The Truth About Tequila - Let's Taste Some!

In last week’s blog I covered everything you need to know about the wonderful world of Tequila. Next up is a recap of my Tequila tasting with our neighbor and friend, Matt Mendelsohn, and what we both learned from it.

Tequila tasting with “intrepid tequila master”, neighbor, and all-around great guy Matt!

Retirement affords many benefits, one of which is the ability to conduct a tequila tasting on a Wednesday afternoon while everyone else is at work! For this tasting, Matt was kind enough to bring over eight wonderful tequilas to taste – two each of the four different categories of tequila (Blanco, Reposado, Anejo, and Extra Anejo) that we tasted in pairs to compare and contrast the different styles made within each category. Also, all of these Tequilas were additive-free, allowing us to experience and taste Tequila in its purist form.

Here's a quick summary of what we tasted along with some of my initial reactions and thoughts on these different Tequilas.

Blanco Tequilas

• Siete Leguas Blanco Tequila ($50): An earthy and slightly rustic tequila with hints of white pepper and nice heat on the finish.

• Fortaleza Blanco Tequila ($52): Slightly sweet with hints of agave, smooth and silky on the finish.

Reposado Tequilas

• Partida Reposado Tequila ($43): Agave and citrus flavors with light spice and subtle hints of vanilla and a creamy mouthfeel – very traditional in style.

• El Tequileno Reposado Tequila ($55): Hints of butter and oak, complex with a bite and nice heat on the finish.

Anejo Tequilas

• Mi Familia Flores Reserva Anejo Tequila ($90): Aged in Sherry casks, with hints of agave, caramel, and honey – smooth light finish.

• Adictivo Anejo Tequila ($68): Burnt caramel, butterscotch, marshmallow, along with hints of maple syrup – sweet and savory, with a smooth and supple finish. Aged in cognac casks, this tequila drinks like a sweet desert aperitif – the most unique and distinctive of all the tequilas we tasted.

Extra Anejo Tequilas

• El Tesoro Extra Anejo Tequila ($140): Vegetal/grassy qualities with hints of mint, orange peel, oak and caramel.

• G4 Extra Anejo Tequila ($130): Subtle and soft with notes of white pepper and agave – floral nose, smooth on the finish.

Based on this tasting, I would recommend any and all of these wonderful Tequilas! I did have a few revelations from the tasting. First, I discovered what agave tastes like, which I had never noticed in any of the previous tequilas I have tasted and usually drink. For the first few Tequilas I tasted, I kept on telling Matt I was tasting something but couldn’t find the words for it – turns out it was agave, and now I have that flavor profile in my “flavor cabinet” for tequilas. I was able to taste that for the first time, I believe, because we were tasting additive-free Tequilas which allowed for the true character and flavor of the base spirit to come through and not get masked by other artificial flavors.

Also, I discovered that there was little to no correlation between price and quality or my enjoyment of the Tequila. In fact, I tended to like the less expensive Tequilas more than the expensive ones, which is a good thing!

Another revelation to me was how complex and unique individual bottlings of high quality Tequila can be. The flavor profiles of each of these Tequilas were vastly different, and the styles ranged from rustic and more simplistic in character, to lush and extravagant; from dry and a bit austere with earthy notes to sweet and savory with desert-like qualities. In the end, I thought the Anejo Tequilas were the most interesting and revelatory, and the most enjoyable as well.

Finally, we ended the tasting by sampling a couple of nice, popular tequilas that included additives – Casamigos Reposado Tequila (George Cloony’s Tequila project - $50), and Hiatus Anejo Tequila ($70). I was struck by how sweet and viscous each of these Tequilas tasted, and how similar in style they were even though one was a Reposado and the other an Anejo. I don’t mean this to be a negative statement in any way because both were delicious, but they were also just a bit generic in character and flavor profile – I much preferred the complexity and unique character each of the additive-free Tequilas exhibited. As a result, I plan to seek out more of these additive-free Tequilas in the future!

I hope these Tequila posts piqued your interest in Tequila and encouraged you to go out and buy a few to taste on their own, either straight or over ice, so you can develop your own palate for the wonderful spirit called Tequila!