Tequila Forum

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Originally Posted by Bmac

Eeeep! Never heard of Don Lunas..and I wasnt impressed with Don Julio Anejo. So...maybe I would go with Don Lunas just to try something different.

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I like them both. Dos Lunas blanco is a bit more of a clean taste than Don Julio, which isn't necessarily a good thing. Don Julio has a bit more earth and grassy notes. Dos Lunas blanco is a bit thinner and is just agave forward with lighter spice/pepper.

The reposados of both brands are great. I like Don Julio better, but it's a close call.

The anejos are both good too. Don Julio is a very well aged and sweet/caramel flavor with little spice and is really smooth. Dos Lunas has a bit more flavors...including more oak, but isn't quite as smooth.

All in all, both tequilas are very good choices. My favorite out of all of them might be Don Julio Reposado. But you can't honestly go wrong with any of them.

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Originally Posted by unclebunk

I haven't placed my tequila order yet but may do so today or tomorrow. I'm going with Hi Time and looking at picking up Fortaleza Blanco and Fortaleza Reposado, both of which are available to me here in Chicago but at much higher prices, even when shipping is factored in. Others on my short list include Corrido, Muchote and Dos Lunas (all unavailable here). Casa Noble, Chinaco, Arette and Siete Leguas are somewhat higher on my "want" list than those last three (with the exception perhaps of Corrido) but can be purchased at Binny's here in Chicago for comparable prices when Binny's runs their periodic 15% off all spirits sale. Given that it makes more sense to buy four or five bottles than two when calculating shipping, I might as well go for stuff I can't get here first and get the others later. (Also, my Mexican buddies are planning a huge party with live music, a goat roast, etc. Memorial Day weekend and I'd like to treat them to stuff they've never had before.) One thing I'm wrestling with is whether to go with blancos or reposados with all of these brands. I must admit that I have always favored reposados and anejos and have generally viewed (most) blancos as tequila better suited for mixers. But El Tesoro Platinum changed all that and now I'm craving the straight agave-in-your-face tequilas which has me re-thinking my erroneous attitude towards blancos. I fully expect Fortaleza Blanco to deliver what I'm after but with all the other brands, I just don't know.

In the past, I used to but single malts from Shoppers Vineyard but they seem to have suddenly terminated out-of-state sales, so I'm now looking elsewhere.

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Fortaleza blanco is widely viewed as one of the best blancos out there. I can't disagree with that...I love the stuff. The reposado is good too, but not as good as the blanco (And I'm a reposado/anejo guy for the most part too).

I will tell you this: For the value, you MUST get Muchote. Also, you will never find better prices than Hi Time has on Dos Lunas. The blanco is good for sipping or mixing, but it's a bit more thin bodied. The repo and anejo are both very good too. They are generally much more expensive. Corrido anejo is my very favorite tequila...out of the 250+ that I've tried. I would recommed the whole line, but the anejo is a must in my book. It has everything you want from an anejo. Corrido blanco has exactly what you're looking for in terms of an in your face agave flavor as well.

From there I would rank:

1. Siete Leguas (the blanco fits your description as well)
2. Chinaco
3. Casa Noble
4. Arrette (Although I've only had the reposado)

You've got a very good shopping list going. Your Memorial Day party tequila selection is going to make people happy. If you wanted a 6 bottle shopping list, this is what I would do:

Blanco - Fortaleza, Corrido
Reposado - Muchote, Fortaleza
Anejo - Corrido, Dos Lunas

Welcome Max and awesome info.

So, I have been drinking tequila for nearly 10 years now. I am admittedly an absolute anejo snob. I like the depth, the wood, the oak. Same reason I love overaged bourbon (pappy 20) and macalan 18, etc. The Blue Agave forum is a great place for tequila discussion if you are looking for more outlets of discussion. Some of my favs though are:

Don Fulano Imperrial (DFI)
Herradura Selecion Suprema - the OLDER stuff, no the new bottle wit EXTRA ANEJO on it. that is lesser.
JC RdF - 2004 and BEFORE. There was a line drawn for after 2004 where quality went down.
Don Julio 1942 - again, the older bottling. The newer one pales in comparison.
El Tesoro anejo - always amazing, if you can find a white label one, jump at it
El Tesoto paradiso - again, the older one...seeing a trend here yet?
Penca Azul anejo - champagne of anejos, so good though
Casa Noble - 5 year, even the 2 year is good. A pure tequila.
Herencia Historico - old 5 year..
Rey Sol

Patron was once good, then got popular, new NOM and now its average (but 10 times better than JCG or JCE)

Being an anejo drinker for 10 years, I am upset at some of the product changes of products I used to love. Now I go around searching for tequila dusties with markings of it being an older bottling...

My tequila collection has therefore diminished, but its nice to see all the new brands/labels entering the market.

I picked up a bottle of that Clase Azul Reposado yesterday for our Cinco de Mayo party on Saturday. Sipped on a few pours last night. Without a doubt, the finest Tequila I have ever tasted. Thanks for the heads-up on it Max and Dave.
:toast:

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Originally Posted by Vange

Welcome Max and awesome info.

So, I have been drinking tequila for nearly 10 years now. I am admittedly an absolute anejo snob. I like the depth, the wood, the oak. Same reason I love overaged bourbon (pappy 20) and macalan 18, etc. The Blue Agave forum is a great place for tequila discussion if you are looking for more outlets of discussion. Some of my favs though are:

Don Fulano Imperrial (DFI)
Herradura Selecion Suprema - the OLDER stuff, no the new bottle wit EXTRA ANEJO on it. that is lesser.
JC RdF - 2004 and BEFORE. There was a line drawn for after 2004 where quality went down.
Don Julio 1942 - again, the older bottling. The newer one pales in comparison.
El Tesoro anejo - always amazing, if you can find a white label one, jump at it
El Tesoto paradiso - again, the older one...seeing a trend here yet?
Penca Azul anejo - champagne of anejos, so good though
Casa Noble - 5 year, even the 2 year is good. A pure tequila.
Herencia Historico - old 5 year..
Rey Sol

Patron was once good, then got popular, new NOM and now its average (but 10 times better than JCG or JCE)

Being an anejo drinker for 10 years, I am upset at some of the product changes of products I used to love. Now I go around searching for tequila dusties with markings of it being an older bottling...

My tequila collection has therefore diminished, but its nice to see all the new brands/labels entering the market.

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I'll admit that I tend towards reposados because I like the agave punch to the face with a mild mellowing and character from the wood. However, I try to judge all tequilas based on what they bring to the table.

I actually just put my blog link in my signature that has reviews on many tequilas. I'm only up to 81 reviews right now...I have tasting notes and reviews to do for about 150 more right now. I mention that for example, I'm not a huge fan of anejos that get a thick dark chocolate/mocha character, but I know people that love them. So, I mention the profile without being critical whenever possible.

I like many of the ones on your list. I've never heard anyone say Don Fulano is worth the price point, but i know I'll have to try it someday. The good and the bad with tequila is that there's 2000+ kinds so there's always something new. The bad is that you feel like you can never get to some of them.

In your list, I love Penca Azul, DJ 1942 (green label...I have a brown label bottle, but it's unopened), Casa Noble.

I'm all about finding cheap gems. Your list doesn't lack in price either. Check out these under $50 anejos.

Cavalino (like a more aged Muchote)
Volcan de mi Tierra
Azunia (amazing complexity)
Ancestra Single Barrel Anejo (maybe too sweet, but really good)
Centinela (fruity)
Chinaco (old bottlings)
Don Abraham (tons of bourbon influence)
Don Pilar (also tons of bourbon...really well aged)
JLP
Marquez de Valencia
Riazul (not $50 or under...but is amazing)
Pura vida
T1 (really rich and dark)
Reserva de Mexico
Don Fernando
Sol de Mexico (tons of flavors and character)
Trago (fruity)
Viva Mexico

The list goes on and on...

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Originally Posted by smokinjoe

I picked up a bottle of that Clase Azul Reposado yesterday for our Cinco de Mayo party on Saturday. Sipped on a few pours last night. Without a doubt, the finest Tequila I have ever tasted. Thanks for the heads-up on it Max and Dave.

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A tequila like that can change the way you look at agave spirits and how well they can be crafted. Let me know if you're looking for any specific flavor profiles and I'm glad to help. Enjoy that bottle...Cheers!:toast:

Max Power, you have great website!

If find the range of bottle styles very interesting with the Tequila and other Mexican spirits.

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Originally Posted by Jono

Max Power, you have great website!

If find the range of bottle styles very interesting with the Tequila and other Mexican spirits.

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Thanks. I've only gotten serious about it (the blog...not tequila) over the past couple of weeks. I still have a lot more work to be done. I'm hoping to make it into a bit of a part time job with some local tequila consulting for restaurants and the occasional ad on the site. Hopefully that leads to industry samples as well. :grin:

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Originally Posted by Jono

Max Power, you have great website!

If find the range of bottle styles very interesting with the Tequila and other Mexican spirits.

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+1! Great site.

Max, thanks for all the great info and insight on this wonderful, new spirit (new for me, anyway). I only have a few, cheaper Tequilas at the moment, but I'm really loving this new flavor profile.

This is just in time, and very informative for any of us "newbies" to this fine spirit. I hope you enjoy this. http://youtu.be/sHCR0378g5Y