don Julio is one of my favorite tequila brands and I quite enjoy Lagavulin as well, so I've been keeping a sharp eye for this since I first heard about it a few weeks ago. Smells mostly of the usual reposado tequila with just a hint of grassy smoke. The taste is very upfront with the smoke, so much so that I wouldn't know this from a good mezcal had I not poured it myself. That's not necessarily a bad thing; I like me a smoky boi every now and then. It's a very unique spirit, but I can't help feeling a little let down. Based on the price and the pedigree of the two distilleries, I thought this was going to be a 5 star experience. And it's just not. It's pretty good, and I'll enjoy the rest of the bottle for sure, but I think it's got more 'cool factor' than blind deliciousness.

This tequila caught my eye immediately given the double aging in Lagavulin casks. Now - full disclosure - I’m a sucker for experiments like this. I like Lagavulin, and Don Julio is my favorite brand of tequila, so it seemed like it was a match I should try. Pretty much a potential “your chocolate is in my peanut butter” moment. So first of all, and to cut through the rest of the text, this was a tequila I really enjoyed quite a bit and one that I can see sipping on from time to time and smiling as I do so. Want more words? How’s it all come together? Glad you asked. The nose on it can best be described as Don Julio (DJ) with an undercurrent of Lagavulin Almost too faint an undercurrent, I thought. So I broke out a bottle of Lagavulin and a bottle of Don Julio 70 and poured two small glasses out of those to remind my nose what each smelled like separately. After doing that I tried the limited edition DJ again and picked up more of the Lagavulin. But - the continued feeling was that maybe they should have left it in that Lagavulin cask a bit longer. On to the tasting. Because if ya just wanna smell stuff you should go outside and smell flowers and save $60. So... first impression after a sip? I was wrong. This thing does NOT need more time in the Lagavulin cask. It’s a beautiful overlay of Lagavulin on a solid core of DJ Tequila. It adds to the depth but doesn’t create something which doesn’t resemble what, at the end of the day, is still a great tequila. Well done to the folks who made this. I don’t anticipate finishing this bottle quickly - but I can see really enjoying it over time as something just a little different to sip on. I might run back and get another bottle so I have a bottle once this thing disappears from shelves! Song to listen to if you want to get the gist of what I’m saying: Personal Jesus sung by Johnny Cash. Johnny Cash is the Don Julio. The song is the Lagavulin. You’ll get the idea. Enjoy and Salud!