Keith B. rated 155d ago

Manuscrito Cuento Corto: Special Blend Rested Blanco

94 SCORE

“Manuscrito’s new special edition Cuento Corto 50% blanco is like curling up with a good book you can enjoy with your taste buds. Cuento Corto means ‘short story', but that description detracts from one of its best features, a long and delicious finish. The final lingering tastes and mouthfeel are luxurious. The texture is silky and has an oiliness that coats the palate exceptionally well. It’s very interesting that this is a barrel-rested blanco which kind of continues the ‘short story’ concept. In this case, the agave had barely enough time to kiss the barrel before the story ends, but that finish quality leaves you with massive flavors. The 50% ABV really lets the rich cooked agave forward flavor and a unique back and forth contrast of mild cinnamon and black pepper playout the whole story on your palate. There’s some deep minerality and earthiness that round out the whole experience. It’s another great Tequila expression from Oscar Vasquez Camarena and the team of owners at Manuscrito! Nose: cooked agave / earthiness that could be perceived as a very faint smoke note / pepper / hint of cut grass / hint of dried fruit / citrus / bell pepper / brine Taste: sweet cooked agave / mild cinnamon / bold black pepper / hint of vanilla / vegetal / hint of green apple / dried fruit / citrus / bell pepper / black tea / earth / minerals Finish: very heavy viscosity and fantastic oiliness cover the entire palate and allow the massive cinnamon and pepper bomb to linger until a fresh and spicy minty note takes over / the end of the sip leaves an incredible and luxurious mouthfeel that is hard to beat ”

Keith B. rated 237d ago

Siempre Exclusivo Conexiones

93 SCORE

“I drank samples of Conexiones at the distillery and now have bottles at home…and it has been a top of the chart expression each time for me. Sergio Cruz says tequila continues to transform in the bottle…and he’s right. Conexiones gets better and better each time, and having started out so good it’s on its way to legend quality in my bottles. Nose: Vanilla / cooked agave / cinnamon / butter / light minerality / floral / citrus (orange)/ banana / pineapple / tropical fruit / hint of bell pepper / hint of tea / orange blossom / jasmine (NOTE: this is the BEST Nose I’ve ever experienced on a high proof blanco) Taste: cooked agave / pepper / vanilla / spicy cinnamon / vegetal sweetness / banana / pineapple / citrus / orange / lime / hint of spearmint / anise / hint of tobacco spiciness / minerals Finish: light viscosity that coats the palate well but disappates fast. It still however leaves fantastic vanilla, spicy cinnamon, pepper, agave, mint, and a huge citrus kick fighting for top billing as the last flavors of your sip. Very clean and minty fresh aftertaste. This is a superb high proof blanco from the collaboration of Doug Price, Sergio Cruz, and Alex LaCroix from Siempre Tequila. The nose and taste are exceptional and the finish is good, though its the only downside compared to the taste and nose. Most brands would die to have a finish this good. I HIGHLY reccomend this high proof blanco. ”

Keith B. rated 520d ago

Amatiteña Tequila Añejo

90 SCORE

“Nose: amazing chocolate and rich caramel notes / sweet on the nose - like a vanilla and chocolate meet agave for a blind date, and it goes so great that one of them thinks about a long term relationship Taste: agave is still in the picture but the wave of barrel notes including that delicious chocolate note is deliciously overwhelming. Vanilla, roasted honey and caramel keep lasting throughout the whole sip and they introduce some interesting baking spice and very mild cinnamon. Only the lightest of smoke notes appears but is so light as to go largely unnoticed. Finish: this anejo has a lingering chocolate note that gets a touch bitter at the back of the palate. I thoroughly enjoyed this anejo and it surprised me with such a low smoke note for Amatitena! I recommend this bottle. ”

Keith B. rated 555d ago

El Bandido Yankee Añejo

85 SCORE

“Nose: Vanilla / caramel/ butter / melon / tea / nutmeg / honey / molasses / coffee/ cream soda Taste: oak/ agave / vanilla / butter / caramel / banana / lime / mint / tea / nutmeg / light baking spice / hint of chocolate/ molasses / cream soda Finish: light viscosity / lingering vanilla and baking spice notes / super quick finish / easy and smooth but no lingering enjoyment This anejo is enjoyable, though it lacks a lot of ‘bang’. Simple smooth and easy to drink…this anejo I would recommend to someone new on their journey who wants something smooth. ”

Keith B. rated 555d ago

Siempre Exclusivo Edición Especial Muerto

92 SCORE

“Nose: sweet cooked agave / vanilla bomb / cinnamon bomb/ pepper / apple / pineapple / berries/ black tea / jasmine Taste: sweet agave bomb / vanilla / smooth cinnamon / pepper / apple / pineapple / cherry / lime / anise / black tea / minerals Finish: medium viscosity mouthfeel with a nice lingering pepper and cinnamon punch that holds on to become an agave and vanilla bomb. Hints of black tea, anise, and cherry/berry, and the smooth pepper note fight for dominance with the cinnamon and vanilla for control of the last taste on the swallow. Muerto is a power packed high proof that has some serious art in its soul. It’s definitely the opposite of VIVO…you couldn’t blind the two to see which one Sergio and Alex got right…they are absolutely night and day difference…alive and dead if you will. Muerto has front punch, uppercuts, body shots, jabs, and roundhouse punches all at the same time. There’s definitely balance if you consider balance being knocked to the left with a hard agave/vanilla hit only to be knocked the other direction with pepper and cinnamon…like your a pinata and loving every minute of it. Muerto is just absolute power in it’s many tastes that are all so well. If it lacks anything its the harmony of all those flavors. But to hell with harmony…give me a rock band to blast my ears off any day!!!”

Keith B. rated 555d ago

Tequila Nock Blanco

87 SCORE

“Nose: Pepper/Earth/raw Agave/olive / citrus / lime / lemongrass / sage /. Lavender / brine Taste: Pepper / earth / spicy cinnamon / cooked agave / anise / banana / pineapple / citrus / lime / orange / spearmint / orange blossom / jalepeno / cream soda Finish: medium viscosity mouthfeel / lingering pepper and cinnamon on front of palate / jalepeno and citrus on the backend of the swallow This blanco has some fun tastes. The nose is nice, nothing overly engaging except for a few hints of olive, lavender, and a nice brine aroma. But the taste is where this tequila puts on some salsa music and does some latin dancing on your tongue. Lots of cinnamon and spearmint to contrast with the heavy pepper note, but it’s the jalapeno and citrus finish that leave you wanting more. ”

Keith B. rated 607d ago

Patrón Cask Collection Sherry Añejo (2017)

75 SCORE

“Nose: vanilla/caramel / chocolate/ wine note Taste: wine/sherry dominates everything/ grapes/ chocolate Finish: the finish is harsh / the sherry finish lingers and dominates The sherry treatment on this anejo is too much. Would not recommend. ”

Keith B. rated 622d ago

Agua de México Tequila Añejo

82 SCORE

“Nose: vanilla/ caramel/ butter / faint fruit note / hint of citrus-orange / tea / baking spice / nutmeg/ chocolate/ molasses/ Taste: oak / vanilla/ caramel/ baking spice / hint of fruit / orange peel / tea / hint of spearmint/ chocolate/ molasses/ cream soda Finish: low viscosity mouthfeel/ not much texture…doesn’t coat the palate/ lingering oak bitterness fights to be dominant; some sips are sweeter than others, but the imbalance and lingering bitterness really take the wheel on this drive. This anejo has some good notes on the nose and the sweetness of vanilla and caramel try to fight back, but the oak is the lead actor in this performance, and it’s not interested in sharing the stage with the other tastes. ”

Keith B. rated 622d ago

Agua de México Tequila Reposado

82 SCORE

“Nose: vanilla/ caramel/ oak / butter/ hint of vegetal / light fruit / hints of melon and apple / baking spice-nutmeg / orange peel / tea / hay / butterscotch/ Taste: vanilla/ anise/ agave cooked/ oak / baking spice / nutmeg/ pepper/ banana/ melon / orange peel / tea / butterscotch/ molasses/ cream soda Finish: medium viscosity mouthfeel /evenly coats the palate coating and provides a lingering sweet, oak, and baking spice romp over your tongue, but the harsh french oak bitterness comes in at the end and screams ‘fire’ in the theatre full of otherwise balanced vanilla, agave sweetness. The french Oak notes are just too pronounced. This Repo has a lot of enjoyable flavors and tries to maintain the vanilla, agave, and baking spice sweetness despite having the 400 lbs gorilla named French Oak pushing those flavors out of the way. This repo may get easier to sip over time as the flavors work to find balance with the heavy French oak notes. This one needs to breathe a lot. If not for the bitter oakiness, this repo would be much more enjoyable. ”

Keith B. rated 622d ago

Agua de México Tequila Blanco

83 SCORE

“Nose: vegetal / agave (raw) / hint of melon / dried fruit/ faint citrus / bell pepper/ hay / salt / Taste: agave / vanilla / earth / mineral/ vegetal/ hay/ apple / melon / orange peel / anise / light spearmint/ bell pepper/ salt / alcohol/ Finish: very light viscosity mouthfeel / lingering bittersweet and earth notes with a light agave/anise sweetness that gets overrun by the vegetal/earthy bitter through the backend of the final swallow. This blanco has some strong bitter notes that are not in balance with the sweeter agave/anise flavors. The overall taste is decent, but if the finish was less bitter and less earthy the overall experience would be more enjoyable. ”

Keith B. rated 658d ago

Tequila Cabal Still Strength Blanco

90 SCORE

“Nose: lactic/ earth / mineral/ astringent/ lime / bell pepper / Taste: sweet agave cooked / anise / peppermint/ cinnamon/ mineral/ earth / pear / apple / orange peel / bell pepper / vanilla Finish: watery wet mouthfeel/ the palate is bombarded with spicy peppermint and cinnamon in a back and forth battle with sweet agave and anise to win control of your palate. Some balance right at the last swallow. Have you ever wondered what cinnamon and peppermint would taste like if it was on fire in your mouth and you only had sweet cooked agave to extinguish the flames? It’s powerful flavor….and still has a bit of harmony… but it’s mostly unhinged flavor trying to put your teeth out. It’s a wild ride but very worth it!!!! ”

Keith B. rated 658d ago

Siembra Valles Tequila Blanco

90 SCORE

“Nose: agave cooked / vanilla/ earth / anise / pepper/ butter / banana/ apple / grapefruit/ tea / salt Taste: sweet agave cooked / vanilla/ anise / pepper / cinnamon/ minerals / banana/ apple / lime / orange peel/ mint / tea / cream soda Finish: very low viscosity mouthfeel / costs the tongue very well, but not much coating over the whole mouth / lingering sweet cooked agave, anise, pepper notes, cinnamon carry through in a very harmonious fashion until the very end. This blanco is fantastic. It has harmony and balance and offers a lot of flavor despite only being 40% abv. One of the best sipping blancos I’ve had in a while, ”

Keith B. rated 659d ago

Volans Añejo

91 SCORE

“Nose: vanilla/ sweet cooked agave / caramel/ oak / butter / earth / banana/ tea / nutmeg/ chocolate/ molasses/ almond Taste: sweet agave cooked/ pepper /vanilla / caramel/ earth/mineral /chocolate/ tea / lemongrass / peppermint/ baking spice / molasses/ cream soda Finish: very low viscosity mouthfeel covers the palate to evenly distribute rich lingering notes of agave, vanilla, caramel and pepper that sing equal parts in the chorus until the last swallow. This anejo is a superb example of a harmonious and balanced flavor profile. It has a singular taste that can also be tasted into decipherable individual flavors. The taste, nose, and finish leave you wanting more immediately. ”

Keith B. rated 659d ago

Don Vicente Fuerte

89 SCORE

“Nose: sweet agave cooked / vanilla/ earth / mineral/ pepper / orange peel/ salt Taste: sweet agave cooked / pepper/ minerals/ earth / anise / apple / citrus / orange peel / baking spices / salt / alcohol Finish: very low almost watery wet viscosity / lingering pepper, mineral, anise / alcohol definitely present through the whole taste through to the finish This high proof blanco (54%abv) is lighter on flavor than expected for that high abv, but the nose and taste are quite good. The flavors other than pepper/earth are not strong, but they taste good. ”

Keith B. rated 660d ago

Tierra Y Libertad Tequila Blanco

84 SCORE

“Nose: the nose has some errors; astringent and lactic / raw agave / earth / minerals / brine / citrus / hay / Taste: sweet agave cooked / peppermint/ hot cinnamon/ earth / mineral/ apple / lime/ brine / anise / bell pepper / Finish: low viscosity mouthfeel / lingering peppermint and spicy cinnamon / the final swallow ends on a very mineral and bittersweet note This blanco has some interesting notes, but overall it’s not one I’d recommend unless you’re looking for a budget high proof mixer. ”

Keith B. rated 661d ago

Tequila Xoloitzcuintle Añejo

89 SCORE

“Nose: sweet cooked agave / molasses/ chocolate/ vanilla/ caramel/ nutmeg/ baking spices / banana / tea / anise / cream soda Taste: sweet cooked agave/ molasses/ vanilla/ peppermint/ caramel/ banana/ lime / anise / tea / nutmeg/ chocolate/ cream soda Finish: medium viscosity mouthfeel and lingering sweet cooked agave and peppermint spicy notes linger and prevail through the whole taste with a hint of spearmint and even more vanilla on the last swallow. This anejo is fantastic. So much amazing barrel flavors and sweet cooked agave. The sweetness and vanilla/chocolate notes over run the spicy and leave a sweet minty fresh final end to the taste. Highly recommend this. ”