El Tesoro Tequila Reposado

89 SCORE

“El Tesoro Reposado - Tasting Notes NOM: 1139 Nose: * Burnt Orange Taste: * Baking spice * Cardamon * Orange * Licorice Finish: * Medium finish, medium spice. Cinnamon. Well-composed. Verdict: * Dare I say - as good as the Anejo? Even better? This has many of the characteristics of the Anejo, but you don’t have to work for them as much. Not as subtle as the anjeo, so not as elegant, but wow - it’s the middle child that tried its best to not get lost in the pack and it succeeded!”

Don Fulano Añejo

80 SCORE

“Don Fulano Anejo - Tasting Notes NOM: 1146 Nose: * Faint * Butter * Chardonay Taste: * Maple * Agave Finish: * Super smooth mouthful. Short finish. Faint overall. Banana throughout the finish. Verdict: * Luxurious anejo, but a little monotonous. Great for the beginner, may be a little unexciting for the intermediate taster.”

El Tesoro Blanco

88 SCORE

“El Tesoro Blanco - Tasting Notes NOM: 1139 Nose: * White Pepper * Cooked Agave * Lemon Taste: * Bell Pepper * Agave Finish: * A little on the syrupy side of mouthfeel. Medium-Long finish. Bright, spicy, long sweet aftertaste. Verdict: * A well put-together blanco. Clean, well-constructed. Exciting but not erratic. Solid, but may be a little spicier for the beginner.”

Ocho Tequila Reposado

75 SCORE

“Tequila Ocho Reposado - Tasting Notes 2023 Potrero Grande NOM: 1474 Nose: * Lemon * Cantaloupe Taste: * Oak * Lemon * Lemon Rind * Honeysuckle Finish: * Short-medium finish Verdict: * Super lemony tequila. Some wax. Some honeysuckle. Not as agave forward. Very cleanhut relatively simple. It’s good, but it is a marked difference to their amazing anejo.”

Don Fulano Reposado

84 SCORE

“Don Fulano Reposado - Tasting Notes NOM: 1146 Nose: * Warm agave * Banana * Wet oak Taste: * Oak * Papaya/Tropical Fruit * Agave pulp Finish: * Medium length but full * Bright * Thick mouthfeel Verdict: * Thick. Tropical. Smooth. I want to try this again, I had this at a bar, and the glass may have had left over smell. But from what I tried, it was solid.”

Ocho Tequila Añejo

88 SCORE

“Tequila Ocho Añejo - 2022 El Nacimiento - Tasting Notes NOM: 1474 Nose: * Vegetal * Tabaco * Bell pepper * Carrot * Smoke * Cooked agave * Earth/Soil Taste: * Soft * Butter * Cooked agave * Lemon Leaf * Grass * Agave mash Finish: * Medium finish Verdict: * Wow. The smell is complex. Tabaco initially on the nose. Then smoke and sweet root vegetable. Then you taste it and wow - the mouthfeel is amazing. It’s pillowy, lush, and soft. Almost hazy in feel. There is not one thing in taste that is not pleasant. Buttery, a little slaty, and agave mash initially. The second half of the taste continues the saltiness, but then a bright citrus comes through beautifully. The lemon is more on the rind/lemon leaf side. The finish is medium in length, but floral and lush. It is a great tequila for someone who is just getting in to sipping tequila because the flavors are easy to get to compared to others.”

Mijenta Tequila Blanco

80 SCORE

“Mijenta Blanco- Tasting Notes NOM: 1499 Nose: * Lush * Agave * Cream cheese frosting Taste: * Bubble gum * Grapefruit * Cooked agave Finish: * Medium * Neat * Smokey Verdict: * This is wonderful. It’s some of my favorite parts of other blancos without having to “work” for it. The confectionary sugar is there at taste and smell, cut by a beautiful bright grapefruit. Not super complex like an Arette or briney like a Cimarron. Bright, neat, straightforward. The finish is a bit spicier than you’d expect, maybe an intermediate sipping tequila.”

La Gritona Reposado

87 SCORE

“La Gritona Reposado - Tasting Notes NOM: 1533 Nose: * Apple * Melon * Raw Agave Taste: * Apple Cider * Clean * Agave Pulp Finish: * Lemongrass * Rainwater * Oak Verdict: * Lives up to the hype! Apple on the nose and initial taste. Not cooked agave so much as I taste the aguamiel/uncooked agave pulp. Fruity, juicy. Finish ramps up with a bit of bright oak and some lemongrass. Wonderful!”

Cascahuín Tahona Blanco

82 SCORE

“Cascahuin Tahona - Tasting Notes NOM: 1123 Nose: * Cooked agave * Bubble gum Taste: * Warm * Complex * Peach Finish: * Medium intensity * Long finish * Mango Verdict: * Tropical, composed. Not as subtle as the blanco. You don’t have to work as hard to find the notes here as the blanco cascahuin. Highly recommend! ”

Arette Artesenal Blanco Suave

83 SCORE

“Arette Artesenal Blaco Suave - Tasting Notes NOM: 1109 Nose: * Green * Floral * Agave Taste: * Smoked agave * Rain water * Brine Finish: * Short but stated * White pepper * Stone fruit Verdict: * Another star from 1109. Not as bright and brine as the regular blanco, but this is elevated, smooth, and elegant. Beautiful, lush, floral agave on the nose. Smoke and brine on the tongue. Finish is short but composed and intentional with hints of stone fruit and agave pulp. Wonderful sipper.”

Cimarron Reposado

90 SCORE

“Cimmaron Reposado - Tasting Notes NOM: 1146 Nose: * Mineral * Brine * Oak * Cooked Agave Taste: * Brine * Crème Brûlée * Cooked Agave Finish: * Bright spicy * Rounded * Vanilla Verdict: * Wow. Big, agave, brine, and vanilla cream. If you love their blanco, this exactly what you would think their their reposado would taste like. It’s briney like the blanco, but it add like two more layers of flavor to it. Now there’s a vanilla crème brûlée along with a rounded oak at the end. So drinkable yet so interesting. Cimarron is knocking out of the park and this is no exception.”

Tequila G4 Blanco

71 SCORE

“G4 Blanco - Tasting Notes NOM: 1579 NOTE: This is after just opening and decanting in glass for 20 minutes. Nose: * Cooked Agave * Funk Taste: * Confectionary sugar * Clean * Vegetal Finish: * Simple syrup taste * Super light pepper * Lightly syrupy in texture * Feels intentionally short Verdict: * It may be the most composed tequila I’ve had so far. It is pleasant, lightly sweet, not offensive at all. On every sip, the flavors did not change. They want you to taste the light, green sweetness every time and you do! Finish is relatively short, but in a way that it doesn’t overstay its welcome. It says, “I’ve done my job here!” and leaves. Great beginner sipping blanco, but the advanced taster may want something more interesting and less composed.”

Socorro Tequila Blanco (Square Label)

49 SCORE

“Socorro Blanco - Tasting Notes NOM: 1610 Nose: * Sweet * Banana * Agave Mash Taste: * Sweet water * Agave mash * Lychee Finish * Too short * Sweet * Fizzles out quickly Verdict * Sweet. Banana, cotton candy, simple syrup is pretty consistent throughout. It is 1 of 2 flavor profiles in the tequila. It is fairly simple and not complex at all. I would only recommend this for sipping as it would be lost in a mix, but it’s also not an exciting sipping experience. I am also torn here as it is certified additive-free, but it leaves me a lot of questions about what part of the process leaves this tequila tasting so sweet. It’s a common theme in their whole line. This is an inoffensive, low-cost tequila, that I would not buy again.”

Cascahuín Blanco

81 SCORE

“Cascahuin Blanco - Tasting Notes NOM 1123 Nose * Cooked agave * Mineral * Light brine * Masa Taste * Smokey * Sweet agave pulp Finish * Short * Salt * Rainwater * Jalapeño Verdict: * It’s hard to describe this tequila with one-word descriptors because they don’t do it justice. Yes, it’s all the things above, but it is an experience. The nose has a warm masa and cooked agave aroma. Taste is lush agave with a bit of smoke/oak. Finish is short but not unintentional. It’s an elegant, sweet, and bright finish. Definitely for the more intermediate/advanced taster, but also fun for everyone.”

Cimarron Blanco

89 SCORE

“Cimarron Blanco - Tasting Notes * NOM: 1146 Nose: * Brine * Brine * Brine * Some funk * Brine again Taste * Brine * Simple Syrup * Mineral Depth Finish * Dark finish * Brown sugar * Red peppercorn Verdict: * Another blanco to shock your friend who are new to sipping blancos. Very olive/brine throughout, but it’s very desirable. A bit syrupy at initial taste, but the brine balances it nicely. Finish is medium with small bright cracks of peppercorn, but it keeps this mineral depth and the simple syrup has now turned in to a dark maple. Value is amazing. Will be one I will always have in my cabinet.”

Arette Blanco

94 SCORE

“Arette Blanco - Tasting Notes NOM: 1109 Nose: * Raw Agave * Funk * Brine * Savory Flavor * Brine/Olive * Butter * Brown Sugar Finish * Longer than expected * Brown sugar * Black Pepper Verdict * Wow. Another 1109 knock out. Everything I want in a blanco. A low/medium sweetness carries this beautiful brine flavor through the palate. Some butteriness in savory flavor and a really nice mouthful feel. More viscous than your average. If you want to shock someone as to what a sipping blanco can be, this is a great starting place. AND FOR THE PRICE?! It’s hard to buy other blancos if they are not as good and double the price. Must try.”

Paladar Tequila Blanco

81 SCORE

“Paladar Blanco NOM: 1109 Nose: * Clean * Rain water * Light vegetal/Agave Taste * Sweet cream * Bell pepper juice * Frosting Finish * White pepper * Cotton Candy Verdict: * You will love it or hate it. You will hate it because it’s almost too delicate, not super pronounced any where, and because it changes drastically after decanted. You may love it (like me), because of that addictive frosting and rain water taste you had at first. You keep chasing that here. It’s also subtlety complex, but you have to want it. The bottle is also beautiful. It’s in my top 5 blancos since my first tasting.”