Tequila Forum

[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.

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My favorite dusties to find:

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-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.

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Dusty hunting in Chicago.

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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. :grin: 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. :grin: 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!

[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!:grin:

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.

[luther.r]

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.

El Tesoro is actually highlands, from Arandas. But I agree it's very earthy. That's what I like about it. It's interesting you mention green olives because I think El Tesoro 70 has a strong olive oil flavor.

[AaronWF]

Well shoot, I'm getting more than I bargained for here. Budgeting for bourbon and rye is one thing. Throw in single malt and some Irish and a slight wind will carry the piggy bank away.

Introduce tequila, and I won't have any money for beer.

[Ejmharris]

Well shoot, I'm getting more than I bargained for here. Budgeting for bourbon and rye is one thing. Throw in single malt and some Irish and a slight wind will carry the piggy bank away.

Introduce tequila, and I won't have any money for beer.

[Max Power]

Well shoot, I'm getting more than I bargained for here. Budgeting for bourbon and rye is one thing. Throw in single malt and some Irish and a slight wind will carry the piggy bank away.

Introduce tequila, and I won't have any money for beer.

[Jono]

http://www.whiskyreviews.blogspot.com/

Ralfy is looking at various Mexican spirits including Ocho Anejo Tequila 2007 Vintage and Sotol Hacienda de Chihuahua (Anejo). I don't have much experience with either Sotol (none) or Tequila (other than in cocktails).

I think he has a Mezcal review coming up.

The Sotol sounds like an interesting choice.

He gives the Ocho Anejo very good marks.

[Max Power]

http://www.whiskyreviews.blogspot.com/

Ralfy is looking at various Mexican spirits including Ocho Anejo Tequila 2007 Vintage and Sotol Hacienda de Chihuahua (Anejo). I don't have much experience with either Sotol (none) or Tequila (other than in cocktails).

I think he has a Mezcal review coming up.

The Sotol sounds like an interesting choice.

He gives the Ocho Anejo very good marks.

Ocho is an interesting brand. Doing it vintage brand buying from different areas creates a new tequila every year. That means that they can't create consistency, but they can create a following and a rarity for each vintage. I had the 2009 Anejo and 2010 blanco. The anejo was very good and the blanco was very mediocre. Thus, his 2007 review doesn't really help because those are off the shelves and can only really be bought secondary market...which I have no interest in doing.

Sotols are kind of fun. They're like a really grassy tequila that is a bit less sweet. It's a different spirit for sure, but there's only a few brands.

[Jono]

Thanks, that is good info. I note Binnys has two Ocho products...one without an age statement for about $60 and the "extra" for about $160. Big jump in price there.

http://www.binnys.com/spirits/search/?advs=2&ast=&asc=&astxt=Ocho%20Anejo%20Tequila

[unclebunk]

Well shoot, I'm getting more than I bargained for here. Budgeting for bourbon and rye is one thing. Throw in single malt and some Irish and a slight wind will carry the piggy bank away.

Introduce tequila, and I won't have any money for beer.

How about good quality tequila and cheap Mexican beer? Hmm. There's got to be a country song in there somewhere?:grin:

[Max Power]

Thanks, that is good info. I note Binnys has two Ocho products...one without an age statement for about $60 and the "extra" for about $160. Big jump in price there.

http://www.binnys.com/spirits/search/?advs=2&ast=&asc=&astxt=Ocho%20Anejo%20Tequila

In all honesty, for $50+, I can think of a ton of tequilas that I would buy before Ocho. It's good, but once you get over $50, it better be closer to great.

Browsing Binny's online I'd go with: (over Ocho)

Casa Noble

Chinaco

Don Julio

El Tesoro (anejo specifically)

Fortaleza

Riazul

Semental

Siete Leguas

Chamucos

Tonala Suprema

That's a really nice selection by Binny's. I wish we had someone locally in the Twin Cities with that kind of selection.

If you're looking specifically at anejos, I'd go with Chinaco, 7 Leguas, Riazul and Tonala. Riazul is THE highest rated tequila on tequila.net and is unlike any other I've had...a ton of cinnamon taste. Chinaco and 7 Leguas are well balanced and Tonala is a bit heavier on the vanilla/caramel side. All are smooth as can be. Happy shopping!

[Bmac]

I would choose Don Julio out of that lineup.

Another vote for Don Julio.

[Jono]

Thanks Max for the buying selection advice...this is a new spirit to explore. Last summer I started looking at rums and found them quite enjoyable as sippers so these Mexican spirits are another adventure.

[Max Power]

Thanks Max for the buying selection advice...this is a new spirit to explore. Last summer I started looking at rums and found them quite enjoyable as sippers so these Mexican spirits are another adventure.

If you like rums, then you'd love Riazul. I didn't know what flavors you liked best. Riazul is like Christmas in an ultra smooth spirit. Sweet, with spice and no harsh burn. And that's the cheapest I've ever seen it. It's kind of hard to find.

[Jono]

When you said "a ton of cinnamon taste." I said to myself...yum! Will look for it and few of the others you mentioned. Much appreciated.

[Max Power]

Tried Ambhar Anejo tonight for the first time. It's like bourbon and tequila had a baby. Nice vanilla entry, lots of oak flavors and a nice, long smokey finish. Reminds me a lot of Don Abraham. Good stuff.

[AaronWF]

I came across more tequilas while looking for bourbon dusties, and referenced this thread when I saw some Chinacos. I brought home a Chinaco Anejo imported by Robert Denton. It wasn't exactly cheap at $55, but I took the dive anyway.

The cork fell apart instantly. As I tried to clear it away, I found it to be moist, and feared the juice might have been corrupted. I was a little salty having to decant into a bourbon bottle (I kind of like the Chinaco teardrop), but I filtered it with a coffee filter and it tastes...

...really, really nice. It's very delicate, with nice vanilla flavors and oaky agave. I do think I maybe would have done better to grab the Reposado (there were a bunch of them on the shelf).

I went through a short tequila phase in the early '00s, and I drank mostly Chinaco and Herradura, but pretty much stayed away from Anejo. I'm glad I bought this, it's terrific stuff, but the vanilla is a bit much, and after a pour or two, I'm feeling the urge to get knocked around a bit by a big ol' bourbon.

[ebo]

Now that I've read through this whole thread, I feel like I need to rethink my stance on Tequila.

Like many people, I only know Tequila from my younger days of bar hopping and doing shots. The brands I recall are El Toro, 1800, Two Fingers, Jose Cuervo and Monte Alban Mezcal............ all of which contributed to my "distaste" for this spirit... I've had some serious hangovers due to all of them.

I'd like to try tequila/mezcal again. What would you guys in the know recommend to get me started? I tend to like Scotch on the peaty/smokey side, and Bourbon on the spicey/sweet side, if that helps.:cool:

[Max Power]

I came across more tequilas while looking for bourbon dusties, and referenced this thread when I saw some Chinacos. I brought home a Chinaco Anejo imported by Robert Denton. It wasn't exactly cheap at $55, but I took the dive anyway.

The cork fell apart instantly. As I tried to clear it away, I found it to be moist, and feared the juice might have been corrupted. I was a little salty having to decant into a bourbon bottle (I kind of like the Chinaco teardrop), but I filtered it with a coffee filter and it tastes...

...really, really nice. It's very delicate, with nice vanilla flavors and oaky agave. I do think I maybe would have done better to grab the Reposado (there were a bunch of them on the shelf).

I went through a short tequila phase in the early '00s, and I drank mostly Chinaco and Herradura, but pretty much stayed away from Anejo. I'm glad I bought this, it's terrific stuff, but the vanilla is a bit much, and after a pour or two, I'm feeling the urge to get knocked around a bit by a big ol' bourbon.

I love tequila, but I find that I prefer to sip a bunch of different ones in an evening rather than focus on one the entire night. Chinaco anejo is really good, but also really sweet. I can see exactly what you're talking about.

[Max Power]

Dos Lunas Blanco - Fresh & Clean. Decent.

Buen Amigo Reposado - Big time wood and dark chocolate taste. Not my thing, but OK.

Ley .925 Anejo - Good stuff.

That's tonight's lineup.

[ebo]

Ok.... since reading over this entire thread, I decided to spend some cash on Tequila.

I bought Cazadores Reposado, El Jimador Reposado, Patron Reposado and Don Julio Blanco. I love them all!... Damn you, guys!

I find that the Cazadores is the most different, in a good way. Not the most expensive (Don Julio wins that title), but it has a nice citrus nose and dry, earthy taste that really appeals to me.

The only Mezcal I can find is Monte Alban. I think I would really like the better Mezcals, as I love Islay Scotch.... I have a thing for smokey spirits. :grin:

What do you suggest I try, as far as Mezcals?

Also, what is your take on 1800 Reposado? Don Julio Reposado? Cabo Wabo (in general)? Are Anejos worth spending the extra cash on?

I think I may have found a new addiction.

[Clavius]

Alright guys, if you had to choose: Don Julio Anejo or Dos Lunas Anejo?