ContemplativeFox
Olmeca Altos Plata Tequila
Tequila Blanco — Los Altos, Jalisco, Mexico
Reviewed
June 16, 2021 (edited February 24, 2022)
Rating: 12/23
N: Nice savory herbal and vegetal notes. Spice (white pepper) with some musty cardboard coming out. A little mint. Faint orange rind. It has a bit of earthiness and faint smokiness in with that cooked agave savoriness. A meatiness really starts coming out as I let the glass sip and I'm not sure if that's going to be cooked agave or poor quality distillate. On to the palate to find out.
P: Not quite what I was expecting. It's smooth and kind of watery at first until some peppery harshness kicks in. It plays up the musty cardboard big time. There's also fresh ginger. I get some fruitiness, but it isn't big, bold, tropical flavors. Maybe a bit of banana and apple. Vague herbal and vegetal notes form a base, but they don't make it particularly rich or interesting. There's kind of a bitterness that could be lime rind. Some minerality that has some faint brine to it.
I'm kind of underwhelmed by this palate. I feel like there should be more going on and the taste should be more substantial. It's a bit muddled, a tad sulfuric, and a little harsh. It would be fine in a cocktail, but I don't think I'd sip this neat.
F: musty cardboard, vague herbal and vegetal notes. A bit of minerality, but it isn't a super light and thin finish.
- Conclusion -
Próspero Blanco strikes me as better than this initially. They have similar flaws, but Próspero has less emphasis on them and some nice tropical fruit flavors to balance it out. Except that the alcohol is much more apparent in the Próspero.
I'm quite confident that Tapatio Blanco and Partida Blanco are better than this though.
So for scoring, this looks like it's landing in the 11 to 14 range. I'm thinking a 12 is most likely.
Thanks @ctbeck11 for the sample :)
Create Account
or
Sign in
to comment on this review
@WhiskyWitch Never tried it, although it is sold near me. I’ll add it to my list to test out.
@ctbeck11 I usually don't mess with plata tequila anymore for one reason: El Charro exists. It is hands down the best 100% agave blanco tequila that you can get for $18, and nothing else will ever come close to that value. It's even from the highlands, which I strongly prefer. @Distiller doesn't have it for some reason though...
@WhiskyWitch I started with the reposado and switched to the plata. It’s not bad, but something was off about it in a way that didn’t affect the plata.
I've only tried the reposado and it was typical lackluster valley tequila, so not surprised. "Salted butter" comes to mind.
@ContemplativeFox Awesome. Thank you! Add it to my tab :)
@ctbeck11 I can send you a sample of prospero. I have the Blanco and the añejo. I haven't tried the añejo yet, but the Blanco is a really solid mixer. I think it's way overrated, but for the price I can imagine stocking it for cocktails. This one seems like a solid choice for that purpose too.
Great review. I’ll need to give Prospero a try. I like this one for the value and use it as my house mixing tequila. I wouldn’t call it a sipper, but it’ll work in a pinch.