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Max Power

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I saw that the old tequila thread was locked and thought it would be a good idea to open up a new one. I'm fairly new to bourbon, but experienced with tequila. With so many of the tequilas being aged in old bourbon barrels, there can be a lot of similarities found in specific tequila brands.

Don Pilar is one that specifically comes to mind that has a bourbon nose and finish.

Does anyone else here love the agave juice as much as me? And what's your favorite brand to sip?

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I'm a fan too and like quite a few different brands but my regulars are El Tesoro Reposado and Herradura Reposado. When I'm drinking loads and don't want to hurt the head and the wallet, I go for Cazadores Reposado and Cazadores Anejo. There are plenty of others but those are the ones that I tend to replace the most.

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I enjoy Sotol, Mezcal & Tequila.

I lean towards Mezcal for the richer, smokier flavors than what you get in Tequila. I like Sotol for it's softer, more refined flavors (tends to be slightly lower ABV as well).

My faves are Del Mageuy Mezcals (Chichicapa especially). I like Vida as well for a value entry to premium Mezcal.

Sombra is a pretty smokey mid-shelfer as well with some great flavors and decent ABV.

I've actually found that most Anejos seem "over woody" - despite my love for aged spirits, most of the very aged Agave drinks get a bit rough. Reposado seems to hit the right spot for me.

I really like Milagro, Gran Centanario (I actually really like the hibiscus infused version - which, admittedly is like enjoying Red Gag, but it's actually enjoyable to me), Herradura and Ahmbar isn't bad (but kinda pricey). My favorite cheap one is El Jimador - all three versions are good.

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I will say do really like Tequila but have not ventured out very much. Luther o this board provided some good recommendations to me several weeks ago and plan to go grab some soon. I tend to keep Tequila Ocho in the house to drink when I want Tequila. Although boring, I do still enjoy Patron Reposado when drinking out.

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I just found the El Jimador last week too, my wife's the tequila drinker. Imported by our friends at Brown-Foreman.... But I like the taste. Blanco is almost white dogish in a good way.

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I enjoy Sotol, Mezcal & Tequila.

I lean towards Mezcal for the richer, smokier flavors than what you get in Tequila. I like Sotol for it's softer, more refined flavors (tends to be slightly lower ABV as well).

My faves are Del Mageuy Mezcals (Chichicapa especially). I like Vida as well for a value entry to premium Mezcal.

Sombra is a pretty smokey mid-shelfer as well with some great flavors and decent ABV.

I've actually found that most Anejos seem "over woody" - despite my love for aged spirits, most of the very aged Agave drinks get a bit rough. Reposado seems to hit the right spot for me.

I really like Milagro, Gran Centanario (I actually really like the hibiscus infused version - which, admittedly is like enjoying Red Gag, but it's actually enjoyable to me), Herradura and Ahmbar isn't bad (but kinda pricey). My favorite cheap one is El Jimador - all three versions are good.

I'll agree with you. Although some anejos have great flavor and character, I tend to like reposados a bit more because they hold the agave flavor and spice that I love so much from tequilas.

I need to get into some more mezcals. Sotols are a nice change of pace, but I guess I like the spicy blue agave flavor over the more grassy wild agave.

The best tequilas I have had are:

Corrido

Penca Azul

Clase Azul

Pura vida (for a cheaper one)

JLP President's (for a real value)

Being in Minnesota, I have to get most of them shipped to me. I wish that good tequila selection was as easy to find as bourbon.

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I will say do really like Tequila but have not ventured out very much. Luther o this board provided some good recommendations to me several weeks ago and plan to go grab some soon. I tend to keep Tequila Ocho in the house to drink when I want Tequila. Although boring, I do still enjoy Patron Reposado when drinking out.

Ocho has a very interesting concept in doing "vintage" tequilas, but because they take agave from different areas each vintage, it's impossible to know what you're going to get the next time. One blanco may be great and the next might be awful. I got the Los Mangos Blanco and it does nothing for me. Way to much earth. It almost tastes dirty. The other blanco 2010 vintage is supposed to be almost overly sweet. Interesting concept, but I'm not sure they'll get enough followers willing to risk multiple times at $50+ a bottle.

Nothing wrong with enjoying Patron. One thing that you might want to try is Avion. It's a step more towards a true tequila from Patron, but still has the really clean and smooth characteristic that makes everyone love Patron. Triple distilled tequilas lose a little in the flavor, but gain in smoothness. It's a personal preference thing. I like both.

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I rarely drink it but am having some now. It is a mingling I made a few years ago. It is Herradura Reposado, Olmeca Tequila Gold, 4 Copas Blanco, Jose Cuervo Family Reserve and a brand brought to me by a guest whose name (the tequila) I can no longer recall, it was from a holiday he took there. It was very good, gold-colored and soft, not sweetened or cut with sugar alcohol according to the label.

The blend is rounded, soft and malty, with a definite but refined tequila flavor - as refined as good tequila can get, I would say. Only the nose betrays the blending, it is quite neutral, as if the various scents cancelled each other out. But the taste is really good. I tasted very small amounts of the 4 tequilas I still have from the 5 used to make the blend and I truly prefer the blend to any of them.

Gary

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I've actually found that most Anejos seem "over woody" - despite my love for aged spirits, most of the very aged Agave drinks get a bit rough. Reposado seems to hit the right spot for me.

I am in complete agreement. I have been into te-kill-ya for almost 20 years now. It was my spirit of choice before bourbon. My favorite doesnt appear to be made anymore. Lapiz Azul was nectar from the gods.

Now days I just have Don Julio reposado and a mini of anejo that i brought back from Mexico. I recently found El Espolon blanco which is sublime for the money...but their repesado is not as good. I am thinking trying to branch out and collect again...but bourbon has my heart and wallet for the moment.

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I am in complete agreement. I have been into te-kill-ya for almost 20 years now. It was my spirit of choice before bourbon. My favorite doesnt appear to be made anymore. Lapiz Azul was nectar from the gods.

Now days I just have Don Julio reposado and a mini of anejo that i brought back from Mexico. I recently found El Espolon blanco which is sublime for the money...but their repesado is not as good. I am thinking trying to branch out and collect again...but bourbon has my heart and wallet for the moment.

Lapiz changed its name to Lapis. It's still around and is good, but maybe not as good as others in the price range.

Don Julio Repo is a great all around example of a reposado. Pretty much the entire DJ line is fantastic...especially the 1942. I wouldn't run out and get the 70th for the price. It's complex, but it almost fights itself to an extent.

I like Espolon too. In the same price range I think I prefer JLP, but I have to get both shipped. Since it seems like you enjoy reposados, you should really give Muchote a shot. It's $25-30 a bottle and can hold its own with any "ultra-premium" tequila.

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What are your thoughts about Ralfy's score of 84/100 on Jose Cuervo Especial? I cannot beleive it. A man with incredible taste in liquor providing a score that high on a tequila that is perhaps the most disgusting ever produced.

Although, in his review he did provide some insight to the licking of salt and sucking on the lime. He said it was a trick to disguise the awful flavor of bad tequila. :grin:

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I'm pretty new here, but anyone who is giving JC Especial that kind of score has no taste for tequila. It's a bottom 10 juice that I've ever had and I've probably sampled somewhere in the realm of 180-200 tequilas.

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What are your thoughts about Ralfy's score of 84/100 on Jose Cuervo Especial? I cannot beleive it. A man with incredible taste in liquor providing a score that high on a tequila that is perhaps the most disgusting ever produced.

I'm pretty new here, but anyone who is giving JC Especial that kind of score has no taste for tequila. It's a bottom 10 juice that I've ever had and I've probably sampled somewhere in the realm of 180-200 tequilas.

Maybe his "incredible taste in liquor" doesn't encompass all

liquors and he's basing his rating on the Tequila available to

him or comparing it to the ones he has tried (which would

be even worse than the JCE by your standards?...)

And as far as "no taste for tequila" - how bout you find me

a Tequila reviewer and have him sample some Scotch or

Bourbon. Wanna bet you find those ratings a bit skewed

compared to how Whisk(e)y reviewers might score them?...

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And as far as "no taste for tequila" - how bout you find me

a Tequila reviewer and have him sample some Scotch or

Bourbon. Wanna bet you find those ratings a bit skewed

compared to how Whisk(e)y reviewers might score them?...

It's a fair point. I'm a tequila drinker first and foremost. I've tasted plenty of scotch and bourbon, but am more new to bourbon out of all of them. Obviously everyone's own palate is going to dictate their own preferences. If he happens to prefer a tequila that is a pleasant mix of rubbing alcohol and sugar...that's his prerogative. Agave spirits tend more towards peppery in the unaged and have a wide range in the aged category.

If I gave you guys a bourbon that tastes like Vodka and maple syrup put together, I'm pretty sure there would be a consensus on this board that it sucked...even if there was a couple people out there who liked it.

This post just seems to need this emoticon. :shithappens:

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And as far as "no taste for tequila" - how bout you find me

a Tequila reviewer and have him sample some Scotch or

Bourbon. Wanna bet you find those ratings a bit skewed

compared to how Whisk(e)y reviewers might score them?...

I was a tequila drinker long before bourbon. I have tasted my fair share of high end and low end enough to know what I like in a tequila. I prefer smooth and slightly sweet with some of the actual natural agave flavor coming through. When tequila is in wood too long it gets overly woody and bitter. That might be someone's cup of tea....but...JCE is...well....it's piss. I am shocked they can call it tequila. it's yellow colored alcohol. They say the non-100% agave tequilas are typically mixed with sugar cane distillate (rum). I love rum and have a vast collection...and JCE has ZERO rum flavor profile.

My wife, who hates alcohol in almost ALL forms, was able to tell the difference between JCE and 100% agave.:grin:

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I was a tequila drinker long before bourbon. I have tasted my fair share of high end and low end enough to know what I like in a tequila. I prefer smooth and slightly sweet with some of the actual natural agave flavor coming through. When tequila is in wood too long it gets overly woody and bitter. That might be someone's cup of tea....but...JCE is...well....it's piss. I am shocked they can call it tequila. it's yellow colored alcohol. They say the non-100% agave tequilas are typically mixed with sugar cane distillate (rum). I love rum and have a vast collection...and JCE has ZERO rum flavor profile.

My wife, who hates alcohol in almost ALL forms, was able to tell the difference between JCE and 100% agave.:grin:

It is shocking that it gets called "tequila." That's why the label of 100% agave is so important. Can you imagine someone mixing 51% bourbon and 49% rum and then adding color and trying to pass it off as bourbon? It's pretty much the same thing except for some reason people drink the piss water.

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It is shocking that it gets called "tequila." That's why the label of 100% agave is so important. Can you imagine someone mixing 51% bourbon and 49% rum and then adding color and trying to pass it off as bourbon? It's pretty much the same thing except for some reason people drink the piss water.

Are you saying it can't be called "Tequila"? Is there a Reg issue that is in question?

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Are you saying it can't be called "Tequila"? Is there a Reg issue that is in question?

Sort of. Tequila can't be called "tequila" unless "IT" is made in the region of Tequila, Mexico. There is no regulation that the spirit made has to be 100% agave. For our edification:

4.34 Tequila

The regional alcoholic beverage obtained by distilling musts, prepared directly and originally from extracted material, in the manufacturing facilities of an Authorized Producer, which must be located in the territory specified in the Declaration, derived from the hearts of tequilana weber blue variety Agave, previously or subsequently hydrolyzed or cooked, and subjected to alcoholic fermentation with cultivated or uncultivated yeasts, wherein said musts may be enhanced and blended together before fermentation with other sugars up to a proportion no greater than 49% of total reducing sugars expressed in units of mass, pursuant to this Official Mexican Standard, and with the understanding that cold mixing is not permitted. Tequila is a liquid that, according to its type, is colorless or colored when aged in oak or Encino oak (holm or holm oak) wood containers, or when mellowed without aging.

Tequila may be enhanced by the addition of sweeteners, coloring, aromatizers and/or flavorings permitted by the Ministry of Health in order to provide or intensify its color, aroma and/or flavor.

Reference to the term “Tequila†in this NOM is understood to apply to the two categories indicated in Chapter 5, except for express references to “100% agave†Tequila.

5.1.2 “Tequilaâ€

The product defined in paragraph one of Section 4.34 of this NOM whose musts may be enhanced and blended together prior to fermentation with other sugars in a proportion not to exceed 49% of total reducing sugars expressed in units of mass. This maximum enhancement of up to 49% of total reducing sugars expressed in units of mass may not be done with sugars from any species of Agave. The 51% of total reducing sugars expressed in units of mass may only be enhanced with tequilana weber blue variety Agave grown in the territory specified in the Declaration.

This product may be bottled in plants not belonging to an authorized producer under strict compliance by the bottler of the conditions set forth in Section 6.5.4.2 and other applicable provisions of this NOM.

IN the event you want to read A LOT of legalese: http://www.tequila.net/faqs/tequila/what-are-the-regulations-governing-tequila.html

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Sort of. Tequila can't be called "tequila" unless "IT" is made in the region of Tequila, Mexico. There is no regulation that the spirit made has to be 100% agave. For our edification:

4.34 Tequila

The regional alcoholic beverage obtained by distilling musts, prepared directly and originally from extracted material, in the manufacturing facilities of an Authorized Producer, which must be located in the territory specified in the Declaration, derived from the hearts of tequilana weber blue variety Agave, previously or subsequently hydrolyzed or cooked, and subjected to alcoholic fermentation with cultivated or uncultivated yeasts, wherein said musts may be enhanced and blended together before fermentation with other sugars up to a proportion no greater than 49% of total reducing sugars expressed in units of mass, pursuant to this Official Mexican Standard, and with the understanding that cold mixing is not permitted. Tequila is a liquid that, according to its type, is colorless or colored when aged in oak or Encino oak (holm or holm oak) wood containers, or when mellowed without aging.

Tequila may be enhanced by the addition of sweeteners, coloring, aromatizers and/or flavorings permitted by the Ministry of Health in order to provide or intensify its color, aroma and/or flavor.

Reference to the term “Tequila†in this NOM is understood to apply to the two categories indicated in Chapter 5, except for express references to “100% agave†Tequila.

5.1.2 “Tequilaâ€

The product defined in paragraph one of Section 4.34 of this NOM whose musts may be enhanced and blended together prior to fermentation with other sugars in a proportion not to exceed 49% of total reducing sugars expressed in units of mass. This maximum enhancement of up to 49% of total reducing sugars expressed in units of mass may not be done with sugars from any species of Agave. The 51% of total reducing sugars expressed in units of mass may only be enhanced with tequilana weber blue variety Agave grown in the territory specified in the Declaration.

This product may be bottled in plants not belonging to an authorized producer under strict compliance by the bottler of the conditions set forth in Section 6.5.4.2 and other applicable provisions of this NOM.

IN the event you want to read A LOT of legalese: http://www.tequila.net/faqs/tequila/what-are-the-regulations-governing-tequila.html

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Are you saying it can't be called "Tequila"? Is there a Reg issue that is in question?
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No. Like the other poster posted, if it's 51% tequila, it can still be called tequila. So long as it is in Jalisco (for the most part, I think there are a few exceptions) and has a NOM and is approved by the Mexican government, it can be called tequila. 51% is the minimum amount that it can be and still called tequila.

But like I said, it's the same as making a spirit 51% bourbon and 49% filler and calling it bourbon just because the government says it's OK.

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So, if I have this right, it's not at all shocking that it's called "Tequila"?

Correct. They are well within the laws to do so. The statement of "shocking" was a bit of hyperbole. Although, it is strange that something that is 51% of something with 49% filler can be classified the same as something that is 100% juice.

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My closest Mexican friends think us Americans get carried away with what they call "boutique" tequilas. Two of them are well-paid bankers who travel often between Mexico and the USA and can afford pretty much anything they see on a well-stocked store shelf (unlike myself), bringing back tequila from small estates that generally produce only for local consumption. I've tasted many of these tequilas, which ranged from very good to exceptional, but truthfully have never encountered anything significantly better than the best Herradura, Don Julio, etc. products that I find in my local Binny's or well-appointed tequila bars that I've visited in Texas. These are the very brands that these Mexican friends of mine stock in their own homes, and I would say their love for tequila is certainly equal to my love of bourbon and single malts.

Admittedly, I have no expertise in this area whatsoever and no doubt sound like a neanderthal to those with a true passion for tequila, but are my Mexican friends that far off base with their recommendations for my own home liquor cabinet? As a means of comparison, I've sampled hundreds of single malts over the years and personally owned roughly a hundred different bottles by several dozen different distillers, but when push comes to shove would have to concede that many of the most common and highly-regarded expressions produced by the big name distilleries (Lagavulin, Ardbeg, Laphroaig, Macallan, etc. to name a few) were, in the end, the finest I've come across. That doesn't mean to say that I haven't been immensely impressed with some of the whisky from much lesser known distilleries, only that my pursuit of the finest drams eventually led me back to where I initially started. I know that I'm not articulating my thoughts on this particulary well, but have any of you tequila buffs reached a similar conclusion after years of sampling? And what brands/expressions would you consider "must haves" in the cabinet for someone working on a limited budget?

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Admittedly, I have no expertise in this area whatsoever and no doubt sound like a neanderthal to those with a true passion for tequila, but are my Mexican friends that far off base with their recommendations for my own home liquor cabinet?

Yes and no. My wife is from Mexico and when I visit we go shopping for Tequila. They would rather buy El Señor or JCE because it's cheap; not because it's good. These same folks swear by Buchanan's and Chivas Regal blended Scotch. ;)

However, they did seem to like certain brands if they had the money. Don Julio being their favorite. So that's what I took home, plus a tasty rare and cheap gem: Orendain Crema De Almendrado. Essentially it's Tequila aged with almonds. It's an awesome substitute for triple sec in a top shelf margarita.

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So that's what I took home, plus a tasty rare and cheap gem: Orendain Crema De Almendrado. Essentially it's Tequila aged with almonds. It's an awesome substitute for triple sec in a top shelf margarita.

mmm.....almond tequila. I had a bottle with a group of friends 5-10 years ago. I remember it being delicious. Now I am going to have to go buy some.

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