Tequila

[fuzz]

2nd that, was looking for something on the less expensive side but still 100% agave, settled on Lanazul reposado and was plesantly surprised.

3rd that. I don't think I'd enjoy sipping Lanazul, but I'm enjoying the blanco in a margarita as I type. It's the only 100% agave tequila on the shelves here in NC that's under $20. The repo is currently on sale for $16.95! For the money, I'm not sure how you'd beat this for margaritas.

I like to start the night with a single margarita, rinse with a cup of water, and then start sipping on the more expensive juice!

[Martian]

unclebunk, you can't go wrong by just staying within the El Tesoro lineup. The El Tesoro Platinum was awarded the Best Tequila and a Double Gold medal at the 2009 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The reposado and anejo were also awarded Double Golds. All are also reasonably priced and usually priced less than Herradura.

[ILLfarmboy]

unclebunk, you can't go wrong by just staying within the El Tesoro lineup. The El Tesoro Platinum was awarded the Best Tequila and a Double Gold medal at the 2009 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The reposado and anejo were also awarded Double Golds. All are also reasonably priced and usually priced less than Herradura.

Around here the best liquor stores are usually the Hy-Vee Wine and Spirits. For some bizarre reason they have the El Tosoro Platinum priced the same as the anejo, 52 dollars. The entire El Tosoro line up is priced identical. I don't know what other people pay for the anejo but the Blanco should be around 36-38 dollars. I pay about that down in Peoria at Friar Tucks Beverage.

I wonder what gives. I was thinking the El Tosoro line was sort of like Highland Park 12, big variation in price depending on your location and the individual store.

[unclebunk]

unclebunk, you can't go wrong by just staying within the El Tesoro lineup. The El Tesoro Platinum was awarded the Best Tequila and a Double Gold medal at the 2009 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The reposado and anejo were also awarded Double Golds. All are also reasonably priced and usually priced less than Herradura.

Thanks for the advice. My Mexican friend said the same thing about the El Tesoro Platinum being an excellent blanco. I've been looking for the reposado and anejo in the older non-olive oil style bottles but haven't had any luck finding them. I guess they're long gone now but I liked the more "traditional" look of them.

[unclebunk]

...they have the El Tosoro Platinum priced the same as the anejo, 52 dollars. The entire El Tosoro line up is priced identical. I don't know what other people pay for the anejo but the Blanco should be around 36-38 dollars. I pay about that down in Peoria at Friar Tucks Beverage. I wonder what gives. I was thinking the El Tosoro line was sort of like Highland Park 12, big variation in price depending on your location and the individual store.

I just checked the Binny's on-line prices and the El Tesoro Anejo was $50 and the Reposado was $45. Oddly, the Platinum wasn't even listed. But I agree, the blanco/silver/platinum should be no more than upper $30's if the others are priced in the $45-$50 range. I'm sure all of the El Tesoro products are of excellent quality (like the Herradura line too) but I'm not quite that enamoured with tequila to spend upwards of $40 too many times. I'll be happy to have a few bottles on the bar at that price for those occasions when I want a real quality tequila, but when I'm spending that kind of dough I'm going to head for a Pappy 15 or another killer bourbon more often than not.

[ddubb]

I forgot to thank Vange for his little list of tequila types. It actually came in very useful for me.

In another thread I was complaining about most of my liquor having a smell that's similar to fingernail polish. Others referred to it as an "acetone" smell. It goes away when I let the drink aerate for a while before drinking.

I've noticed that the Herradura Anejo doesn't have that smell at all.

But more than this, there is another reason I love the Herradura. Long before I noticed that Herradura lacks this acetone smell, I noticed that I feel much better the morning after drinking Herradura, compared to how I feel after drinking anything else.

As a matter of fact, sometimes I feel better the day after Herradura, than I would've felt had I abstained from drink. I know of many who would be skeptical of this. I became intentionally skeptical myself, just so I wasn't unintentionally creating a psychosomatic effect; wishfully thinking myself into thinking I was feeling better; psyching myself into thinking my favorite drink is actually good for me.

I guess anyone else skeptical of my claim could come up with another explanation. For example, maybe I just sleep lightly in general, but on a night when I sip alcohol I achieve a deeper level of sleep. In fairness there may be something to that.

But there's something singularly unique about Herradura. It really acts like a medicinal tonic for me. There have been instances where I was having some minor (very minor) health things going on. A bout of hay fever, a canker sore outbreak, lower back goes out of whack, common cold, etc. Things that, once they hit me, usually take a few days to run their course.

You know how you can usually gauge your health, and if you got something minor like that, you can make a good guess about your expectation that the condition may linger for a day or three before its completely gone.

Some may think I'm crazy, but in many cases, drinking Herradura has been a bit like finding the correct herbal tea for what's been bugging me. The morning after having a bit the night before, I wake up feeling much better than expetcted; that is, healed up quicker and more completely than expected. I guess a good analogy is that it seem to live up to the claims made about menudo.

[unclebunk]

But there's something singularly unique about Herradura. It really acts like a medicinal tonic for me. Some may think I'm crazy, but in many cases, drinking Herradura has been a bit like finding the correct herbal tea for what's been bugging me. The morning after having a bit the night before, I wake up feeling much better than expetcted; that is, healed up quicker and more completely than expected. I guess a good analogy is that it seem to live up to the claims made about menudo.

Ooh. I like that. A spirit that is actually good for you! I have no doubt that some drinks may have this type of positive effect on people. I know that alcohol is a stimulant, but when I'm suffering from a head cold and experiencing one bad night's sleep after another, a small glass of scotch or Elmer T. Lee not only buys me some much needed slumber but it actually seems to clear my congestion a bit. I'll have to try it with the Herradura next time. But you can keep the menudo. I hate the stuff!

[unclebunk]

I've been meaning to ask. Has anyone tried the Corralejo line of tequila? I've been seeing it around a lot more lately and I'm intrigued. Their bottles are really attractive and the line is priced quite nicely as well (usually in the upper $20's or low $30's depending upon the retailer and sales that may take place).

[Frodo]

I've tried the Repo, Repo tripple distilled, and Anejo. Myt thoughts are that the brand has a strong peppery taste and tends to be light on the oak at each aging point tending to accentuated the agave.

[unclebunk]

Enjoyed some Cazadores Anejo last night. Sweeter than the Herradura Anejo and a bit silkier in texture but still enough agave shining through the oak. Nice bottle too!