Cuervo Tradicional Reposado

62 SCORE

“My only interest is for margaritas. This was my Go2 tequila for margs for the past 10 years. A great value around Minnesota. Then I heard about the new mass production methods, diffuser juice, additives, etc. I know what the bottle says, but I also worked in the "hope in a bottle" industry, so I'm aware how the truth can sometimes be stretched. I reached out to the manufacturer asking them about it and received no response. In my world and court, failure to appear means You Lose, and I move on to something else. TequilaMatchmaker has been invaluable to me finding the right something else. Jose Cuervo Traditional Reposado did a nice job for me for over a decade, so I can't complain much, but I want nothing to do with the new garbage being churned out. I thought dodging Mixto was bad enough... I read a recent article about plummeting prices on agave due to massive acreage dedication. You combine that with the diffuser/additive mess, and that my friends is a recipe for disaster. They better buckle up. Take a little extra time looking for quality vs quantity.! ”

Olmeca Altos Reposado

80 SCORE

“1st: my only interest is for margaritas. I can't stand crappy margaritas, and I hate spending $12-$20 for a decent margarita when going out. I much prefer to make my own using reposado. I pursued something new after learning about the diffuser juice mess. Like dodging mixto wasn't bad enough! My old Go2 reposado tequila claims on the bottle it was old school oven baked. Long-story short, I have my doubts. So, with my new best friend, TequilaMatchmaker in hand, I hit my fave retailer looking for a suitable replacement. I hoped to find one $20 or less for a 750ml, but didn't know if that was realistic. I looked up every bottle $40 or less, and a few more above that price range. I was shocked how many use new mass production techniques! I decided to try Altos Olmeca Reposado. My store does a lot of rebates. 750s are $16-18 AR, and 1.5L are $25-$28 AR, depending on how many you buy. That is a little more than I have been spending, but not a lot more. My first 1.5L bottle was very well received, so I just bought another. IMHO, it is a great value for making a kick@$$ margarita. I can't speak to sipping or any other straight format. FYI: my current marg recipe is high quality organic mix, booze, and a floater of good mezcal or anejo, drinker's choice. I garnish with lime and orange, fresh, dried, or both. Sometimes I add a small amount of Contreau or Grand Marnier, but not usually. ”