The aroma hits immediately with a bold strike of petrichor, cooked agave, and lime citrus, layered with soft pine, subtle vegetal notes, and a faint wisp of smoke. On the palate, petrichor and agave remain frontline, joined by mint, anise, honey, and a touch of brine. The ethyl bite adds peppery contrast without disrupting balance. The finish is brief yet sharp with fading citrus, dried fruit,,and a grassy agave tone ride out quickly, while petrichor clings with a lasting presence on the tongue

Nose: Sweet cooked agave front and center, with honey and vanilla adding some nice roundness. There’s that familiar Cascahuin vegetal note, a little citrus brightness, and a touch of petrichor that gives it some depth without going full earth bomb. Palate & Mouthfeel: Buttery and well balanced. What you get on the nose carries through: agave, honey, and vanilla, with anise and black pepper kicking in mid palate. The pepper builds into a nice, warming tingle that sticks around. No off notes, just solid flavor and texture. Finish: Warm and spice driven. Lingers longer than expected in a good way (especially for a $50 bottle). Those black pepper and anise notes take the lead and ride it out. Final Thoughts: For $50, this punches way above its weight. Not quite as heavy on the petrichor as some other 1123 picks, especially on the palate - but honestly? That’s splitting hairs. It’s clean, flavorful and put together with care. Definitely worth a spot on the shelf. Extra points for value.

Blind sample number 18 = AD TAHONA From Matt Cavanaugh Agave Swappers From jarrito glass The Nose is pleasant with fruit, anise and some mild alcohol. After it sat and opened, i got minerality. The anice carries thru to the palate, very strong anise - like black licorice, with some agave and pepper. Finish is mostly pepper, lingers on and comes back around. I like it. Thought it was a similar profile that I was use to like cascahuin or vivanco. First off I got minerality. But it kept changing as it opened = anise fruit agave pepper (got some slight brine and unami on the nose very briefly). Complex. Nose doesnt scream high proof. But I got some spicy/fizz at the end.

Coming in around 50$ for a tahona/roller mill tequila at 44%. This one is exordinary. I got the full cooked agave flavor that I get from Cascahuin Tahona but with less minerality and more sweetness. Cooked agave, honey, fruity, vegetal notes, and slightly muted (but still present) petrochor shine on this one. This one racked up some extra points for value. It's definitely a worthy addition to anyone's 1123 lineup.

On par with Cascahuin Tahona, but the price of this one elevates it.