Review Detail
89 5 100
Overall rating
89
Aroma-Nose
88
Initial Taste
91
Body
87
Finish
88
Enjoyability
90
Price
94
Presentation
79
Bought 2nd June 2011 from Selfridge's, Birmingham, England, for a trip to Stonehenge; I wanted something to introduce some friends to 100% agave tequila, and it looks like I really hit paydirt.
Tasted out of a snifter the same day.
I had previously toyed with trying out an El Jimador repo, but at the time assumed it was a mixto. Indeed, when I first saw this on the shelf, I managed to miss the 100% agave label; however, seeing as it was the cheapest one on the shelf (bar the blanco of the same line), i went for it. £26 for a 100% agave tequila in the UK is almost unheard of.
Presentation:
Pretty boring bottle. Nothing of note here, although the fact that it's a tall bottle means it's easier to find in our crowded liquor cabinet :P
Look:
Pale amber, lots of strong legs & tears
Nose:
Smells like a lighter anejo - albeit there's no wood, but plenty of cooked agave, a hint of fruit and sweetness hidden behind the kick.
Initial:
Sweet, very fruity - there's almost a hint of either strawberry or cherry in there somewhere. There's this kind of buttery smoothness over everything that continues throughout the whole experience. VERY pleasant.
Body:
A very slight - but not unpleasant - bitterness/sourness comes through, less so when warmed up somewhat; this is coupled with a slightly diminished continuation of the initial taste, albeit without the fruit. There is a hint of wood in there, with some obvious cooked agave - you can taste the 'cookedness' (struggling to put this into words) of it. There's some mild spice in there too, although I don't find the cinnamon that others have. I do get the butterscotchiness though; it's a very smooth feel.
Finish:
Short, peppery, some heat - but very little compared to e.g. DJ anejo - a mild numbess and a very distant, well-distributed but not overpowering alcohol burn. There's some wood there, and - interestingly - the agave and fruitiness from the initial return for a second finish a few seconds later!
Overall, this is a great tequila for the money. Astonishingly good for the money, actually. I preferred this to the Don Julio anejo I bought for over twice this price, and also over the unfortunate Sauza mixto repo I've been drinking for the past month or so, which just tastes like white wine to me. This has earned a firm place at the moment as my favourite tequila - at least until I get time to try out some more anejos. It IS pretty sensitive to temperature; it tastes good at room temperature, but REALLY comes into it's own when brought up to body temperature. I still can't get over how much I love the inital taste, and how it returns for a second coming after the finish! Well impressed.
I've no idea how this compares to the mixto version (which I have no desire to try unless by some miracle it is actually better than this), but I can say that it walks all over the other mixtos I've tried.
As others have said, I can see this working really well as an introduction to the wonders of the agave plant; we'll see how well my prediction works out this weekend!
Tasted out of a snifter the same day.
I had previously toyed with trying out an El Jimador repo, but at the time assumed it was a mixto. Indeed, when I first saw this on the shelf, I managed to miss the 100% agave label; however, seeing as it was the cheapest one on the shelf (bar the blanco of the same line), i went for it. £26 for a 100% agave tequila in the UK is almost unheard of.
Presentation:
Pretty boring bottle. Nothing of note here, although the fact that it's a tall bottle means it's easier to find in our crowded liquor cabinet :P
Look:
Pale amber, lots of strong legs & tears
Nose:
Smells like a lighter anejo - albeit there's no wood, but plenty of cooked agave, a hint of fruit and sweetness hidden behind the kick.
Initial:
Sweet, very fruity - there's almost a hint of either strawberry or cherry in there somewhere. There's this kind of buttery smoothness over everything that continues throughout the whole experience. VERY pleasant.
Body:
A very slight - but not unpleasant - bitterness/sourness comes through, less so when warmed up somewhat; this is coupled with a slightly diminished continuation of the initial taste, albeit without the fruit. There is a hint of wood in there, with some obvious cooked agave - you can taste the 'cookedness' (struggling to put this into words) of it. There's some mild spice in there too, although I don't find the cinnamon that others have. I do get the butterscotchiness though; it's a very smooth feel.
Finish:
Short, peppery, some heat - but very little compared to e.g. DJ anejo - a mild numbess and a very distant, well-distributed but not overpowering alcohol burn. There's some wood there, and - interestingly - the agave and fruitiness from the initial return for a second finish a few seconds later!
Overall, this is a great tequila for the money. Astonishingly good for the money, actually. I preferred this to the Don Julio anejo I bought for over twice this price, and also over the unfortunate Sauza mixto repo I've been drinking for the past month or so, which just tastes like white wine to me. This has earned a firm place at the moment as my favourite tequila - at least until I get time to try out some more anejos. It IS pretty sensitive to temperature; it tastes good at room temperature, but REALLY comes into it's own when brought up to body temperature. I still can't get over how much I love the inital taste, and how it returns for a second coming after the finish! Well impressed.
I've no idea how this compares to the mixto version (which I have no desire to try unless by some miracle it is actually better than this), but I can say that it walks all over the other mixtos I've tried.
As others have said, I can see this working really well as an introduction to the wonders of the agave plant; we'll see how well my prediction works out this weekend!
A
