El Tequileño Still Strength Blanco

76 SCORE

“Lot 07-200924 10/18/24 Ngl feel pretty let down here after really loving the reserva añejo and reposado from el teq. Aroma has agave, white pepper and a little minerality but it’s mostly dominated by ethyl. Palette is not too dissimilar. There’s a sort of chlorine/aqua thing going on that got a little better as a went through the bottle but the overall profile and balance just wasn’t my favorite. Also got a little rubber too which I don’t love. Willing to try the base platinum blanco still because of how highly I regard the other el teq products I’ve tried (even the $20 repo which is a great value buy.), but especially for around $50 I was a little disappointed. Would’ve probably worked great as a mixer but I didn’t try anything as I don’t love to mix still strengths due to my belief that they should always be taste best when served neat, otherwise why buy the still strength? ”

Siembra Alteño Añejo

88 SCORE

“Tasted this a while ago, see it’s been added to the satay see here so will try to conjure up my memories of tequilas past. This, like every other siembra Alteño expression I’ve tried, was pretty exceptional all things considered. First let me wager my sole criticism that keeps this tequila from reaching truly elite status like the other two Alteño offerings, and it’s only sort of a half criticism at that; this drinks a little more like an extra añejo than a regular añejo. The barrel notes a very present and the agave can take a little bit of a backseat at times but the barrel notes a simply phenomenal so it’s ok. A lot of butter and honey, maybe a tiny bit of leather. At times I wished it had a little more kick or spice, maybe if it was bottled at cask strength it’d be truly divine… but nevertheless, as someone who’s leaned a lot towards añejos specifically lately, I wished for a tad bit more. But if you’re an XA lover looking for añejo that drinks like one but a lot cheaper than a quality XA I feel like you will feel that you hit the jackpot on this one. ”

ArteNOM Seleccion de 1414 Reposado

85 SCORE

“Lote 2573, 232822, 04/29/25 Lots of yeast on the nose and palette here for me. Reminiscent in ways of the 1579 blanco which in its own way is kinda relevatory for me in a way that I didn’t think it’d be possible that the profile would carry from one distillery to the next so much (gives me hope for when I try post 1123 Gran Legado). Very solid barrel notes and enough agave to make this a pretty easy sipper. Was on sale for under $60 near me which seems reasonable. Score would be a little higher if the yeast was a little less prominent but otherwise very solid overall. ”

Cascahuín Plata 48%

88 SCORE

“Lote 395 05/07/23 #cascahuineando Classic cascahuin profile on the mouth and nose. Only area I felt this disappointed was in the amount of alcohol/kick that was noticeable at times, which can be common of higher proofs, but not always. Otherwise another solid tequila from cascahuin and 1123, still prefer the tahona and other 1123 high proofs to this blanco but still very nice compared to everything else. ”

Volcan de Mi Tierra Reposado

86 SCORE

“L172E 23 02 06 12/05/2023 Bottle 5563 Heavy on vanilla and caramel, but not to the point of tasting artificial/ taking away from it. A little bit of other barrel notes like honey too. Pleasantly surprised here, for $45 it was a very easy sipper, not to complex but gets the job done. ”

Tierra de Ensueño Reposado

88 SCORE

“Harvested 8/25 I was slightly trepidatious going into this as I didn’t think the ensueño blanco that I tried had my type of palette, definitely pleasantly surprised here. Nice notes of molasses and butterscotch on the nose and mouth. A little vegetal but mostly peppery finish. Bourbon notes are present but not overpowering the agave in any way. $70 is a bit steep here as there a definitely better options for a repo at that price point but it still makes me want to seek out ensueño in the future and maybe try a new batch of the blanco to see if my palette has changed. ”

Calle 23 Blanco

85 SCORE

“L1013D1LC Tasted in preparation (rather my own delusions) of acquiring criollo el dos at msrp (there’s the delusion.) my first impression was not good, acetone and maybe even a little lactic on the nose and palette. I was scared, could Calle 23, the makers of the so called goat blanco (criollo ) not have a good base blanco? but once I got past the neck of the bottle my fears were assuaged. While the nose doesn’t open up a ton until the bottom of the bottle and still has a heavy alcohol presence without agave in the background it becomes a uniquely complex blanco with notes of anise and pepper, and a tinge of rubber/ waxiness that give it this almost peppermint licorice like taste. For around $40 this is a very solid blanco for those looking for something a little different profile wise but still very much tequila. I hope I can somehow get my hands on criollo dos and will seek out the other Calle 23 expressions as I see them. ”

Cascahuín Añejo

91 SCORE

“Lote 817 04/22/26 #cascahuineando Batch 2 sticker on the side Another classic from cascahuin. I remember seeing this for sale years ago in the rectangular bottles and I didn’t go for it, big mistake as it completely disappeared from my areas market for forever… until now. Instantly my favorite of the core three lineup. Really well balanced mix of barrel and the typical cascahuin profile. For $75, this is an excellent anejo and stands up well against the other 1123 añejos I’ve tried like gran legado and wild common. ”

Manuscrito Tequila Reposado - Chapter Four

90 SCORE

“Page 002 Very nice high proof here. Gives you a full spectrum of flavors from agave and butter to a little cheese. As someone both overly sensitive and a little averse to lactic funk this one has just enough for me that it doesn’t bother but rather enhances the experience! The white wine notes are certainly present but not overwhelming, it reminds me a little of don fulano’s repo. Very very smooth for a tequila over 100 proof, and for like $65 this was a very reasonable and enjoyable buy. Looking forward to trying more manuscrito as I find it. ”

Siembra Valles Aniversario Tequila Capon Blanco

93 SCORE

“Lote 714 07/23/25 Siembra batch 017 Simply outstanding. It has that classic siembra/1123 funk/pepper but there’s more too (on the nose) . Cinammon, and a sea salty brine but also a little sweetness. Palette confirms the nose but with plenty of agave and a little earthiness. Maybe a hint of butter, very very viscous, almost olive oil like. Perfect amount of kick. $79 is steep for a Blanco but this one truly excels and is worth the price to me. So easy to sip. Long live 1123. Long live Siembra. ”

Fuenteseca Cosecha 2020 - "La Tuna De Arriba"

87 SCORE

“Bottle 1087. First fuenteseca product I’ve tried, Blanco or otherwise. To be honest with you I had very high expectations due to the scores and word of mouth but unfortunately they fell a little short. Don’t get me wrong, this is a quality tequila, and it has gotten slightly more interesting as the bottle has gotten emptier, but I can’t say it’s as good to me as average score on here for this expression. I found it very cinnamon heavy which is totally fine and even enjoyable for a blanco but I didn’t find to many other notes as the cinnamon kind of dominates the palette with only a little butter coming through when the bottle became almost empty. Some other baking spice and yeasty notes persist as well. Solid semi spicy finish that’s smooth on the throat but warm in the chest. Agave throughout for sure, but considering the $90 price tag I expected a little more complexity . To me I feel like el Alteo’s blanco has a very similar profile for a fraction of the price. I’ m certainly open to trying any other fuentseca products as this is certainly well made and easy to sip; it’s just not goated like I thought it could be. ”

Siembra Valles Tequila Reposado

89 SCORE

“Batch 15, Lote 673 (03/06/2025). Another excellent offering from siembra. Very curious about what the “proprietary barrels” were made out of because they certainly add some enjoyable notes here. The nose is sweet but complex and inviting. Both sweet vanilla and jalapeño are present alongside a mellowed version of the 1123/Siembra Valles funk. When first opened is may come off as overly sweet/ too much barrel, but as it has opened up with time/oxidation it’s become a very enjoyable repo. It almost reminds me of a soda in the way that you get the sugar/ sweetness up front and when you swallow you get the spicy pepper dancing on your tongue. (or carbonation in soda’s case lol.)It’s also super viscous like a cola. On the Palette: butterscotch, oak, vanilla, and 1123 pepper on the finished as mentioned. $70+ is steep for a reposado and there are better options from 1123 but that’s an insane bar to clear, this tequila still stands head and shoulders above most. ”

Mijenta Tequila Reposado

85 SCORE

“07-0068324 butter butter butter. That was the biggest note for me on both the nose and the Palette. This is kind of a one note tequila, which is fine considering its price of $57 plus tax, although there are better options this is certainly a solid one. It does its job very well, and has a smooth yet warm finish which is always welcomed. ”

El Gran Legado de Vida Añejo

92 SCORE

“1123. Does. Not. Miss. Biggest regret here is that I waited till they moved to a new distillery to try this excellent Tequila. Luckily I snagged two more bottles for the future. At around $90 this isn’t cheap but I think it’s very much worth every penny. Love the way this one is balanced with strong pepper, minerality and agave with the sweetness of the barrel. Just a really good tequila that I had to slow myself down from finishing too fast. ”

La Gran Señora Extra Añejo

54 SCORE

“Finally can score this one since it’s been added. First experience with clearly additive-addled tequila in a while. Nice to know my Palette is at the point where this stuff just tastes like sweetener. Not for me. ”

Valor Tequila Reposado

73 SCORE

“Really wanted to like this one more given how much I loved and still loved Valor’s batch two blanco. Unfortunately this Tequila (as noted by other reviewers.) has a lot of lactic notes on the nose that carry over to the palette, and as the bottle got emptier, the notes got even stronger. I seem to be overly sensitive to this note when it shows up, especially on the nose, and unfortunately I just can’t handle the funk. I wish I could because I know this tequila is well made it just really doesn’t suit my tastes. The valor batch two blanco was so good though that I’ll still try any other Valor product if they show up on a shelf near me; and who knows? Maybe by that time my Palette will have adjusted and allow me to appreciate the more lactic forward Tequilas out there, but today was not that day. ”

Zumbador Tequila Añejo

86 SCORE

“Lote 2. Insane value here obviously for a $35 añejo but certain notes and inconsistent pours prevent this tequila from reaching the heights it seemed capable of at times. At times it was truly great but others it felt unbalanced with a lack of agave that wasn’t present in the other Zumbador expressions I tried. Its highs were very high but its lows make you remember that this is a $35 añejo after all but probably the best $35 añejo you could ever find. ”

El Tesoro Extra Añejo

89 SCORE

“Very impressed with this Tequilas ability to have both heavy barrel notes and a strong agave presence. I find myself constantly fighting between whether I prefer this or the paradisio also from el Tesoro. I think that I enjoy the palette of this one slightly more yet I like the nose and finish of the paradisio more. Both excellent expressions, for $115 this seems pretty reasonable. Can’t wait to venture further into the XA world. ”

Zumbador Blanco High Proof

87 SCORE

“Lot 1 I enjoyed the Zumbador blanco quite a bit especially at its price point so I had high expectations going in. On the nose there isn’t a ton going on; the yeasty agave common among many tequilas. However on the palate and the finish I felt this one stood out quite a bit especially compared to the standard blanco. You feel all 54% ABV as soon as it hits your tongue but once the sting or “kick” as I like to call it, subsides you get some intense citrus fruity notes along with pepper and some grass. A long finish that keeps you warm and adds a taste of chocolate like the original blanco did. For $30-35 a fantastic blanco that sips well above its price point. 10/10 value for me. Also makes an excellent Paloma ”

Siembra Valles High Proof Tahona Blanco

92 SCORE

“SV batch 13. (Lot 674, 06/04/25) 1123 simply does. Not. Miss. Love the way this bottle has opened up. At first it was like a spicier cascahuin tahona with pepper, petrichor, and minerality. But as I’ve gotten through the bottle it’s gotten new notes of florality and a nectarine-like citrusy fruit juice. Finish is the perfect amount of kick for a high proof and keeps your chest warm in the best possible way. Acquired for $80 which is much more reasonable than its older price of like $110, and almost makes me want to stock up on one more for safekeeping. ”

Siembra Valles High Proof Blanco

87 SCORE

“Accidentally scored when trying to rate the tahona High proof, will revisit for real when I come across. ”

Mandala Reposado

61 SCORE

“Way too sweet for me. Surely artificially so. Probably good for the clase Azul crowd”