Volans Blanco Tequila

An elegant Agave Spirit by El Pandillo Distillery (NOM 1579) in Jalisco (Los Altos Southern), Mexico crafted with oven, 2x distilled with a copper pot still, before being bottled additive free at 40% ABV. It has an aromatic birth with notes of cooked agave, earth, fruits, flowers, herbs & spices; while a bold life adds notes of vanilla, honeydew melon, celery, cilantro, lemongrass & sage; that led to a balanced death of medium length with notes of mushrooms, black tea, sea spray, black pepper & cardamon.

Agave forward and finishes clean and smooth. I love Blanco Tequila and this is definitely in the top 5. Well worth the price!

Neat. Aroma is bright and complex. Agave, fresh herbs, citrus, slight black pepper, salinity, and anise. Taste is wonderful. Sweet fruity agave, herbal, citrus, slight pepper and even a hint of cinnamon. Finish is pleasant and balanced with sweet and slightly bitter herbs. A masterpiece of a tequila.

Rating: 16/23 N: Sweet, mineral, light. Not much in the way of agave, though I do get a little sweetness from it. There's some nice white pepper standing out and a light touch of tobacco smoke. Maybe just the faintest roast pork. P: Sweet, minerals, light agave, grass, white pepper, There are some other herbal characters here. Some vanilla, oddly for a blanco. There are some interesting dimensions to the grass and minerality here, which I didn't see coming. A bit of cinnamon, though it's subtle. Faint tropical fruits (lime and pineapple). A little bit of dry dirt turning into turmeric as well. F: Clean paper, minerals, faint agave sweetness, a touch of white pepper, occasional wafts of the tropical fruits, and some faint vague herbaceousness. - Conclusion - I'm surprised by how much this leans into the mineral, grass, and spice flavors. It's a clean profile, but it lack the boldness that I usually look for in a blanco tequila. Still it certainly doesn't have the flaws of Cazadorez Reposado. Side by side, the Cazadores tastes bitter and artificial, almost making me gag. This manages to have a milder profile somehow, but it's more clean balanced, with more nuance as well. I certainly wouldn't say that this rises to the level of 7 Leguas Blanco though. Don Julio Blanco seems closer in quality to this. I wouldn't put this below a 13, but I don't see how it would reach a 16. Actually, this is really growing on me. I wouldn't go below a 14 anymore. There's some nice complexity and balance. It still isn't blowing me away by any means, but this is better than I initially gave it credit for. Actually, this might even be a 16. I think I'm going to go with a 15 right now. Actually, this compares quite favorably with Partida Añejo (15/23). Of the two, I think this is better. I might up this to a 16. OK, this has really grown on me, so I'm going up to a 16 for it. This is in a tight race with 7 Leguas Blanco, but isn't quite as good as Fortaleza Blanco Still Strength. Thanks for the sample, @ctbeck11 !

Agave and ash nose. Agave sweetens in taste. A bit viscous. Mild bitter. Very close to its sibling bottle of G4.