Marcado 28 Tequila Reposado Brovo’s Top Chef winner Michael Voltaggio and 10th-generation distiller Bruno Barba co-founded Marcado 28 Tequila. It’s produced under NOM 1502 - Autentica Tequilera in Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico. This tequila has been aged for 8 months in American Oak ex-bourbon barrels. Considering its age, the color is a light hay color. The aromas I’m getting are dusty hay, a cooked agave note, thin honey, bright citrus (lemon), and a vegetal note; think celery. There’s some minerality, salinity, and a hint of sweetness from the cooked agave and AO barrels. I taste the barrel spice from the American oak, sitting atop the caramelized cooked agave and honey. The vegetal notes and the natural sweetness of the cooked agave balance the minerality. There’s some salinity in the backbone, and the finish starts with that brine and natural sweetness before the vegetal and black pepper spice kick in. Overall, it’s a great Reposado. It has much of the agave character from the blanco, along with some sweetness and spice from 8 months of barrel aging. It is very affordable locally. The bottle art was created by Austin, Texas tattoo artist, El Sando. His years of study and passion for ancient Mayan art and Mesoamerican culture have made him the accomplished artist he is. Bottle Number 6474.

Aroma: Initially restrained. With time, cooked and caramelized agave, orange and subtle tropical fruit emerge, along with light floral notes of lilac/lavender and honeysuckle. Some honey and an earthy, musty quality like wet cement after rain. Flavor: Caramelized agave with earthy, slightly musty (not bad; like earth) notes. Despite 8 months in barrel, I’m not getting much noticeable barrel influence. Pepper becomes more prominent as it develops. Finish: Medium, with lingering pepper and some of the earthy, wet-cement character carrying through. Longer and more pronounced than the blanco. Overall: I had a hard time getting a read on this one and came back to it for a second tasting. It definitely benefited from time in the glass. The nose opened up considerably, but I was surprised by how subtle the barrel influence was after 8 months. Also, I love the artwork on this label.

Aroma: Caramelized agave, citrus and mint with subtle fruit undertones. Flavor: Green and herbal, citrus notes, with soft savory notes. Finish: Short to medium. Overall very soft and approachable. Love the art work on bottle. *I had to sit with this one a bit. I got a better flavor profile second time around.

The aromas are pronounced and clean. There’s bright green agave, lemon and lime citrus zest, and some earthy green vegetal notes. The flavors are also bright. The agave is up front, and the citrus follows with some natural sweetness from the cooked agaves. Some white pepper then creeps in right before the finish. The cooked agave sweetness and white pepper make up the classical finish. Overall, this is a quality tequila that can be sipped and used in your tequila cocktails. Retailing around 50 bucks and offered at 40% ABV. The bottle art was created by Austin, Texas, tattoo artist, Billy Baca. She pulled from her Tex-Mex roots when designing this piece. Bottle Number 4343