Rick L. rated 3180d ago

Nocaut Tequila Blanco

85 SCORE

“NOM 1459. This was good value at $41 a bottle, but this is likely a treasure bottle now.”

Rick L. rated 3274d ago

Dulce Vida Añejo - Lone Star Edition

91 SCORE

“Rich, heady, complex aroma leaning heavily toward fruit, dried fruit and sweet barrel notes. Fruit is more muted on the palate, leaning more toward drier barrel notes and spice/pepper. Gladly, it is not as sweet or rich as the aroma. Long dry finish of pepper and roasted nuts with just a touch of sweet orange zest. Based solely on the price and profile, this would be a decent value, but when you figure in that it is also organic and overproofed, it moves into excellent territory.”

Rick L. rated 3378d ago

Don Pilar Reposado

83 SCORE

“Glass: Straw color. After coating the glass, small tears take a while to form before quickly rolling down the glass, leaving a few pearls hanging. Aroma: Let this open up for a couple of minutes to let an initial alcohol aroma to dissipate. Green pineapple, green agave, green apple. I presume these “green” notes are from cooking the agaves in an autoclave. Light oak and pepper. Entry: Buttery and slightly sweet, pepper presents quickly. Flavor: Buttery, sweet and peppery, soft agave notes. The sweetness is like that of a white fruit such as apple or pear, but does not really come with its own flavor. The butter notes are from the virgin American oak rather than baked agave. The pepper quickly consumes the experience. Finish: Big pepper with a little sweetness and agave for moderate length. Moist with some dry tannins. Conclusion: The agave flavors are fairly basic and “green” due to baking the agaves in the autoclave. The barrel notes are pleasant and what you might expect from virgin American oak. This is a worthy profile and welcome addition to the Don Pilar lineup. If you want to try a repo that doesn’t have whiskey/bourbon notes, or the chocolate/coffee notes you would get from virgin French oak, check this out. Priced at $37-40, it’s an excellent value.”

Rick L. rated 3472d ago

El Consuelo Blanco

90 SCORE

“This is the export version at 40% abv. Organic and kosher. Agaves trimmed close. Open air fermentation in stainless steel vats. MSRP $50 Glass: Crystal clear, coats the glass and hangs, descending very slowly. Aroma: Bold fresh agave with white pepper, mint, vegetal grassy notes and a touch of jalapeno. Excellent. Entry: Smooth and oily with a touch of white pepper. Lovely. Flavor: Cooked agave featuring a hint of butter; apple, white and black pepper; a hint of grass; a lemon citrus acidity that presents toward the flavor of melon; and a touch of mineral water. Excellent. Finish: Long, flavorful and moist with moderate pepper. Excellent. Conclusion: A gorgeous profile from the highlands of Atotonilco with no production defects to be found. Coupled with El Consuelo’s commitment to organic farming, social responsibility, and community development, this is a must-have. This is an excellent value due to its high quality and organic agave.”

Rick L. rated 3494d ago

Fortaleza Reposado

87 SCORE

“Nice baked agave and tahona flavors, but some harsh alcohol heat as well.”

Rick L. rated 3553d ago

Alderete Blanco

83 SCORE

“Rated blind in Riedel Overture. GLASS: Crystal clear. Bubbles form on the pour and cling to the edge like a string of small pearls. After coating the glass, flat wide tears and legs form right away, afterward more defined tears and legs present as the coating sheets away. Quite a few pearls remain on the glass. AROMA: Fresh and peppery, green agave presents herbal and vegetal accents with green apple and citrus notes. ENTRY: Wet and just slightly oily with a touch of sweetness. FLAVOR: Crisp and clean. Moderate agave presents white pepper and fruit accents in equal proportion. The fruit aspect is in the form of green apple and light citrus. A touch of sweetness and herbaceousness round out the profile. FINISH: The finish is of moderate length with the same flavors continuing, and ends in a bit of dryness that invites you to sip again. CONCLUSION: Uncomplicated and well crafted. VALUE: $50 for a blanco puts this toward the upper end of the blanco range, but it’s priced fairly for it’s quality.”

Rick L. rated 3553d ago

Tequila Alquimia Reposado

95 SCORE

“Rated blind in Riedel Overture. GLASS: Straw color. Coats the glass as tears descend, leaving their legs behind, as well as several pearls. Beautiful. AROMA: Cooked agave, caramel and a hint of candied apple fill the nose, along with ample white pepper and a touch of cinnamon and orange peel. Outstanding. ENTRY: Buttery. FLAVOR: Caramel apple with black pepper, cinnamon and butterscotch, accented with orange zest. Lucious. FINISH: Extremely long and buttery with black pepper, caramel and a touch of alcohol heat. I think the angels may have tried to keep this one all to themselves. CONCLUSION: This is amazing all the way around. VALUE: After my blind rating of the sample I had, I was able to get the bottle for $50 at oldtowntequila.com. However, this typically runs $60 per bottle or more. So, this is a higher-priced reposado priced fairly for its quality and an excellent value if you figure in that it is organic, made from single estate agave, and that its creator, Adolfo Murillo, is doing great things to elevate the craft tequila industry.”

Rick L. rated 3567d ago

Tequila 512 Añejo

86 SCORE

“Scott Willis’ Austin, TX based brand made by La Cofradia’s Master Distiller, Louis Trejo. First lot, bottle 114/512. Production: Made with volcanic spring water and estate grown agaves from the central lowlands outside of Tequila, JAL. Slow filtered over 24 hours and oxygenated. Aged 13 months in used bourbon barrels. Glass: Straw color. After coating the glass, tears are slow to form, and crawl slowly down the glass. Legs are narrow and very slow to dissipate. Scattered pearls remain on the glass. Aroma: Agave-forward, herbal with cooked agave and white pepper as well as signature lowlands notes of mint, grapefruit and lime. Maybe some earth and green pineapple. Entry: Entry is thin and smooth, just slightly oily. Flavor: Surprised (but not disappointed) by a lack of sweetness. Pepper, barrel spice and agave in the form of mild apple, grapefruit and lemon. Light notes of butter, cinnamon and oak. These barrels must be fairly depleted; I would not have guessed bourbon barrels since those typical notes are absent. Finish: A long finish of mild intensity. Mostly wet and peppery with a touch of tannin dryness and alcohol heat. You might also find some minerality around the edges of the palate. Conclusion: Excellent. For an anejo, this has some agave/pepper machismo to it, without the sweet barrel notes often found in anejos. Big lowlands flavor. At an expected $35–37, this would be an extreme value. If you like light repos or lowlands profiles, check this out. ”

Rick L. rated 3575d ago

Ocho Tequila Plata

81 SCORE

“Rated blind in Riedel Overture Glass: Crystal clear. The coating of the glass transforms into vertical ripples before tightening into defined legs. Tears form as a secondary event as the remaining coating sheets down to the pour leaving behind many constellations of small pearls throughout the glass. Aroma: Moderate aroma of green agave—herbaceous with notes of green apple, white pepper, grapefruit and lemon. Entry: The entry is thin and wet with an explosion of pepper. Flavor: An initial explosion of white pepper gives way to green agave notes in the form of light citrus and green apple. Simple and uncomplicated. Finish: The finish is of moderate to longer length and presents moderately dry, peppery and slightly bitter with light citrus and possibly metallic notes. Simple and unremarkable, no obvious defects. ”

Rick L. rated 3575d ago

El Jefe Blanco

63 SCORE

“Rated blind in Riedel Overture Glass: Crystal clear. A few medium-sized bubbles hang at the edge of the glass on the pour for an extended period. The coating in the glass coalesces into vertical ripples, then wide flat legs, finally tightening into tight defined legs and slow tears begin to form at the top of the coating, crawling slowly down the glass. The coating may be a little too thick. As the coating sheets away it leaves behind a moderate number of pearls clinging to glass. Aroma: I get a mix of muddled cooked and green agave notes—possibly some baked starches, maybe some green apple—with some mixed pepper. This muddled combination presents a bit sharp along with some alcohol and astringent notes. I’m also picking up a kind of dry cardboard. The agave isn’t really able to present itself clearly. After opening up a while, I start to find some more pleasant brighter traditional lowlands agave notes of lemongrass, white pepper and mint. Entry: The entry is fairly thick and smooth, but quickly turns moderately bitter. Flavor: Some sweetness is able to break through the bitterness, followed by some metallic notes around the edge of the palate, and some alcohol and astringent notes at the top of the palate. Minor white pepper and agave notes make an appearance. Finish: Short, uneventful. A bit dry on top. Conclusion: Confusing. Who is this for? What is it trying to be? ”

Rick L. rated 3575d ago

Roca Patrón Silver

90 SCORE

“Rated blind in Riedel Overture Glass: Crystal clear. Lots of big beautiful bubbles hang at the top of the bottle and the top of the pour. A few remain for a surprising length of time. Coats the glass well with large tears forming quickly and flowing into thick widening legs, leaving a large number of pearls hanging in the glass. Aroma: Huge agave notes dominate, pretty exclusively, with no defects or metallics. The brighter more vegetal agave notes present early (faint green apple/apple/pear, light grapefruit, hints of wet grass and celery) giving way a bit after opening up to allow the cooked agave notes to come through (light butter, warm slow cooked starches like brown sugar), with a white pepper note throughout. Entry: This enters smooth and warm with a medium viscosity. Flavor: Flavor very much follows the aroma, with the additional note of a slight minerality. Not very complex, but a very pure and bold representation of the agave. Finish: Descends smoothly with no burn or heat. No alcohol notes or effects ever present themselves. The finish is long and peppery with the pure agave flavors represented. Slightly dry on top of the palate. Wet with notes of butter and mineral water around the edges of the palate. Conclusion: An excellently crafted, pure, bold and uncluttered representation of agave. Thoroughly enjoyable. At $60 however, this does lose some points on value. ”

Rick L. rated 3575d ago

Fortaleza Blanco

83 SCORE

“Lot 41 Glass: Crystal clear. The coating of the glass transforms into vertical ripples before tightening into defined legs. Tears form as a secondary event as the remaining coating sheets down to the pour leaving behind many constellations of small pearls throughout the glass. Aroma: The primary aroma is of underripe banana followed by green agave, fresh cut green beans and wet leaves. Hints of mint and white pepper are also noted. Entry: Thin, dry, peppery. Flavor: There isn’t a lot in the way of flavor; it’s more about sensation. There is some initial sweetness before the palate becomes very dry, lighting up with white pepper. Agave flavors are subtle. Finish: White pepper and a very dry light vegetal sweetness across most of the palate, with some wet citrus around the edges. Short-to-moderate in length.”