Tequila Forum

[Bmac]

What would you guys recommend for a decent/good Anejo tequila? I've never had an Anejo and would like to try one. A store here has half-pints of Patron, all 3 flavors, for $10.99 each. Should I just get the Anejo Patron and give it a try? Another one that I noticed on sale is Tres Generaciones Anejo for like $36.99 (for a 750ml). Is it any good? Any other recommendations?

I only have had the Don Julio Anejo and I wasnt very impressed with it, so I would be curious too.

[unclebunk]

I've never been able to find a Del Dueno. I'd love to try it. 7 Leguas is a GREAT line of tequilas. And I've always found that good tequilas never make me feel bad the morning after. Those two brands definitely qualify.

The tequila consumed that night took place at a post-reception party with a number of wedding guests who were invited back to one gentleman's house. Incredibly, our host found two sealed bottles of the Del Dueno at an estate sale several years ago and paid only $5 each for them! I must say it was mighty generous of him to open one of them for us, as three or four of us left only an inch in the bottle by the time the night drew to a close. The Siete Leguas was very fine too but most of my attention was directed towards the Del Dueno. Excellent, indeed! So, is it no longer exported to the US or even being made, for that matter? I recall our host saying that he'd never seen another bottle since, so it must be rather hard to come by these days.

[Max Power]

What would you guys recommend for a decent/good Anejo tequila? I've never had an Anejo and would like to try one. A store here has half-pints of Patron, all 3 flavors, for $10.99 each. Should I just get the Anejo Patron and give it a try? Another one that I noticed on sale is Tres Generaciones Anejo for like $36.99 (for a 750ml). Is it any good? Any other recommendations?

It all depends on what you like. Tres Gen is not very good. Patron is fine, but isn't really a good representation of quality tequila. It's very basic and kind of bland.

So much of what I'd recommend has to do with what's available and what taste profile you like. My favorite anejos include:

Don Julio
Amate
Azunia
Chinaco
Corrido (my favorite)
KAH
Penca Azul
Riazul
Tonala
Don Pilar (heavy bourbon influence)
Aha Toro
El Reformador
7 Leguas
Pura Vida

Hopefully you can find one of those.

[Clavius]

Unforunately my store seems kind of short on Anejo tequilas. Right now the only ones that appear decent to me based on price are:

Milagro
Herradurra
1800
Cabo Wabo
Don Julio
Dos Lunas
Cazadores

[sob0728]

Unforunately my store seems kind of short on Anejo tequilas. Right now the only ones that appear decent to me based on price are:

Milagro
Herradurra
1800
Cabo Wabo
Don Julio
Dos Lunas
Cazadores

I would choose Don Julio out of that lineup.

[Max Power]

Unforunately my store seems kind of short on Anejo tequilas. Right now the only ones that appear decent to me based on price are:

Milagro
Herradurra
1800
Cabo Wabo
Don Julio
Dos Lunas
Cazadores

Don Julio and Dos Lunas are the best from that bunch for me. Don Julio is very sweet, Dos lunas is as well, but has a bit of spice along with it.

Milagro might be best for the price. Don't buy 1800, Herradura or Cazadores from that bunch.

[moose]

Don Julio from that list is the best option, the Cabo Wabo isn't bad, it used to be better, but recent releases haven't been as good as they once were.

[luther.r]

I just read through this whole thread. Nice to see some folks talkin' tequilas here! Some great info has already been posted. I've been a tequila fiend for a while now and have a lot of knowledge in the cobwebs of my brain. I've toured many of the distilleries and know a couple industry insiders. Here's a quick brain and opinion dump for what it's worth:

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My 3 favorite currently-available tequilas in no particular order:
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-El Tesoro
Highlands tequila from Arandas. The master distiller Carlos is the most knowledgeable distiller in Mexico in my opinion, and ultra-dedicated to the highest quality product. Their Mexico-only brand is called Tapatio, and is just as good. Once a year an extra anejo product called Tapatio Exelencia is released, but sadly not to the US. It's spectacular. El Tesoro 70 and Paradiso are also excellent top-shelf anejos.

-Fortaleza
When the Sauzas sold their empire to a major producer, the family kept one very small estate. It's a beautiful piece of land with incredible gardens. The grandson of the original owner, Guillermo Sauza, moved back there in the 1990s. A building that was being used as storage was once a very small distillery, and one of the caretakers used to be the distiller. He convinced Guillermo they should start making tequila there again. It's possibly the smallest tequila distillery in Mexico, and is the very embodiment of "artisan." The blanco is simply amazing. In Mexico this brand is called Los Abuelos ("The Grandfathers") but that name was taken in the US by another product so the name Fortaleza is used here.

-Siete Leguas
The distillery that originally produced Patron, back when it was actually good. Once the agreement expired and Patron built their own facility, 7L was able to import directly to the US market. All their products are top notch in my opinion. They have an extra aged anejo that's available in Mexico only called D'Antano. I think you can get it at duty free. I highly recommend bringing back a bottle if you're visiting.

One interesting thing is that all three of these distilleries crush their agave with a tahona, the large stone in a circular pit. Maybe my pallet is tuned to something that this process imparts to the flavors.

-===============-
My favorite dusties to find:
-===============-

-Porfidio
There aren't many of these left, and they're risky business. Porfidio was the first brand to produce a single barrel anejo. They didn't distill their own product, but bought blanco from other distilleries and did the aging and bottling themselves. The brand is actually rife with controversy and drama, including losing the rights to make tequila eventually; somebody should do a documentary. In any case, some of the single barrel anejo I've found is pretty blah; others have been among the best aged tequila I've ever had. The key here is to make sure the bottle says "Tequila" and not "Tequila Jalisco" on the label.

-El Tesoro white label
These are the older bottles referenced earlier in this thread. The importer will be listed as R. Denton, the man who REALLY brought good tequila to the US (he imported Chinaco and El Tesoro before Paul Mitchell and Patron came along). Personally I think the current El Tesoro is just as good as these older bottles, but there's definitely a different character. I'm in the minority though; most aficionados prefer the white label bottles.

-Casa Noble
The first bottlings were stellar, especially the blanco. The importer listed on the back was Vamonos Rapido, and the bottles were hand-blown and much prettier than the newer ones. The original anejo bottles had hand-painted gold "basket weave" designs and are highly sought after. I have a few treasured bottles of Vamonos CN Blanco in my bunker.

-Chinaco
Max Power mentioned this. The original bottles of Chinaco were tall, more wine-style bottles. Later the current "teardrop" bottles replace them. Any bottle with the importer listed as Denton will be stellar, incredible stuff. The later Fielding & Jones bottles aren't as good but still high quality juice.

-1921
The first bottles imported had a wax-dipped top with a little leather strap to pull the wax off. These "leatherstrap" bottles are the best in most people's opinion. If you find one, buy it. More recently, they changed distilleries and the consensus is that it's not so good anymore.

-Jose Cuervo Anejo
gblick mentioned this one earier. This was released for a very short time in the mid-1990s and is just excellent stuff. It's considered by some to be the same juice that's in the 1994 Reserva de Familia, which is many people's favorite year. The first bottles had a a wax top with the stopper dangling down next to the bottle.

-===============-
Dusty hunting in Chicago.
-===============-

Sorry guys, but starting around 2005-2006 myself and another guy went through Pilsen, Little Village, and many north side neighborhoods and got most of the good stuff. I still occasionally find things, but the glory days of walking in a store and finding 30 bottles of El Tesoro white label are gone. Not to discourage you though; you'll just have to dig deeper and try the smaller stores to find the good scores!

[unclebunk]

My 3 favorite currently-available tequilas in no particular order: El Tesoro
Highlands tequila from Arandas. The master distiller Carlos is the most knowledgeable distiller in Mexico in my opinion, and ultra-dedicated to the highest quality product...

Sorry guys, but starting around 2005-2006 myself and another guy went through Pilsen, Little Village, and many north side neighborhoods and got most of the good stuff. I still occasionally find things, but the glory days of walking in a store and finding 30 bottles of El Tesoro white label are gone. Not to discourage you though; you'll just have to dig deeper and try the smaller stores to find the good scores!

Aha! Another El Tesoro lover! As I mentioned up thread, some friends turned me on to the entire El Tesoro line and I've been a big fan ever since. Sadly, I've never been able to find one of the "old label" bottles and now I know why!

Thanks for all the info and for sharing your thoughts on particular brands. Don't tell my wife, but I think I may be looking for more bunker space soon.

[Max Power]

Aha! Another El Tesoro lover! As I mentioned up thread, some friends turned me on to the entire El Tesoro line and I've been a big fan ever since. Sadly, I've never been able to find one of the "old label" bottles and now I know why!

Thanks for all the info and for sharing your thoughts on particular brands. Don't tell my wife, but I think I may be looking for more bunker space soon.

It's been a while since I've tried my El Tesoro Anejo, but I might have to break it out tonight. I'm not a big fan of the blanco, but I know exactly why. It's a lowland tequila with a bit more earthy quality and the blanco has a taste of earth and green olives (which I hate). It's a high quality juice, but it's for someone else's palate...not mine.