Casa Noble Single Barrel Anejo Tequila

One of my favorite and go to tequilas! This 5 year single barrel tequila is drastically better than it's 2 year sibling but also almost twice the price at $110 a bottle. It's simply an all around great tequila. The french oak barrel provides a perfect hint of sweet vanilla for this lowland agave.

For the price, it's very hard to beat. This is also one of those tequilas where a single ice cube can really open up the taste and flavors. Some people will think i'm nuts for saying that, but give it a shot :-)

I love dark chocolate and this is what I identify with every time I tate Casa Noble EA, but it is more than that, spices, cooked agave, orange peel and some nice flower notes. Taste again you get the initial dark chocolate and then progresses into almonds, orange peel, vanilla, agave and flowers. Well balanced with enough complexity but maintaining that base as a tequila. Body is full and color is nice golden, red/orange, coper with a lot of light. Finish is long and very much pleasurable with a bit of dry feeling from the long aging.

Quite possibly the king of special edition or barrel tequilas is Casa Noble. They have single barrels specifically chosen by stores and many different types of expressions of tequila available. This is the SB Añejo chosen by Hi Time Wines. It is aged in French oak barrels for 5 years. They described it as such:

"Aromas of vanilla, toasted wood, cocoa, smoke, fennel, citrus, clean earth, herbs, coffee and daedal spices tease, tempting you to taste. The opulent mouth-feel delivers a presentation of the complex aromas that are mature, deep and interlacing. The finish persists with lissome expressions of the flavors and passes deliberately with dry niceties that entice you to sip again."

While any of my readers know that I might not put it quite as eloquently (can someone please look up daedal for me?)...I will do my best to tell you if I agree and if I think it's worth it in the lofty price range.

Price: $95-100/bottle

Aroma: A really interesting nose where the agave is interlaced with big oak aromas and chocolate, spice (possibly daedal) and a hint of smoke. Very inviting.

Initial Taste: There's a nice mix of sweetness for the barrel aging along with the lowland agave that gives it a great dessert flavor without it being too syrupy.

Body: A really oily and creamy body that coats the palate really well. As it moves back on the tongue, the more bitter flavors of oak/chocolate/smoke mix harmoniously.

Finish: An extremely long finish where the dark chocolate and smoke seem to linger the longest. There's even a hint of coffee essence that is there as well.

From start to finish, this is complex and delicious. If you are looking for a tequila to sit down with for a relaxing evening or to pair with a cigar, this is the one that you are looking for. It mixes the green aspects the agave, the sweet aspects from mellowing and the bitter notes from the oak in a wonderful fashion. As you know, I don't often recommend tequilas in the $100 range too often, but if you are so inclined to like the profile above, this one will definitely not disappoint. It is truly a unique and delicious extra añejo journey.

This is an exquisite tequila, soft yet bold - a tequila that, happily, requires some commitment in getting to know it. The nose, like its colour, is deep and dark: vanilla, oak, sour fruit, black chocolate, and agave. Body is rich and oily. It glides over the tongue, leaving in its wake sharp notes of smoky wood, nutty fruit, dark spice, earthy agave, and more bittersweet chocolate. But it's the finish, that Casa Noble finish, that affirms the beauty of this tequila: big and bitey despite its 5 year rest. A lovely pepper spice and light heat slowly evolve into a lengthy after-finish of warm tart sweetness. This is a refined and amazing tequila.

Nose of honey and deep spice with just a touch of cherry
Buttery on the way in, and stays thick and full throughout. Texture and flavor are smokey with a hint of herb and pepper
Extra oily-smooth on the way down with a very long warm peppery finish.
Quality for the price is solid. You can sense the age in this tequila, and for a top shelf line it's very reasonable considering the competition.
Bottle is beautiful ceramic black with gold flecks and a silver top with a silver "The One" medallion. Nice touch. Overall a very good tequila for the price. I shot the first half of the bottle and sipped the second half...but then again, that's how I do them all!