Casa Noble Tequila Crystal

Tasted 2/10/12, current bottling, from a Riedel glass.

Very (crystal) clear. Swirling produced moderate tears with fast legs, indicating moderately thin body.

Initial nose is creamy cooked agave, secondarily followed by a heavy black pepper (which I found delicious!). Hints of bell pepper and green banana.

First taste impression was mildly sweet agave, almost buttery. Again, black pepper on the mid-tongue, a little warming but great flavor. That carried all the way through the finish, which was quite long and ended with a hint of anise bitterness.

I bought this specifically for a cocktail I have in mind, but I will enjoy sipping whatever is left of the bottle. I'm surprised at some of the other reviews here, as I find nothing in this blanco that I don't enjoy, but obviously tastes vary. I heartily recommend it.

I'm definitely new to premium tequila's having been turned off to Tequila in college by mid to low grade options since my budget was not exactly complimentary to quality options.

A friend of mine introduced me to premium tequila via Patron Anejo. It was surprisingly different than anything I had before, being only a fan of Sauza Commerativo Anejo. I decided it was time I start looking into premiums a bit more with a better budget and appreciation for finer spirits developed through premium bourbon, scotch and rum exploration. I've learned you usually get what you pay for if you pay attention and search around.

I read a lot of reviews here and figured this was one of the tequila's I must try. Another was Herradura Repasado. So, my frame of reference is Patron Anejo, Patron Silver, Jose Cuervo 1800, Sauza in general but mostly Commerativo and of course recently Herradura Repasado.

I was hesitant at first to try a Blanco just based on my appeal to aged spirits and the general consensus that while Blancos have more Agave power to them, they also are rougher around the edges, something I'd expect from a mid-grade vodka. I was unsure, but I figure, if it had such great reviews, it was at least worth a try. I picked up a bottle for $38.00 at my local liquor store.

My first opening of the bottle was a surprise. I typically do not like the initial nose of any tequilas I've tried to date. The smell here, however, was something I'd expect from a very refined spirit. Nothing rough at all, rather sweet and soft. No real alcohol hit, but more a smooth unique smell with hints of caramel.

I poured about 1.5oz into a 4oz margarita style glass and swirled it. It coated the sides well showing it had smooth body. I sniffed again and was pleasantly surprised by the sweet aroma and absence of any strong alcohol or rough edge smells.

The initial taste was incredible. I expected, again, something rough, some burn, but there was none. It was sweet and smooth and the agave was amazingly present with some sweet tones. As I sipped more I picked up some spice but maintained the agave character. It continued to be smooth. A second pour and sipping continued to support the sweet agave flavor and build a bit of the spice. The heat only built slightly as I continued to enjoy the glass, but never reached a point of anything I had tried in the past. There was no real bitter or rough feel I get from many other spirits.

During my tasting I also enjoyed a maduro style cigar. The two complimented each other well. The both accentuated the sweetness of each other while keeping the spice nice and mellow in the background to add character.

I must say, though I am new and will likely try more premium tequilas along the way, this is a serious keeper. I am very pleased with my decision to go with the ratings here and give it a try. Even down to the quality decanter and feel. It felt very much worth the price to me and definitely helped create a wonderful mood on my back porch on a nice fall evening.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone curious about blancos but hesitant like me to drink any neat beyond mixing. I would also say it would be a tragedy to mix this. It is amazing all on its own!

ENJOY!

I'm not going to give you a pile of pretentious crap. I've been drinking tequila since the 1970's; I know what I like and what I don't. I'll sip a half a bottle in a night and judge a lot by whether I can deal with work the next day, or feel like killing any small mammal that speaks ttoo loudly.
If this description speaks to you...read on.
This is good stuff. It rolls down smooth, and has a bit more life to it than Patron or Cabo. Mostly oak in the flavor, but not enough to cover the fact that this is cactus running down yer pipes. Just a really mellow flavor that gives emphasis to the "ahhh" on the swallow, and makes you smile at your new best friend while he/she pours the next shot.Next morning is a clean experience; drink half a bottle and you'll want to take a nap during the workday, but you can roll with the crap if you can't. But you don't hurt, and that means clean, which is want we all want once we put our snifters down and get real.
Bottom line: good stuff, I like the silve better tan Cabo or Patron, and Carlos knowds his tequila as well as he knows his Les Paul. Enjoy.

Nose: Some alcohol followed by peppery sweet smoked agave

Initial Taste: Smoked agave immediately into peppery agave

Body: Light

Finish: Light to medium burn sweet smoky agave maybe some metallic very little if it is there a little astringent you do smell pine a bit in the nose and this comes out in the finish. Very well rounded tequila what you get in the nose you will get in the finish

Price: Good price for an excellent tequila. Way better then Patron and a little cheaper.

I have had Casa Noble Crystal and reposado unfortunately I can not find the single barrels or the anejo. I have looked more for the anejo then the others, it turns out the distributor in TN doesn't buy it so it is not sold here =\. Casa Noble is hands down the best tequila I have had and in my opinion can not be compared to the others because of the dedication put into making it. This tequila is WAY better then Patron, Patron should be put on the middle or second to last shelf in my opinion, it just doesn't have character. The price for this tequila is in a good spot, it doesn't stop the ordinary person from enjoying it.

Must say I'm surprised this has received such mixed reviews. Of course everyone has different tastes, but it seems like some consensus generally forms. I'm wondering if there is some inconsistency in the product.

As for me, I think this is a superb blanco - very fresh, crisp, refined and just delicious. It is very smooth, especially for a blanco (in some ways it goes down like a good rep or an anejo), yet complex and rich too. All that with a sweet but prominent agave presence.

Very nice nose on this with spice, pepper, earth, warm agave, subtle pine, and a hint of astringency.

Entry is delectable with a very sweet, warm, semi-oily and almost a little nut flavor, perhaps just the oak, but a wonderful entry full of agave.

Body is full and complex with each of the characteristics above present, and a touch briny.

Finish is super smooth, although a nice little burn will develop after a few sips to remind you it's tequila, but sip by sip this is super smooth and goes down like a nice anejo. The finish is smooth, but nice and long, and pepper, and agave are the flavors that lasted the longest and were most pronounced for me.

Again, not sure about the consistency, but for me this was a great experience.