Garrett L. rated 21d ago

Tequila El Mexicano Reposado

85 SCORE

“Nose: Gourmet Hi-C Orange, raw untoasted oak, sweet fennel, I don’t think this exists technically but Orange JuJuBees, bitterness from like toasted fennel seeds with a powdered orange Gatorade/Tang thing. Powdery not very sweet vanilla thing. Palate: A faint rye whiskey note, as in sweet orange marmalade with a minty sort of thing going on. I get a kind of woodiness you would absolutely get on a rye whiskey here. It’s not complex, it’s very straightforward and it’s delicious but it only barely, barely, tastes like tequila until the finish. Finish: Minty agave, potent flavors that linger but which are basically a faint orangey note, and the minty thing that fades at first to a powders sugar note and then into very watered down sweet tea. Overall: This is maybe one of the strangest tequilas I’ve ever encountered. It’s all woody orange, powdered sugar and mint. It’s like a mint julep if you made it with a barrel aged tequila. I’m not the hugest fan but it’s certainly interesting. ”

Garrett L. rated 21d ago

Don Fulano Blanco

92 SCORE

“Nose: big sweet earthy plasticy oregano and epazote notes. I’ve never tasted cooked agave but I would wager that it has a savory umami quality and this tequila captures that savoriness. Sometimes with tequilas you can smell it and it does have the quality of soapy dirty dish water. I know that sounds awful but tequilas like Codigo have it but not nearly as nicely as this one does. If Codigo quit chill filtering their distillate it would be a VERY magical tequila. Don Fulano has a powdered sugar thing on the nose that does trend towards baby powder but in a good way. Palate: bright cooked cherry, savory cooked agave, lactic fermentation funk but very restrained compared to something like Valor or Don Rico, even. It’s more integrated than a pronounced thing on its own. Mint, mint, and more mint, with a slight note of cacao and caramel. Crazy good. Finish: here’s where things drop off some. That savory dishwater roasted agave thing gets thin here instead of expanding. And the mint really lingers and gets kind of papery. Overall: Mr So-and-So tequila is one of my favorites. It makes my favorite margarita. Is crazy complex for sipping. And doesn’t break the bank while remaining complex above its price point and great to drink on its own and enhancing cocktails beyond what most tequilas will. It really stands out in a cocktail while not being too intense. One of my favorite tequilas is Valor which is known for its lactic funk. So is Don Fulano but in Mr so-and-so it’s more of a bug than a feature whereas in Valor it is the star of the show. ”

Garrett L. rated 23d ago

Don Rico Tequila Blanco

86 SCORE

“Nose: right off the bat there are two notes. Lime juice/lime peel and that lactic agave note bit in a very creamy less funky way than Valor or Don Fulano. The creaminess and the lime really meld together in the nicest of ways. There is s blackberry note in the background that’s nice against these other notes. Palate: Super creamy, mild, sweetened condensed milk, limey note. It’s pretty fucking sweet but not in an additive sort of way. Just very concentrated sweetness that has a touch of a malty note like sweetened condensed milk has. Very sweet in a good way. Finish: short, very sweet, with a kind of crunchy staticky, lime peel note Overall: Very cool tequila whose sweetness overcomes its complexity. I dig it because I LOVE Very lactic tequilas like Valor (incredible cheesy tequila) or Don Fulano. This has that cheesiness but in a very tamed sort of way that is surrounded by the residual sweetness and lime peel thus tequila has in spades. ”

Garrett L. rated 25d ago

Zumbador Blanco High Proof

92 SCORE

“Nose: The most intensely compact sweet, hot, pineappley, plastic note I have ever encountered in a tequila. The combination of plastic, saccharine sweetness and pineapply-YET orchid vanilla botanical sweetness is crazy intense. The nose itself has a pronounced finish which is all tight honey and orchid flowers and a faint Mexican cinnamon note that is so satisfying. Palate: big honey and floral notes on the palate. Sweet vanilla in the most amazing of ways. The sweet honey vanilla note is so intense and in very small doses has a minty rye cracker bready thing that is so unique when sipping. Finish: honestly the nose and palate are SOOO intense that the finish immediately drops off into normal territory BUT IS SOOO LONG and has all of the honey floral notes in very savory umami ways. Overall: Holy Shit I have never sipped a tequila like this one. I bought it for $39. I can’t believe it. I can’t at all. Incredible spirit. HOW DID THEY DO THIS?!? ”

Garrett L. rated 32d ago

Campo Azul 1940 Still Strength Blanco

86 SCORE

“Nose: has a sweet corn masa (yes. It does smell a little like nixtamalized corn. Maybe more like the water after boiling and soaking the corn in the calcium hydroxide) intense sweetness, royal icing, slight menthol, maybe faint sweet cardamom. Sweet celery. I hate sweet celery notes in tequila but this one is interesting. Palate: the corn masa note transfers to the palate and quickly becomes the sweet menthol note. Saccharine sweet black pepper with a baking soda sort of note. Finish: hot, sweet, celery but it’s good, but the alcohol is hot on this one. Overall: this one is interesting. I like the blanco campo Azul 1940 more than this but you can proof this one down if you like. lol. One instance of a sweet celery tasting tequila that is actually good and not garbage. I’m look at you El Rejon blanco ”

Garrett L. rated 39d ago

Hermosa Casagave Silver Organic Tequila

85 SCORE

“Nose: mint bomb. Very clean nose but still getting some very structured and mineral forward sweet roasted agave. There is a little bit of ethanol heat that muddies the flavors but melds well with the minerals that quickly turns into an orchid floral note. Palate: Bready sweetness, sweet rye bread sweet vanilla mint with a peppery note then flowers again. Finish: from the flowers forward it gets minty again but less vanilla and a slight orange tic tac note. A little hot. Overall: I found this for I think less than $30. At that price this is a great clean, less funky but still very interesting tequila. Gets a little lost in a margarita. Perfect in a ranch water or it’s actually pretty good mixed with vermouth like a martini. ”

Garrett L. rated 39d ago

El Ateo Blanco Ultra Premium

91 SCORE

“ Revisited one week later and this tequila has opened up into something really special. The petrichor/creosote plant notes are way more prominent and the trend towards this subtle sweet incense note that is crazy good. Great tequila. Nose: Green grape skins, strawberries, stinkbugs, grapefruit peel, latex gloves. Petrichor and a sexy plastic/rubber thing are the most prominent notes here with many layers to them. There’s a wet concrete that was dry just like 10 minutes ago thing to the aroma of this tequila. Here the plastic note you can get off of some blue Weber agave shows up instead as a hot rubber tire sort of note. That sounds awful but it’s actually quite delicious next to the more acidic sharper notes mentioned earlier. There’s this thing with it where that rubber note has cardamom/kaffir lime leaf sort of flavors to it which is wild! Palate: sparkly/effervescent, wooden popsicle sticks, salt water, menthol, touch of berry acidity that gets salty real quick. A touch of Serrano chile. The cardamom note really does share space on a razor’s edge with the kaffir like leaf note. Finish: hot, lingering, kaffir lime sort of note but in a diluted sort of way. Overall: This is an interesting tequila. I dig it for the ways it takes the botanical notes and the plastic notes that can be present in tequilas and gives you something pretty different than you could find elsewhere. The kaffir lime leaf and cardamom notes are special. I dig it. ”

Garrett L. rated 43d ago

Ocho Tequila Plata

87 SCORE

“Nose: Very peppery for Tequila Ocho. It’s a black pepper with a camphory mentholy plasticy note. This is great tequila. Just a touch of floral sweet rosy clay that turns into pineapple Palate: Big pineapple notes on this one. Faint canela cinnamon, a touch of sweet cooked apole that fades into a plasticy cactus note. Good shit. Finish: Pepper on the palate. Sweet bay rhum aftershave but more towards the round bay laurel note. Excellent. Overall: I dig how this bottle is kind of aggressive compared to other Ocho terroir lots. I still like 2025 Laguna Colorado better near but this La Mesa mixes better in cocktails and sips great. Hard to beat Ocho. ”

Garrett L. rated 52d ago

Dos Hombres Tequila Blanco

85 SCORE

“Nose: Wet pottery/clay, dried flowers, alcohol astringency (more my palate today than this tequila) lime rind and white pepper ground together in a mortar and pestle. Faint kafir like sweetness Palate: Sweet bay leaf, white pepper and lime, dried flowers. Some wet terra cotta aroma but it’s the creosote petrichor note in this tequila that would be called minerality. Nice mouthfeel. Not thin not thick but it has some body. Overall: For $36 this stuff is great but not amazing. It’s in the same realm as Caminante blanco and although they are very different from one another, generally they remind me of each other for being both pretty unique, high quality, but not blowing anybody away. Makes a great margarita. At first when I opened the bottle it reminded me of Cascahuin and I actually was thinking (I don’t have a bottle of Cascahuin on hand right now) that it was better than Cascahuin. But it’s turned into something very different than Cascahuin in the last 72 hours. I dig it. I would buy it again, it is unique and delicious, but it isn’t going to blow your socks off. ”

Garrett L. rated 56d ago

Volcan de Mi Tierra Blanco

84 SCORE

“Nose: big raw pumpkin note like when you cut open s pumpkin to make a jack-o’-lantern for Halloween. But a sweet and not starchy raw pumpkin note that has s slight dried flower thing. Earthy wet clay with no sulphuric note. An astringency that hides where the pepper lives for this tequila. A nice mix of black and white pepper that is slightly overshadowed by the astringency. Maybe this will fade with oxidization. Interesting nose. Palate: No pumpkin note at all At first which is cool. It was nice on the nose but would be weird on the palate. Sweet sugar cane juice. Dried flowers show up and are quite sweet. The astringency lives on here and muddies the flavors. Lots of minerals (wet shale/concrete), sweet cinnamon red hots. Right at the end the raw pumpkin note returns but melds with pepper that reminds me of the peppery note raw cinnamon has. The palate kind of is effervescent at the end. Finish: sparkly white pepper and sweet dried flowers. Overall: Here in Austin Texas for $38 this tequila is a fucking steal. It isn’t crazy complex but it touches all over the agave spectrum in some really cool ways and adds some unique flavors that people who drink tequila for its “smoothness” might count off for but for me are an added welcome bonus (the raw pumpkin note). I dig it. ”

Garrett L. rated 56d ago

Cazcanes No. 7 Blanco

74 SCORE

“Nose: Nice but very straight ahead kind of bland white rum aroma. Sugar cane juice sweetness. Cherry throat lozenges very faint. Honey vanilla faint anise astringency. Fresh cut hay Palate: Mouthfeel is insane. Viscous in a very appealing way. Unfortunately it has the kind of burn that vodka has. Sugar cane juice sweetness. Almost exactly the flavor of chewing on raw white sugar. White pepper on the finish. So bland/refined/clean in a strange way for a tequila. I get very little agave character and I’ve been tasting it for a three days in a row hoping it will open up more. Overall: I’m not sure about this one. There’s some cool elements aroma and flavor wise but the sweet refined sugar note or sugar cane juice note is just the predominant one. It’s interesting and the viscosity is awesome but I feel like it’s not interesting enough for me especially for the price. ”

Garrett L. rated 59d ago

Cimarron Reposado

87 SCORE

“Nose: Tomato water, caramel, vanilla, creosote plant/concrete before it rains, black pepper. There is an astringency here that I took some points off for. If it wasn’t here though this would be in the excellent section for points. Love this nose. Just straight ahead delicious repo tequila where you still get a lot of the raw spirit. Palate: Sweet black pepper, sweet oak, faint sweet tomato water, sweet cactus plastic. So freaking good. Way above its price point. Finish: Mostly pepper caramel. Some cactusy creosote plant kind stuff, slight savory frankincense. Complex for the money. Overall: Cimarron blanco is one of my favorite tequilas lately. This slightly aged expression sustains what I love in the blanco which are its funky pepper cactus-tomato notes but adds in a very integrated way the oak and vanilla you get from a barrel. Punched way above its price point for me. ”

Garrett L. rated 59d ago

La Pulga Tequila Blanco

87 SCORE

“Nose: Briny earth, a hint of cleaning products but in a weirdly good way. Very savory. (On further reflection the note I smell here is the flavor of glue on an envelope when you wet it or the note you get on old postage stamps you’d lick. I know it’s weird but that’s exactly what it reminds me of). After being open for a week that envelope glue/cleaning product note has very clearly turned/oxidized into a a VERY PRONOUNCED EPAZOTE note. Huge Epazote aromas. Overall the nose really Reminds me of Socorro Blanco but including a berry note (somewhere in between raspberry and strawberry). It’s a delicious nose. Palate: Sweet plastic, vanilla frosting but not in an artificial way at all. Some briny funk, tight cooked agave. Tastes more like roasted succulent in terms of the cooked agave than that tomatoey orange citrus plastic note you often get. I dig this a lot. Some slight woody peppercorn notes on the finish. Finish: slight, short, mostly the heat of the spirit along with a ghostly version of the salty Britney succulent note. Overall: I love this stuff. I took points off for the cleaning product thing on the nose and how short the finish is but otherwise this is a great tequila. Shows up excellently in a margarita or Paloma and is good enough to just sip in my book. Years ago I had the reposado when I wasn’t that into tequila and I didn’t think it was very good. But the base spirit here is quite nice to me now. ”

Garrett L. rated 67d ago

Codigo 1530 Blanco

78 SCORE

“Nose: warm pretty diluted bleach water. Mild menthol, not mint, slight very faint cocoa. Big sweet peppermint note that is pretty muddled as far as the pepper or mint are concerned. Palate: Chill filtered dishwater that’s finally cold. That mild bleach water note persists. It’s not as bad as it sounds at all but it isn’t making me happy at all. Finish: diluted peppermint. Washed out dishwater, astringent heat. Overall: This would maybe be a great spirit if it weren’t chill filtered but maybe not. I don’t like the bones on this one but I wonder if it didn’t have this kind of diluted character if it wouldn’t be a better tequila ”

Garrett L. rated 74d ago

Valor Tequila Reposado

86 SCORE

“Nose: Intense rose, vanilla, yogurt, sweet agave miel notes. So intense sweet funky yogurt goodness. Love the nose here. Palate: slight tannins, corn tortillas, strawberry, pineapple, yogurt, lime, sort of thing with a trend towards a slightly tanniny basic Ph sort of thing. Finish: sweet rosé wine sherbet, very tight cocoa note with a very fleeting and very savory bay leaf rhum aftershave sort of thing Overall: I like the blanco better here than the repo which is no surprise and very on brand for me. The nose is better than the palate just slightly. This repo really does enhance the original spirit in some ways that are very appealing, particularly the way the barrel tannins and vanilla notes meld with the lactic yogurt notes. I love this tequila but I REALLY LOVE the more pronouncedly cheesy yogurty blanco more. ”

Garrett L. rated 74d ago

Arette Artesenal Blanco Suave

87 SCORE

“Nose: intense guava slash acetone note that is pretty elegant but also brash as fuck. Lemon peel, cooked lemons, guava on steroids, lime peel on steroids in a fleeting way. Acidic kerosene dirty note that is weirdly refined. Interesting shit. Palate: Winey tomato, VERY intense fresh pressed sugarcane juice note that also has a “you biting into fresh sugar cane that you yourself are holding” sort of note. Guava wine (not a thing I don’t think but maybe), tarragon, white pepper, lemon zest, a kerosene flavor I can’t quite place. Finish: It’s guava, sweet lemon peel, and bittersweet kerosene all the way down, fading into pink peppercorn. Overall: this shit is unique. It makes a great margarita. On its own although the tasting notes sound wild, and they are, there is something kind of pedestrian about this tequila and I fucking hate saying that because it’s wild but there’s something at its core that is just not super interesting unfortunately. Big ups for the guava lemon notes in this jugo. It’s unique and tasty. ”

Garrett L. rated 74d ago

Cimarron Blanco

87 SCORE

“Nose: Cooked tomato but a little lactically funky…but only faint. Toast without butter. Savory brown sugar note, copper penny with aloe, vanilla, and just a touch of like aerosol hairspray astringency. I like this nose a lot. I’m surprised at how composed it is for the money. Feels tight, deliberate, and well made. Palate: The nose is much sweeter and rounder than the palate which is tomato paste, slight salty mozzarella, metallic aloe/hairspray sort of thing that fades into vanilla but a really savory toasty vanilla. I like this profile. I wish it was a touch sweeter on the palate. Finish: Short, savory vanilla aloe note, tomato skins, hint of sweet toasted bread. Overall: I mean for $24-$25 this stuff is right up there with Socorro in my book, I think I like it better in some ways and I did a side by side because there was at first something pretty comparable about them Over time though they are quite different. Cimarron is less salty and briney and Socorro is even drier and has more chicken bouillon powder cube savory notes. I think Cimarron is quite the steal for what it is. ”