Rating: 20/23 OK, this is it. I've heard amazing things about this tequila. Things in the ballpark of "best tequila ever". I've found El Tesoro to be on the subtle side, so I'm kind of concerned that the extra aging will have flattened it. Also, I'm confused when it comes to extra añejos: do people want to drown out the tequila with wood? What is the objective here? Also also: why the f#$k does tequila increase so rapidly in price with age? The agaves take years to grow, so a year in a barrel is nothing time-wise. The dessert is dry, so the angel's share should be concentrating the alcohol and since tequila is usually bottled at 40% ABV, the loss of water shouldn't matter. I get that going from blanco to reposado is costly because it adds the cost of a barrel, but why are the extra few months to reach añejo more than a few cents? And extra añejos often cost double what the añejos do, even though they've only been aged for a few years. Why?? Ending rant; beginning tasting. N: Decently full, but still kind of light. It's mostly wood, but there's some light fruity (apple and apricot) caramelized agave showing through. Ginger and clove lead into mint. There's something bordering on creosote that makes me think of a well-aged (~9 years old) rye. The nose is light, but as I dig into it there are indeed some nice subtleties. They're asking me to work for them though. It's definitely fuller than the nose on the Añejo. It's more nicely balanced as well. P: Sweetness from the wood leads into faint fruitiness (apple and apricot) before bringing in some spice (pepper, clove, cinnamon), minerals, brine, and finally bold wood. There's some vanilla, but it isn't as pronounced as I'd expected. I might actually get more brine and (rich) minerals than I did in the Añejo. What really stands out to me here is all of the subtle fruit character - I really didn't expect that! It balances nicely with the wood and other tequila flavors. It may be quite spicy, but it's certainly not harsh. It's actually really impressive how balanced this all is. It's still light though. It kind of makes me think of how Buffalo Trace executes a light bourbon profile quite well, but still seems to be lacking something. There is a lot more complexity here, however. Literally side by side with Buffalo Trace, this is much lighter - but also much more complex! I would take this over Buffalo Trace any day. This is a joy to sip and contemplate the subtleties of. And its mellow smoothness is great too. It's mellower and smoother than the Añejo, which was already pretty mellow. F: Not the most exciting finish, but quite solid. It has a decently rich woodiness to it, but it's nothing like a decently aged whisk(e)y. I get some of that brine and plenty of minerals, all wrapped up in a transparent cloak of vanilla. And there are bits of fruitiness (the same apricot and apple) coming out at points too. - Conclusion - This smooths out the (minimal) rough edges of the Añejo while also substantially building out the complexity and fullness. That is quite an accomplishment. The other El Tesoro offerings pale in comparison to this one. Fuenteseca 7 has more of a rum character, whereas this has more of that traditional bourbon influence with some restraint to show off the fruit and tequila subtlety. The Fuenteseca is definitely fuller, but I don't think that it's necessarily better. I would actually give the win to this. This is at least a 17. A 20 seems high, but just maybe it could be. It hit me at the last minute that this has some of that subtle complexity that I loved so much in Del Maguey Arroqueño. I think that the Del Maguey is a little better (though I can't try them side by side), but it's actually quite close. I think that this earns that 19 or 20, but I'm struggling to choose which. I never knew I wanted a tequila like this before and I never suspected that I'd get it from El Tesoro, but, hey, sometimes I like to be surprised. This is an absolute delight. Now that I've tried Tapatio Excelencia as well and found it to be decidedly between this and the Fuenteseca, I'm going to give this a 20. I think this is the best tequila I've tasted so far and it's neck-and-neck with Del Maguey Arroqueño for best agave spirit. Thank you @ctbeck11 for sharing!