Siembra Valles Aniversario Tequila Capon Blanco

92 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”

Yeyo Reposado (2025)

89 SCORE

“ Batch 1 Bottle 6620 Yeyo just doesn’t miss, easily my favorite brand coming out of 1414. Super fruity on the nose and mouth from the rum barrels and a very smooth but flavorful finish. Really nice oily mouth feel too. Not an overly complex Tequila but it excels in the areas it wants to. A very easy repo to sip. ”

Patrón 100 Silver

83 SCORE

“A lot more going on here than the standard Patron blanco, I’ll give them a lot of credit for that. Unfortunately I felt that as the bottle opened up the funk/profile became a little too strong for my liking; had a sort of rubbery burnt finish, which I know some may like but it’s not always for me. However it wasn’t so overpowering that it ruined my initial experience with this bottle. The first half was really quite tasty with vegetal, mineral, and peppery notes with some anise on the finish. Hope Patron continues to lean in this direction and it brings the average consumer along with it. Would totally take this over a lot of the widely distributed tequilas that are typically offered at bars. ”

Ocho Tequila Añejo

88 SCORE

“Bottle no 2653A Never had a bad Tequila from Ocho, and this one certainly doesn’t break that streak. Incredibly easy to sip. However, I think I was spoiled by the recent Ocho cask strength single barrel añejo and the Old Fitz releases because I couldn’t help but want a little more out of this. Just felt a little simple and muted at times. Don’t get me wrong it’s very enjoyable I just wasn’t too impressed. Notes of Vanilla, cinnamon, and stone fruit with plenty of agave throughout. Extra points for being $70 which I think is fair for a decent añejo. ”

Siembra Azul Reposado

76 SCORE

“I beleive this was from a 2023 batch. (13 Maybe?). Unfortunately this one was a miss for me, wayyy too much barrel notes like wood and honey, and not enough agave. Drank more like an añejo or even an XA than a repo. Open to trying another batch but unfortunately siembra Azul is 0/2 with me. Which bums me out because I love both 1414 tequilas and the other siembra products. Makes for a unique Paloma though I will say that. ”

Fortaleza Añejo

89 SCORE

“My 100th rating on here had to be an iconic tequila. So here it is, my first Fortaleza Añejo review. Does it live up to the hype? Depends on how hyped it is for you. For me, I had probably mythologized this Tequila so much that I was bound to be disappointed by anything short of the Greek Ambrosia (not the Fruit salad!). It has opened up quite nicely since it got below the neck of the bottle, however I can’t help but feel that this is imperfectly balanced with a bit too much barrel notes and not enough of that Fortaleza profile I love so much. Maybe that’s just this lot, which does look darker than others I’ve seen, I’ll certainly try another but it’s impossible to find! I won this in an online auction for $125+ shipping and fees- this was a one time splurge just to check it off the list, I would not pay that premium again personally. The area this expression does stand out among the Fortaleza I’ve tried is its finish; it’s long and warm compared to the other expressions and probably my favorite of the bunch. Overall the repo reigns supreme however. ”

Montagave Joven Cuvée de la Familia

95 SCORE

“Bottle 844 For my 99th and 100th reviews on here I had to rate some special ones, and this may be the most special of them all. After absolutely loving the heritage blanco I was incredibly excited for this to arrive and had very high expectations. Needless to say those expectations have been more than met. I compared both blind and unblind against the heritage blanco and this one. Just an incredibly complex and special tequila. The aroma is sweet barrel notes with a hint of ethyl and various fruits like apples, pears, and of course, grapes. On the Palette they carry over but there’s of course plenty of agave and that lovely 1123 peppery finish. There’s nothing not to love here except for its limited status and high price. But I’m more than content that I bought a few off the website before it sold out. This will be a special occasion tequila only. ”

Volans Blanco

88 SCORE

“Lot of anise on the nose and finish. Some funk too but as you swallow/ get the finish it’s a nice 1579 seawater like brine and minimality with a little pepper too. For just over $40 I don’t have any complaints and feel like I might like still strength even more”

El Tesoro de Don Felipe Paradiso

89 SCORE

“Lote P-07 A very nice extra Añejo, a lot of barrel woody-ness and fruity spice from the cognac barrels but it’s excellently balanced and all comes together really nicely with agave throughout. To top it off a solid finish that leaves your chest nice and warm. I feel like this is a more complicated and better balanced tequila than Cuervo reserva XA, which is a tequila this one reminds me of quite a bit. Got on sale for $140 which seems like a good price for a 5 year XA.”

Tequila Xoloitzcuintle Reposado

90 SCORE

“Pipoñ, 2022/-003 bottle #184/300. A very complex repo. The main notes on the mouth were citrus, agave, oak, and some orange peel, with a Carmelly butterscotch finish. Butterscotch and maybe a tiny bit of smoke on the nose. However the dominant notes changed depending on how much was left in the lovely designed 1L Bottle. I won this in an online auction for $50 plus some fees and shipping, which seems like a deal compared to the online prices and I haven’t seen it in my state, so I’m going to miss this one, but hopefully I can find their other expressions easily because consider me quite intrigued. (Addendum: also one of the best tequilas for Paloma’s I’ve ever had, made a couple insanely good ones with this bottle.)”