Petrichor hits first, it’s followed by a fresh wave of mint, soft cooked agave, damp earth, and a warming touch of cinnamon. There’s a floral lift in there too - honeysuckle or something close to it. Clean, natural, and layered. Palate & Mouthfeel: Medium weight and slightly slick. Upfront you get rich cooked agave, then a real brightness from fresh chili pepper, it’s just the right kind of spicy. There’s minerality throughout, a touch of brine, and that earthy, vegetal backbone that ties it all together. Finish: Spicy and long. The heat is tingly and persistent but never harsh. It carries the earth and pepper forward without drying things out. Final Thoughts: This one has so much going on, and it all works. There’s balance between the sweetness of the agave, the grounding earthiness, and that vibrant spice. Despite the intensity, it never drinks hot or sharp, just bold and well structured. Amazing quality here. One of those bottles that makes you stop mid sip and appreciate how dialed in it is.

My all-time favorite tequila is Calle 23 Criollo. This is in the ballpark. Mint, cooked agave, black pepper heat, anise. This is just a beautiful, well-made blanco. It's hot as hell, but it's 54.5%, so it's no beginner tequila. I'm grateful to have a few of these gems.

This was a really enjoyable pour. Bold, clean, and full of character. On the nose, it opens with a strong hit of cooked agave, which is always a great sign. There’s a solid punch of black pepper and earthy vegetal notes, followed by bright citrus zest and refreshing pop of mint. Herbal and mineral undertones round it out nicely, given it a crisp, natural aroma that feels very true to the agave. On the pallet, the cook agave shines again, rich and slightly sweet, balanced by a warming black pepper spice. There’s a zesty citrus note that keeps it lively, and then you get into more complex layers. Cool mint, some herbal greenness, a bit of jalapeño heat, and a touch of anise that adds a nice twist. The briny and mineral notes give it a dry, savory edge on the finish, which lingers in a really satisfying way. Overall, this is a flavorful and well crafted still strength blanco. It’s got good intensity without being overpowering, and it feels like a great expression of traditional methods and high-quality agave. A solid pour for me, worth sipping slowly, and sharing with friends who appreciate a bold still strength.

Very complex, constantly evolves in the glass. Hits all parts of the palate: bitter, sweet, salt, umami, a real journey if you slow down and savor it. 109 proof, but the alcohol is never assertive. a great bargain in the high proof blanco space.

Tasted at Sip Tequila Fest

Very complex high proof. Lots of pepper with citrus and vegetal notes and a nice amount of minerality. Runs a little hot with the proof but very good.

Wow! I love this high proof ! The Mitch can agave’s really are amazing! I get a lot of cinnamon minerals and of course a great cooked agave flavor. This may be my favorite high proof!

$80 in San Francisco Aroma: 23 Really punchy when poured. Powerful citrus, pepper, and spice. As it opens up, agave starts to push through the spice. The herbal character is next to the show with a sweet rosemary and a touch of celery. Palate: 27 Hefty mouth feel and presence. Alcohol is very powerful at the beginning. Once my tongue adjusted, the agave sweetness really kicks into gear. This tequila is no stranger to a heavy amount of spice. Lots of pepper, cinnamon, and jalapeno. Fruit comes out the longer it sits. Finish: 23 Finish is long with a good evolution. A little hot but plenty of flavor Value: 6 $80 for a kick ass high proof blanco is not crazy by any means. This will not be a stranger to my permanent tequila selves. This tequila really needs to breath and for your palate to adjust to the heavy immediate ethanol. Once adjusted, this is a quality pour.

Nose: agave cooked / slightly herbal - floral/ alcohol Taste: agave bomb!! / sweet is on top but there’s a harmony /some pepper / apple/ lime and citrus / lemongrass / peppermint / bell pepper/ salt Finish: very smooth / leaves a nice not to viscous mouthfeel and some agave forward sweetness with a pepper driving the background notes / alcohol This still strength is an agave flavor bomb, with pepper and other tastes in harmony through and through.

Michoacan agaves shine once again! Gotta let this breathe for a bit, then Bam! It opens up to clean Agave, cinnamon, citrus, mint, minerals, pepper, maybe jalapeno? Another winner from Gran Legado!

Upgraded from my original review from a sample to a 93, prior to it hitting the market. Michoacan agave deliciousness. Not much else to say.... Amazing!!

Nose is balance of cooked agave, slight alcohol, anise and sweet sugars. Taste is amazing, perfect combination of agave, anise, pepper and an amazing sweetness. Finish is an outstanding balance of cooked agave and pepper. This is an amazing High Proof.

Upon a whiff and some sniffs I get: light smoke, freshness, minerality, agave, faint orange citrus, no scathing ethyl, which adds to its overall aromatic appeal. The palate is greeted with grassiness, sugar, yeast, buttery toast, tartness, anise, smoke, green citrus, lime, pepperiness in mouth with brine intertwined with sharp ethyl, peppermint and a sugar-cane sweetness from start to finish. A spike of heat along the way but nothing off-putting. The finish, for me, is literally mouthwatering with near green apple freshness, clean minerality that fades away slowly with agave essence and grassiness. Flavor from beginning to end.

Tasted at MBTC, discretely.

I love to let this one open up for about 8 to 10 minutes, and then let the experience begin! The mouthfeel, the spice, the heat that fades to sweetness, and the finish that demands another sip.

High proof nose for sure so watch your nostrils. Nice beautiful agave. Pepper and sweetness right off the palate with a very long warm and pepper finish. Long beautiful legs on the glass. The sweetness on this is from that 40 Brix. Yum!

El Gran LEGADO de Vida still = amazing! NOM 1123 Cascahuín Distillery Master Distiller Salvador Rosales Trejos, aka Chava! Michoacán agave at 40 Brix! 54.5 ABV Only 2,000 bottles produced let this sit and ooen up. take ur time with it Off the bat. NOSE: Mint agave grassy minerality vegetal. Then anise... Crisp nice mouth feel, mint carries thru Taste: Anise agave with minerality Finish: warm and long but not harsh like u might expect from a high-proof.

Great mouth feel, delicate sweetness, some white pepper, light heat, mint, anise, honey, citrus, herbal notes, followed by delicious cooked agave. These Michoacán agaves shine in this spectacular still strength.

Nose: Fragrant and earthy eucalyptus honey. Slightly nutty. Fruity. Tinged with nutmeg, anise and minty oregano. Crisp citrus and minerals. Juicy sweet 40 brix Michoacán agaves unmistakably hold the pole position, with all other components contributing to the harmony. Flavors: First sip fills the palate with a dense, creamy texture, feisty pepper, anise and viscous salinity. The crescendo builds. Then the big bold spice elements back off, submitting to the sweet agave. Every element is in proportional balance. From first aromas to the very last sip, this is a stroll through an agave minefield.

Sweet cooked agave, minerals, mint, white pepper, slight herbs, touch of anise. The aroma is amazing and while it’s a little “hot” on first sip after that it’s beautiful. Love these 40brix Michoacán agave—makes all the difference. If you are a high proof lover then you HAVE to try this!

This was not love at first sip. This was a love that took time to develop. I got a smoked gouda- like cheesyness on the nose when I freshly cracked this that initially drew me away. Once I got through the neck pour and gave it some time to open up, I got a whole new experience. That reliable signature minerality and cooked agave you get with 1123 blancos was present, but with more herbal, anise, and a slight funk to it. I get an oily mouth-feel and a finish that is anise, herbal, mineral, and black pepper forward. To me, this is one of the most unique still strengths out of the Cascahuin Distillery! Edit: This one has an equal score to the Legado original. The reason for this scoring is that I gave more points for value for the original. The original IS a better value in my honest opinion, but this is a better tequila.

$80 in Calgary

Sample via Agave Swappers Nose: Cooked agave, tons of mint, and some vegetal notes. I had to check the TMM tasting notes of others to ensure my nose was working because I've never experienced a tequila with so much mint! Flavor: Cooked agave, black pepper, peppermint. The finish is quite long with peppermint and black pepper the whole way. Overall this one is really good. I typically tend to prefer a sweeter profile but this one definitely works!

tasted thanks to an agave swap. highly complex and beautifully balanced! loads of rich cooked agave, mint, floral, citrus, minerals on the nose. palate is so soft for a 109 proof tequila. I had to check the abv multiple times. luscious, creamy mouthfeel. layers upon layers of flavor. buttery, bright, sweet, salty. just gorgeous. among the best tequilas I've tasted and reasonably priced, too. I'm excited to grab my own bottle

Cooked agave, pepper, citrus, and interesting anise and lactic notes