ContemplativeFox
El Tesoro Blanco Tequila
Tequila Blanco — Los Altos, Jalisco, Mexico
Reviewed
June 24, 2020 (edited February 5, 2023)
This is quite a tequila! It's flavor is immediately appealing with sweetness balanced by richness and a brilliant smoothness that lets just the faintest hint of side through. The flavor is subtle, but there is a lot going on here. The rich flavor is generally defined by coconut and vegetal notes. It gives a rich impression with some cocoa lurking in the background to provide maybe a tiny bit of smoke. There is a hint of mint in here that balances well with the cocoa. Olives are barely present, but can be found. I do wish it changed over time but barring that (admittedly large) flaw this tequila is excellent. All of the flavors are spot on, though I do wish that some were more pronounced. If you're looking for a price example of a blanco tequila, this is it. Richer but less punchy than Casamigos Blanco. Casamigos has some more lime and a mushroom flavor underlying it, possibly along with a hint of grapefruit. El Tesoro is milder, but more balanced. Honestly, it's a tough call between the two, but El Tesoro might just win out. Espolon Blanco is also good with its interesting sun-dried tomato notes and sweetness, but is not quite on the same level. Definitely not a sweet tequila.
The alcohol flavor is a bit strong here and the drink tends toward the bitter side. The flavor is perhaps a bit too mild. There are some unexpected but tasted flavors in here like coconut, caramel, and honeydew. It's creamy.
The flavor is good with a fair amount of complexity when it is visible.
The mild flavors has smoke and mint with some vanilla. There's some tomato and a little green olive on the nose, mixed with some smoke. There's a little caramel on the palate that balances it out a bit. There are some other vegetal notes hanging out here and there is a little bit of apple and pear. There are hints of pineapple but they are subtle. The complexity is nice and although there are no off notes this is an overly mild drink. It's kind of spicy but manageably so.
The flavor is mild and smooth with only a little spice. There is some smoke mixed with stewed agave essence in the form of pineapple and caramel, but those flavors are not too strong. Everything is so mild here that it is hard to pick it apart. The lack of bitter alcohol and medicinal flavors is kind of nice, but there isn't a ton going on here.
Yeah, it tastes like tequila, but it's kind of bland with a bit too much of that herbal alcohol flavor. Cabeza is a lot more interesting.
It's subtle, but there is some nice sweet umami underlying this, a bit like toffee with added meatiness. There's some nice stewed agave here that is easy to overpower. The flavor is exceedingly delicate and mint quickly comes in with some more pungeant bitter flavors. It's very drying and isn't terribly complex either. It's quite tasty after drinking Del Maguey Chichicapa, but that just means that it is relatively sweeter. The backing is herbal and monotone though. I'd rather have a more rich and complex flavor here.
There's some complexity of you can ever get through the oppressively bland overtone. The richness and fruitiness quickly fade though as the alcohol takes over.
This is a lot better than Sauza Blue. In comparison, this has much nicer floral notes and is meatier with a more subtle, balanced profile. There are some nice spices and there is a fair bit of oil. It isn't great, in large part due to how mild it is, but it sure blows Sauza Blue out of the water.
There's a pretty good balance here with Earth, umami, vegetal, mint, lime, pineapple, green olive and so forth, but it's all very subtle with too much of a bitter overlay. It's a solid enough tequila, but it's too obscured by the bitterness.
37.0
USD
per
Bottle
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