Charles G. rated 185d ago

Fortaleza Reposado - Winter Blend 2022

94 SCORE

“Aroma: Agave, oak, sherry Taste: Complex flavors of agave, oak, sherry, tokaji, butterscotch and some spice. Fantastic combination of sweet wine, earth and oak, with vegetal notes. The reposado expression rested in French oak Oloroso sherry casks is the prominent flavor, with the Hungarian oak Tokaji casks in the background. Finish: A little light on the finish, but in a good way. Some spice upfront but giving way to a fading sweetness. Shares some similarity with Don Fulano Imperial as they both rested in similar French oak Oloroso sherry casks, but being a repo it’s much lighter than the Imoerial’s XA expression. The 2022 winter blend is one of my top two favorite tequilas. ”

Charles G. rated 199d ago

Blue Star Tequila Reposado

85 SCORE

“Aroma: kind of off-putting. Hard to describe. Taste: has a really nice balance of oak, agave, vanilla, and a little spice Finish: nice finish, a little sweet at the end but rather short. Nothing fancy. All in all a good quality drink, but nothing distinguishes it. Decent price. It’s worth a try. ”

Charles G. rated 202d ago

Number Juan Reposado

86 SCORE

“Aroma: cooked agave, pepper, oak Taste: agave, caramel, pepper, oak Finish: varies with sweetness and/or smoke I like this one. Not certain of their manufacturing process, but it’s not too sweet, nor is it harsh though. Finish has a bit of a raw feel after the smoke and sweetness goes, could be a longer finish but that’s my only real complaint. ”

Charles G. rated 227d ago

Tequila Ocho Plata Puntas - 2024 Mirandillas

88 SCORE

“Nose: strong mineral and agave Taste: citrus, black pepper, grapefruit notes Finish: nice and medium, dries to a sweet finish It’s hard to believe this is an overproof. I don’t get a lot of alcohol burn, which is a good thing. Great stuff!”

Charles G. rated 227d ago

Codigo 1530 Barrel Strength Añejo

85 SCORE

“Nose: strong oak and slight agave Taste: Cabernet barrels really in the spotlight here Finish: warm and spicy. Lingers pleasantly. Overall a good tequila. Need to be in the mood for a earthy, oaky, rosa nuanced pour ”

Charles G. rated 227d ago

Codigo 1530 Reposado

84 SCORE

“Aroma: agave, oak, a little cinnamon Taste: agave, a little oak. The Cabernet barrels they rested in really give it a unique flavor. Finish: some spice, anise, vanishes quickly, but a bit of sweetness at the end. Good sipper. Great for a tequila old fashion. ”

Charles G. rated 227d ago

Volans Reposado

82 SCORE

“Aroma: its feint, but the agave is there Taste: VEGETAL! Earthy, agave, pepper, grapefruit Finish: warm earthy finish with some lingering oak. Dries to a bit of a harsh finish. Quality tequila and I enjoy the variance in flavor. Have to really be in the mood for early vegetal sips though. ”

Charles G. rated 227d ago

Siete Leguas Reposado

86 SCORE

“Aroma: agave, some oak, a little vanilla, citrus Taste: cooked agave, mineral, oak, sweetness Finish: spicy! Black pepper, vanilla. Nice Long finish Enjoyable sipper.”

Charles G. rated 229d ago

Cascahuín Tahona Blanco

91 SCORE

“Nose: agave and mineral Taste: mineral and agave Finish: long enough. Some pepper and citrus Simple agave but complex vegetal flavor. Love this.”

Charles G. rated 231d ago

Gran Centenario Leyenda

90 SCORE

“Nose: Black currant, brown sugar. Taste: Some sweetness and some spice. Citrus, Carmel, oak. Finish: First part of finish is good, then peters out I really like this one. Dark amber color (hopefully not from coloring). They say it’s aged in new American oak and it tastes like it, but I also get some bourbon barrel notes. Mixed with different aged expressions. Good but expensive. Seems to be the going rate though for Anejo/XA. ”

Charles G. rated 231d ago

Gran Centenario Cristalino Añejo

70 SCORE

“Smells good. Waaaaay too sweet. Tastes synthetic with some likely agave syrup in the mix.”

Charles G. rated 232d ago

1953 Añejo

88 SCORE

“Nose: Aromas of vanilla and caramel, a little berry/citrus and some oak. Smells good overall Taste: As with the aroma, taste some vanilla and caramel, some oak, and a little agave. I like the taste and it has a balance of sweet, citrus, oakiness, and agave in the background. Normally like a little more agave, but if I want to drink an agave plant I’ll drink Volans :). Finish: Finish is decent, you get some citrus and a little menthol. Mouthfeel is good enough. You can definitely taste the influence of the new American oak they use to rest. It’s not overpowering, although the agave gets lost in it. I think it’s a good sipper but yeah it’s a bit pricey. the ladies did good though. Went to a tasting where this was present because owners live in the NOVA area. ”

Charles G. rated 232d ago

Flecha Azul Tequila Extra Añejo

74 SCORE

“Nose: Aroma is tough to figure out. Somewhat medicinal Taste: 36 months in American oak leaves some pronounced oak flavor but unfortunately in a way that takes over the agave. Taste is not bad. Probably a bit adulterated. Way too expensive to be a mixer. The new bottle and packaging is gorgeous if you are into that sort of thing. Finish: long to medium finish but ends with menthol ”

Charles G. rated 232d ago

1800 Añejo

68 SCORE

“Nose: smells great actually. Lots going on in the aroma department. Taste: overly sweet. Heavy oak character but that’s not really a bad thing. I like bourbon too so there’s that. Not a sipper. pretty good for a tequila old fashioned but there are cheaper options for that either a better flavor profile. Finish: N/A :)”

Charles G. rated 262d ago

Ocho Tequila Añejo

91 SCORE

“Amazing aroma. I could smell this one all day long. Great flavor. Agave shines through. Not too sweet, not too spicy. It’s very balanced between oak notes and agave flavor. I’m a fan of Ocho, and the Anejo is a great sipper when I want an Anejo that doesn’t break the bank. Still a little high in price but many distilleries are raising prices. ”

Charles G. rated 262d ago

Ocho Tequila Plata

90 SCORE

“I go back and forth between Lalo, Ocho, and Fortalezza. Each are different and depends on my mood. Ocho Plata is right in the middle between the two but I keep going back to it. Nose: citrus and pepper, clean minerality Taste: ripe agave, and citrus fruits Finish. Nice finish. Dries to fruit and pepper finish”

Charles G. rated 794d ago

ArteNOM Seleccion de 1146 Añejo

90 SCORE

“Very peppery but it is well done and I enjoy it. My favorite is Tears of Llarona. Some call 1146 “baby tears” but in truth it is far from the taste of Tears. Same NOM but the flavor profile is completely different although like Tears it is very well put together. Rather than calling it Baby Tears I like to call it the the Petite Syrah of Tequila. ”

Charles G. rated 794d ago

Tears of Llorona Extra Añejo

92 SCORE

“This is hands down my favorite tequila. There isn’t much that comes close. In the nose I smell honeycomb, some molasses, a bit of citrus. There is an herb I smell as well, perhaps lavender and a bit of honeysuckle. A hint of leather. When you sip, the first thing I notice is the mouthfeel. Very viscous and feels thick, but I think that allows the taste to linger a bit longer. Tastes of honey, citrus, orange peel. I taste an herb but it’s feint, not quite perceptible. The flavor is amazing. Those bourbon barrels they put it down in really shine here. Definitely deserving of the high praise and rating. My only criticism would be the aftertaste. As it starts to diminish I’m left with the taste of those herbs I mentioned earlier that I couldn’t identify. ”

Charles G. rated 810d ago

Don Fulano Imperial (5 yr)

94 SCORE

“It’s a “warm” tequila. You can tell DF put some thought into the aging process. I’m partial to French Limousine oak and that really brings out a toasty but complex profile. Finishing in Oloroso sherry casks adds a nice semi-sweet flavor, but it’s not overly sweet and finishes with some earthy notes similar to aged honey. This is one of my top five tequilas. ”