El Tequileño Still Strength Blanco

44 SCORE

“I'm not sure what the hell I just drank. Thankfully it was from someone else's bottle and I didn't buy one myself. This was offensive alcohol and acetone. No discernable aroma or taste past that. I would have to say this has to be a bad batch. If not then this is just a horrible product. I got a bad a bottle of ArteNom 1414 recently so it's not out of the realm of possibility. But reading some other reviews it's definitely not just the bottle I got my pour from. This is a huge miss by a usually reliable brand if it's not an off bottle. I see places dropping the price to $49.99 which is unheard of for a HP/SS so stores must know there's a problem. ”

Campo Azul 1940 Blanco

84 SCORE

“Let me start off by saying I got this at a huge bargain price. It was $29.99. I couldn't pass it up. It's pretty good but not great. Agave on the nose and very briny. Taste has a decent amount of agave and olive brine. It's incredibly viscous and there is a bit of cilantro and green pepper in the back of the throat. Finish is medium thanks to the thick mouth feel. As a smack my lips and roof of my month I start to get some anise and chives on the back of the tongue. While I wouldn't seek this out over other Blancos I love, for this price it's excellent. If it was more than $40 I would probably pass it up for something else. While it isn't unique in any way, it does the basics very well. You won't be disappointed in that respect.”

Curado Tequila Blanco (Cupreata)

91 SCORE

“I won't go into great detail but I will say I was pleasantly surprised by this one. On its own without the addition of the Cupreata it's a solid blanco. The added Cupreata gives it a mellow, subtle smokiness. The agave is still front and center though in both the aroma and the taste. It's a solid finish as well and a pretty viscous liquid in th glass. Overall very pleased with this and got it for a great value at $29.99. I might try their other expressions as well. ”

Volans Blanco

86 SCORE

“This is a beautiful, viscous, clear Blanco that coats the glass and leaves thick tears and drops down the side of the glass. Poured 2oz and let it rest in the Denver & Liely Mezcal glass for 30 minutes. Aroma - Some very light alcohol but mostly cooked agave and the baking spices. Some fresh cut grass and hay. Cucumber, basil and green pepper. But in the end mostly the agave. Taste - Buttery and thick on the tongue. No alcohol though there is a light white pepper burn that quickly fades. Roasted and raw agave and a minty freshness. Some basil and vegetal notes. Sweet but not cloyingly so. Virtually no bitterness. Some lime and a faint taste it took me a while to figure out. It's an herb popular in certain Mexican cooking called papalo. It's cilantro adjacent and has a slight soapiness. Finish - Medium to long. Especially the buttery mint and papalo that stay with you. This is a lush and buttery Blanco that's another winner from El Pandillo. The biggest knock on Volans will always be the price. You can get Terralta and G4 for almost $15 less per bottle and it's comparable. ”

Tequila G4 Blanco

92 SCORE

“Just tried G4 for the first time tonight. This is the new formula/batch that started last year. The date on the Lote is 12/13/23. I'll update after a few pours but so far the aroma is big agave and very little alcohol. Taste mirrors the aroma. Nice finish. Overall this is a top notch Blanco that does what it sets out to do very well. People seem to either love or hate G4. I definitely like it a lot. It's a top 80p sipper. ”

ArteNOM Seleccion de 1414 Reposado

72 SCORE

“I've tried 2 pours from the bottle I recently bought and it's very dull with alcohol being the dominant aroma and taste. I'm hoping that it opens up and more flavors come though. Aroma/Nose: Not much there. Mostly alcohol. Virtually no agave coming through Taste: Mostly alcohol. I can't taste any agave. Some barrel but not much. Very little in the way of flavor. It's sort of dull to me. Finish: Not exceptional. Doesn't last and quickly disappears. This is one of the most disappointing Tequilas I've had so far especially since my expectations were high. It's almost flavorless except for the overwhelming alcohol. I will try it again in a few weeks to see if it opens up and things change. As of now it gets a low rating from me. ”

El Tequileño Reposado Gran Reserva

90 SCORE

“I'll delve into this more as I think about it and have another tasting. I'm always leery of the first pour. Suffice it to say I really enjoyed this one a lot. There's a pronounced mango note in the aroma and taste and a very nice apricot taste as well. No bitterness. Nice mild sweetness. Not overly oaky and the cooked and raw agave shine through. I need to ruminate a bit before I really review this. ”

Mijenta Tequila Blanco

80 SCORE

“NOM 1499 Aroma: Mostly alcohol but some faint aroma of cooked agave and some slight funk. Nothing that stands out. Taste: Better than the nose. Get some of the cooked agave with the baking spices but it's muted when compared with other much better Blancos. It's got that slight funk which I like. A little citrus that's more lime than lemon. A bit of herbaceousness that I can't quite pinpoint. It's got a slight bitterness and very little sweetness. My biggest problem with their Reposado was the bitterness and this has some of the same thing happening. Finish: Medium. Not horrible. It does coat your tongue and throat nicely and is quite viscous. Summary: I was disappointed based on the TMM score. It's not bad by any means but it's also not special. It's pretty basic and doesn't have much complexity to it. It's also pretty expensive for a Blanco. Having said that, it's much more pleasant that the Reposado which I found to be rough around the edges and one of my least favorite Tequilas. I bought both around Black Friday when they had 20% off and free shipping and it was still expensive based on the quality. There are so many better Blancos and Reposados out there and they are a much better bang for your buck. Recommendation: Leave it on the shelf ”

Tapatio Reposado

90 SCORE

“I will give a more detailed review in a few days after another sipper. Suffice it to say this is an excellent Reposado both on the nose and the tongue. Very agave forward with not overpowering barrel influence. It's easy to see why this brand has legs and everything they do is great. ”