Casa Noble Tequila Crystal

As I noted in my review of the CN reposado, CN was very scarce and very expensive around here until recently. Actually, this blanco I got about a year ago, when my local liquor store seemed to get in about a case. I think I paid $29 a bottle. Probably mismarked or something for that time. An interesting thing happened re me re this blanco. I had really looked forward, based on on-line discussions, for years to getting some CN, really aiming for the reposado. When I first was drinking this, though, I was a maybe little disappointed. It seemed perhaps too smooth. Not as bad that way as Patron, but toward that. It is tripled distilled. I was thinking that maybe double distilled would have worked better. Good body and excellent finish though, and all the flavors that are there--and I would say that it has all of the complex agave flavors I so love--are good, balances, and complex. It just seemed to me that, say, a Don Julio or El Tesoro de Don Phillipe blanco had just about as good a nose, flavor, and finish, with good body, but with more intensity that the CN. Maybe others that have given lukewarm reviews have had similar initial experiences to me. However, since I have managed to get and have been drinking the CN reposado, it seems to somehow bring out aspects of the CN blanco that were not as apparent to me in the past. Now the CN blanco seems deeper and more nuanced to me, to have more "going on" in it that I have previously thought. It seems to have a purer agave flavor (pepper, citrus, spices, licorice (not sure re licorice) and "sweetness" (I think the sweetness is really in the aroma, I doubt that the sugar content is any higher than any other tequila) than the other blancos I really like. Other blancos taste a little less balanced to me now, their finishes a little less polished and less lingering. A few more slight off notes and hotness (although I like some "burn" in any tequila and the CN could perhaps use a little more) in the others some how. In any event, I find myself coming back to this CN blanco more consistently than to any other tequila, even the CNR, which I truly love, too, and I own a bunch of different tequilas and have tasted lots and lots more over the years. I could go for a bit more intensity. Like I say, maybe just double distilled or maybe even a more refined, and thus even more expensive, agave selection. This may well be my favorite tequila of any kind at this point. I may be more sensitive to agave specific tastes at this point that I was a year ago, and this tequila seems to present as pure an agave flavor profile as I can imagine. That and a stunning, pure, lingering finish. I have said it before, I think the finish separates the merely wonderful from the great, and this blanco has as good a finish as I have ever experienced in a tequila.

Tasted in a caballito on February 5, 2008 showing lasting legs on the glass.

Casa Noble Crystal

Color: clear
Aroma: strong alcohol
Taste: pure agave with a creamy body, a finish with a pepper burn.

A wonderful sipping blanco that is too good to cover up in a cocktail. The taste from beginning to end is smooth and easy to drink.

Casa Noble Crystal Triple Distilled Tequila Blanco, NOM 1137. Like it says crystal clear color with long, even legs extending high on the glass. The nose is earthy agave with some alcohol burn, spice, & a hint of pine. The initial taste is sweet & slightly warm with a late burst of black peppery licorice. The body is medium that lingers long into the finish with tastes of earth, spicy agave, & an aged quality uncharacteristic of a blanco. The finish starts in the cheeks, rolls completely over the tongue, & lasts into the next sip becoming the longest finish I've ever experienced. This tequila is smooth but not as smooth as others due to some, but not overwhelming, alcohol burn. Overall this is a very fine tequila that I enjoyed immensely, savoring each & every sip. The bottle, including the steel embossed cap over cork, is a true work of art worthy of keeping as any other decanter would be. Scores high on the impression scale. Very pricey in my area but not as much in others. Top shelf. Just short of a solid A.

Color clear with a 'crystal sparkle' when viewed in a Riedel Ouverture glass. Very slow but pervasive breakdown from top to bottom. Narrow leg speed acceleration downward with spotty top. Smells of agave from bottom to top of rim with moderate reduction on the move up. Exceptionally smooth and subtle start, lasting pepper middle and little aftertaste.

When I think Casa Noble Crystal, I think agave, agave, agave. It has a strong initial agave and pepper flavor that continues to the back. It finishes with yet more agave, alcohol, and a slight bite - but nothing to be afraid of.

I am not a big sipper of blancos; I guess I prefer the subtle complexities and smoothness of anejos. But Casa Noble blanco is a great example of pure, unaged tequila; and a good way to retune the senses for agave.