Really great stuff by Don Vicente and the crew at El Pandillo! On the nose I get the typical characteristics from aged expressions out of there, hints of vanilla, caramel, chocolate and some wet wood. On the palette I get much of the same with a little cinnamon/spice and some black pepper with cooked agave sweetness. Very well balanced and not overly oaked which I like

Very tasty, a profile unlike anything else I can remember trying. If I were blind tasting I definitely wouldn’t peg it as an XA. I’ve had quite a few different and amazing offerings tonight and maybe that’s playing into my review, which I realize is not very helpful. Like a cologne but in a very good way.

Another great XA that will work nicely with food. I will be pairing this with my Chocolate Orange Pana Cotta

First observation is how light this is for an XA. Next, the aroma has a surprisingly strong vegetal note. It is almost a combination of raw and cooked agave. Flavor has a complexity that is also subtle in the variety of notes - baking spices, dried fruits, caramel. Long finish. This is a top tier XA that absolutely does not veer into bourbon territory. Definitely my preference. 2023-12-24 2023 Annual Christmas Eve XA Tasting

small sample the nose is amazing -sweet cooked agave, caramel, tropical fruit, a little butter, some barrel notes, spices, a tiny bit of oak. well balanced, easy sipper. very good = 89

Buttery & robust flavors. I love the finish. Crème brûlée & cherries.

There's a golden happy medium with this one. Oily, carmel, butterscotch, burnt butter on the nose, and also on the finish. This one is a real joy to sip on as it appeals to folks like myself who don't necessarily want "bourbonized" tequila. I get an amount of cooked agave that I consider generous for an XA, oak, vanilla, and brulee with a shadow of black pepper. absolutely impeccable! Update: It seems that the ONLY difference in how THIS extra Anejo and the Terralta are produced is that this XA is aerated. Fermentation, distillation, aging and even the type of water are identical, yet the difference between the two is profound. I consider them different but near equal. Terralta XA actually won against Don Vicente in a blind by a fraction of a hair.

Very nice XA from the mind of Felipe this was provided by the brand as a 100ml sampler along with the Blanco and Reposado. I've nursed this in small tastes of 10 to 15ml for as long as I could. This has a good balance between the oak flavors from aging and the sweet fruitiness of the roast agave. Made at El Pandillo with only well water, this doesn't strike me of having the minerality of another product made with only well water, Tequila Terralta. Nor does it with other raters as it is mentioned by no one and isn't listed in the 12 notable aromas and tastes on the app product page. Aerated as are several other products from 1579 it has a pleasing easy to sip character. I think price equals value here with the state of current tequila pricing.

Brian and Don Vicente were kind enough to gift me a sample of the blanco, repo and XA, and I am so grateful for it. On the nose, very fruity, caramel, vanilla and agave. The fruitiness is gorgeous and really sticks out. Something almost like toffee and a little bit of oak. A touch of apricot. On the palate, the fruitiness definitely shines. A little spicy, amazing natural sweetness. Very delicious and I can’t wait for this to come to California. The whole lineup is fantastic and this XA is absolutely no exception.

It’s extremely rare to find an extra Añejo with agave all over it but here we are. This might rub XA drinkers the wrong way, it’s light on vanilla and baking spice, not very cognac(esk). Excellent stuff.

Blind sample Nose- soft and elegant, vanilla, agave, wet earth, oak Taste- cooked agave, over-ripe fruit, raisin, vanilla, caramel, baking spice Mouthfeel- thin and oily Finish- medium, soft, and wonderful

If you can find this, grab it. It’s an excellent XA that still manages to retain agave aromas and flavors. Vanilla and caramel aromas and flavors with some dried fruit on the finish. Super pleasant crowd pleaser.

Lot 1

Fruity, floral, honey, and earthy on the nose, the juicy aroma is fantastic! On taste I also get some light vanilla, oak, and agave to balance out the flavors. Like all 1579 the oak complements and doesn’t overpower. Combined with the softness from oxygenation and this is really easy and pleasant to drink.

Delicious, a great product from El Pandillo. Hits all the right notes that Terralta XA hits for me with the minerality blending so good with the vanilla, oak and cooked agave. The oxygenation is clearer on the finish making it dangerously easy to drink like Volans. Nevertheless it still keeps you thinking and wanting to taste more.

Smells exactly like Terralta xa, light honey, earthy scent, more intense flavors than the repo. Excellent xa with strong agave notes.

Don Vicente XA Right away I’m met with that fruity highland agave scent. It’s stone fruits (cherry, peaches, mangos and plums) and then the buttery cooked agave. There are hints of oak, caramel and vanilla. The nose is so juicy that it’s hard to let it rest. The buttery cooked agave and baking spices (nutmeg, anise & vanilla) hit right up front. There’s some light pepper notes and oak notes that follow. A nice alcohol tingle is present and the agave sweetness carries from beginning to end. There’s nothing dry about this excellent XA. This XA is NOM1579 goodness. Its mature estate grown agave that’s cooked in Felipe’s unique stone ovens before it’s shredded by Igor and then crushed by Felipestein. It’s then fermented in jacketed stainless steel tanks with before being double distilled in copper stills. After that the tequila is oxygenated to help unify the flavors and soften the mouthfeel. Currently this tequila is only in Texas but its worth seeking. Salud!

By production notes, this is similar to Terralta extra añejo, but with oxygenation. This is definitely a different product, though. The nose is different, and to me, has a very nice apple characteristic (may be perceived differently by others). I have found this apple like note common amongst aged products out of El Pandillo, which I really like, but it's much more vibrant in this one. The peppery notes present in the blanco and reposado are less pronounced as more oak characteristics take over from the long aging process; these oak characteristics are still quite subtle, likely due to the subsequent use of older barrels, which is common at El Pandillo. The finish is medium in length and the peppery notes come out for a bit.

Aroma: (23) oak, agave, vanilla, caramel, baking spices, fruit Taste: (28) oak, agave, vanilla, caramel, cinnamon Finish: (23) nice lingering oak, vanilla, cinnamon Overall: (90) Don Vicente continues to knock it out of the park.

This has a really light, sweet, and fruity profile with the oaky bitterness and caramel from the barrel. I’m getting prunes on the nose, maybe even peaches. There’s still plenty of agave with some vegetal notes as well. A bit more alcohol than I was expecting throughout the whole experience. To be honest, this drinks more like an añejo than an XA and for the price I was expecting a little more. There are still some excellent flavors here though, I’ll thoroughly enjoy the rest of the bottle.

Very good extra Anejo, with one thing keeping it from being amazing… On the nose: Good mix of cooked agave and barrel notes. Cinnamon and caramel abound. Subtle notes of mint, vegetal, and earthy aromas. Crisp and clean. Everything is balanced. Faint citrus. The interesting thing that I experienced happened after I drank all the tequila in the glass. I smelled the empty glass and got the most beautiful bouquet of floral notes. It was amazing! On the palate: Very nice oily mouthfeel. I actually get the subtle barrel flavors first, followed immediately by cooked agave. Hints of vanilla and citrus. I also get a little bit of pear or apple. You get the typical barrel flavors of caramel and a small hint of bitter chocolate, but not too much. On the finish: There is a subtle bitterness that comes across, not overwhelming and not bad, but subtle. It begs you to take another sip. Citrus and barrel flavors continue while the agave falls off a little too quickly for me. Now my honest assessment: The irony is that the very thing that makes this tequila unique is the one thing that keeps it from scoring higher. My first observation is that for an extra Anejo, the color is very light. Many brands’ reposados are actually darker than this extra Anejo. The taste profile matches the color profile. There are hints of barrel influence, but not a lot. This is good, because I want to experience tequila, not whiskey. However at this price point, I would prefer a bit more barrel influence. If I tried this tequila blind, I would think that this was a good reposado, at most, a minimally aged Anejo. At MSRP, you could grab two, maybe even three bottles of a really good reposado. I have seen this tequila selling for as much as $200! In my opinion, this is not a $200 tequila. Good product, but grossly overpriced in my opinion.

This was really nice to try more aged notes than the avg Pandillo bear. Balance the agave wasn’t drowned out. Spicy sweet maple roasted agave like sweet potatoes

Might be a victim of a neck pour, but tasted fresh after letting sit for about 10 mins. Very tasty, but a little harsher than other Don Vicentes and 1579s. Will revisit.

Lote: LDV0003XA40E, bottled on 14/03/2024, tasted on 3-13-25. Color: yellow to light yellow. Aroma: light cooked agave with a hint of sweetness, light acidity, hint of sourness, hint of fruitiness, light earthiness, after 20 minutes in the glass the cooked agave note becomes slightly sweeter. Palate: confirms aromas perceived, fruitier on the palate, good sweet sour and citrus balance. Hint of vanilla through my retronasal. Finish is medium to medium long, light sweet cooked agave, light fruity sensation with a hint of earthiness and vanilla note persists.

Nose is cooked agave, vanilla and caramel. Taste is cooked agave, vanilla, caramel and a little butter. The glass was a Chisholm Standard Proof Jarrito. This is a light easy sipping XA from 1579