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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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June 28, 2026 |
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A word of caution
Let me please remind you that my humble assessments of any spirits are done from the point of view of a malt whisky enthusiast who, what's more, is aboslutely not an expert in rum, brandy, tequila, vodka, gin or any other spirits. Thank you – and peace! |
A few tequilas to help us
through the heatwave |
I'm not entirely convinced it's such a good idea, but for this simple soul at least, tequila and mezcal seem to be the least unsuitable spirits for a heatwave. Don't expect miracles, though. We stopped collecting these agave spirits several years ago because we simply didn't have enough tasting slots, so all we've got are a handful that have somehow found their way into our system over the past few months and years. Chosen entirely at random, too. We'll keep this brief, tasting them at 20°C rather than 40°C, which happens to be the temperature outside here in Alsace at the moment. It rather feels as though "drill, baby, drill" has recently turned into "grill, baby, grill". When stupidity was being spread out, some must have been standing at the front, facing into the wind. As we say over here… |
Well, it doesn't seem to be working very well.
No José Cuervo today, then... |
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Patron ‘Reposado’ (40%, OB, tequila, 100% agave, for the USA, +/-2020) 
A bottle I brought back from the States, and it is high time we sacrificed it. Patron has a reputation for being largely a ‘marketing’ brand, yet the last time I tasted the ‘Silver’ version I found it perfectly decent indeed (WF 75). Colour: extremely pale white wine. Nose: this is rather charming, delightfully saline, almost drifting towards gin, though in a refined and restrained manner. Fresh grapefruit juice, pickled gherkins, a faint earthy touch, perhaps even a suggestion of damp chalk. Quite lovely. Mouth: nicely peppery from the arrival, with a pleasantly oily texture. Ginger and turmeric come to the fore before those briny pickled gherkins return, and they work rather well indeed. Clean, zesty and focused. Finish: fairly long, becoming a little more medicinal, with lemon peel and just the faintest hint of soapiness, although the brine remains firmly in command throughout the aftertaste. A delicate touch of green olive right at the end. Comments: I rather like this. A marketing machine working overtime has never turned a good spirit into a bad one, and it is worth remembering that this applies equally well to whisky. Moving on…
SGP:461 - 79 points. |
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Curado ‘Cocido’ (40%, OB, Tequila blanco, +/-2025) 
It is labelled ‘blanco’, yet in reality it carries the faintest golden hue, rather like the Patron Reposado. Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: more precise and better defined, with a greater sense of agave, plenty of olives, an earthy backbone and a delicate thread of smoke. Fresh, clean and rather attractive. Mouth: we drift back towards gin once again, with cucumbers, green olives, green peppercorns and plenty of juniper, reminding us of the many gins we tasted the other day. A tiny dab of wasabi adds a pleasant little kick. Finish: fairly long, on brine and pepper, with juniper and fresh coriander lingering neatly. Comments: I rather like this slightly earthier style of tequila, although it remains quite close in profile to the Patron.
SGP:462 - 80 points. |
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G4 ‘Reposado’ (40%, OB, tequila, +/-2023)
It is ‘premium’, and it comes at a premium price too (€100). And there is neither Clooney nor Pitt behind the brand, it would seem. Colour: white. Whiter than the Curado ‘blanco’, which is rather amusing. Nose: I must admit this is beautifully refined, more delicate and rounder than the others, with gentle notes of vanilla and citron layered over olives and fresh cucumbers. Everything is subtle, well composed and quietly elegant. Mouth: lovely finesse, almost more ‘mezcal’ than ‘tequila’ (although tequila is mezcal, is it not?) Delicate hints of hazelnuts, green beans, vanilla, floral jelly and borage. The whole is remarkably complex while remaining beautifully balanced. Finish: fairly long, with little lemons appearing towards the end. The aftertaste is less saline than those of the others, with an elegant rowanberry eau-de-vie note adding a pleasingly unusual twist. Comments: pour this over your pistachio ice cream and success is guaranteed.
SGP:551 - 82 points. |
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Cenote ‘Cristalino Anejo’ (40%, OB, tequila, +/-2023) 
An aged tequila, yet it has remained as white as a washbasin (now that is elegant, S.) Perhaps matured in earthenware? Stainless steel? Colour: white. Nose: considerably less expressive here, almost suggesting a simple apple eau-de-vie at first, before touches of hazelnut and pistachio liqueur emerge. Even so, the whole remains curiously gentle and rather timid for now, particularly after the excellent G4. Mouth: better on the palate, although it still lacks definition. The spirit feels rather raw, with little real character beyond that saline streak which all respectable tequilas seem to display if you pay close enough attention. Finish: fairly long and somewhat improved, though it is no Maggot Brain nor ‘Watermelon’ (FZphiles ahoy). A touch on the sweet side. Comments: it did improve a little towards the finish, but not quite enough to change the overall impression.
SGP:541 - 70 points. |
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Cenote ‘Green Orange’ (40%, OB, tequila, +/-2023) 
Green orange? Now that is an Hermès fragrance, and a rather lovely one too. ‘Eau d’Orange Verte’. So, what is going on here?... Colour: white. Nose: oops, this is actually a liqueur. At 40% vol., it does catch you out a little. The fact remains that we adore citrus fruits, and the marriage of blanco tequila with green oranges was always going to work. Magnificent freshness, bursting with zesty citrus oils. Sorry if we have drifted off topic, but that is hardly our fault... Mouth: excellent. Whatever you do, do not drink this over ice, you would knock back litres of the stuff and end up on all fours eating from the dog's bowl. Indeed, that actually happened. What? No, not me, a friend, whose name shall remain undisclosed. Nor the dog's name, for that matter. We are off topic anyway, so we may as well indulge in a cheap anecdote or two, mayn't we? Finish: amusingly, it is the tequila itself, with its lovely saline edge, that quietly retakes control. Comments: I am almost ashamed to admit it, but I absolutely love this stuff. Still, I insist, do not serve it over ice. I repeat, no ice cubes...
SGP:661 - 85 points. |
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Corazon ‘Expresiones Reposado’ (40%, OB, tequila, Buffalo Trace barrel, +/-2022) 
As though the mere fact that the casks came from Buffalo Trace could have any real influence on an agave spirit... The house appears to have employed several different bourbon brands in much the same fashion. Colour: white wine. Nose: a layer of sweetness that slightly dulls the vibrant edge we rather expect from a good tequila. It becomes a little too gentle and rounded, although it remains a perfectly pleasant nose. Notes of root spirit, celery and turnip, together with a little wood smoke in the background. Mouth: much the same story. It works about as well as Lagavulin in... tequila. In other words, not quite, quite well enough. The agave seems to lose a little of its identity beneath the borrowed oak. Finish: fairly long, on vanilla, coconut and pickled gherkins. Rather an improbable combination. Comments: not really my cup of tea. We do not taste tequila in order to rediscover whisky notes, do we? Mind you, I am quite sure some people love precisely that style, and good luck to them.
SGP:551 - 65 points. |
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Vivir ‘Anejo’ (40%, OB, tequila, +/-2023)
A slightly unsettling bottle, looking rather like a masked outlaw... I think Puni, over in Italy, managed that particular exercise rather better. Colour: white wine. Nose: too much vanilla for my liking, together with macarons, lemon meringue and violet liqueur. At least for me, it all feels rather too confectionery-driven and polished. Mouth: a rounded tequila, sitting somewhere between an Italian hazelnut liqueur and Bailey’s Irish Cream. There is still a little tequila in there, mind you, let us not exaggerate. Finish: fairly short, with touches of fresh ginger bringing a little welcome lift. Comments: moderately pleasant, but tasted blind I doubt I could have told you what it was. We might almost call it ‘tequila diminished’.
SGP:651 - 65 points. |
Let's see if we can piece it all back together... |
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Teremana ‘Blanco Small Batch’ (40%, OB, tequila, +/-2025)
Small batch and 40% vol. do not always sit particularly well together... That said, the good news is that the label kindly informs us this baby is ‘gluten free’. Colour: white. Nose: rather lovely, taking us back towards a good gin, with lemon zest, a little beeswax, fresh carrot and plenty of juniper. It works extremely well on the nose, indeed it is rather delicate and elegant. Mouth: a touch of sweetness right at the start, but the smoky, earthy side soon takes command. Wood-smoked pickled gherkins and olives, or something very much along those lines. A pity about the 40% vol., which just lacks a little drive and punch in this context. Finish: not especially long, yet very attractive, ending on delightfully smoky citrus fruits. Comments: A very pretty tequila.
SGP:651 - 80 points. |
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Curado ‘Blue Weber’ (40%, OB, tequila, +/-2023) 
A variation on the previous Curado, the ‘Cocido’. What a pity we do not have rather more time to explore the subject... Colour: gold. Nose: this is lovely, gently vanilla-led yet remaining thoroughly elegant, with delicate smoky touches and even a suggestion of black truffle in the background. A very, very pretty nose, with fresh bamboo shoots adding further complexity. Mouth: excellent. Just a tiny shade too sweet for my liking, with a little honey, but otherwise it is spot on. Almost peaty in character, earthy, with notes of Thai basil and even a touch of fresh parsley. Beautifully composed and remarkably distinctive. Finish: fairly long, with peppers gradually emerging, though always in a gentle manner, while a discreet chilli note appears in the aftertaste. Comments: a very fine tequila indeed. With just a little less sweetness, it would have reached 86 points on my own little personal scale.
SGP:652 - 84 points. |
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Villa Lobos ‘Reposado’ (40%, OB, tequila, +/-2024)
Villa Lobos? Could there be a family connection with the great Brazilian composer? That said, this is made by the people behind Ocho, which is generally a guarantee of quality, so let us see... Colour: extremely pale white wine. Nose: lovely precision and freshness, on cucumber, lemons, fresh mushrooms and light woodland earth. A small handful of tiny green olives completes the picture. Crisp, clean and beautifully chiselled. Mouth: excellent. Slightly medicinal, smoky and unmistakably phenolic, gradually unfolding on olives and saline notes. This is exactly the sort of profile we enjoy. Finish: fairly long. It never wavers, remaining straight as a die, vertical, salty and full of class right to the end. Splendid. Comments: seriously, this is extremely good, and, in certain discreet respects, it does bring both Ardbeg and Hampden to mind. We would very gladly welcome a version with a few more watts under the bonnet.
SGP:453 - 87 points. |
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Curado ‘Cupreata’ (40%, OB, tequila, blanco, +/-2023)
It is labelled blanco, yet it is quite frankly rather yellow in colour. We shall probably never make complete sense of all this... Colour: white wine. Nose: a light layer of vanilla, even a few hints of banana, followed by agave syrup, the whole displaying a distinctly gentle and mellow character. A remarkably suave tequila, in short. Mouth: considerably earthier on the palate, with a vegetal side, aubergine comes to mind, that blurs the picture a little. There is also a pleasantly dirty-ish edge, adding a touch of rustic charm. Finish: fairly long, moving more towards lemon zest, while retaining that slightly rustic character. Comments: a very good tequila in my opinion, although perhaps just a little less precise and sharply focused than some of the others.
SGP:452 - 81 points. |
I think it's time to call it a day, don't you? To finish, though, let's see if we can find a tequila with a bit more power, more watts, more volts and more ohms. I think we may just have... |
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Cascahuin ‘Los Convidados Edicion Especial’ (47%, Swell de Spirits, tequila, 2025)
When people like these take charge of a spirit, we can generally expect something at the very least highly interesting, if not utterly magnificent. I almost feel sorry for the official brands, and it is probably just as well we did not taste poor Casamigos today, otherwise it would have been buried six feet under. Colour: white. Nose: surprisingly restrained at first, which catches me a little off guard, yet everything is carried by elegance. Plantain, freshly cut grass, macadamia nuts, lupin beans, tiny pink olives of remarkable aromatic complexity... We shall have to wait for the palate. Mouth: not especially expansive either, remaining equally discreet. Lupin beans return alongside bamboo shoots and hearts of palm, while the salinity steadily builds without ever losing its refinement. There are even echoes of salsify gently cooked with honey and lemon. This is all wonderfully delicate, more Bruges or Calais lace than broad brushstrokes. Finish: medium in length, but unmistakably maritime, with oysters, winkles and samphire taking centre stage. A little pepper lingers in the aftertaste. Comments: Let us keep it simple, this is excellent. It is not quite the opening of La Traviata, and neither Netrebko nor Villazón are about to make an entrance, but it remains an excellent tequila all the same.
SGP:551 - 86 points. |
Well, twelve ought to be enough. We'll see you again in 2028 for the next round of tequilas, if the great Feathered Serpent spares us until then. |
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