Cabo Wabo Blanco Tequila

Rating: 12/23 N: This has a richer, somewhat oilier nose than Lunazul Reposado does. I get floral and vanilla notes, but also just substantial agave vegetal scent with a bit of herbal character. There isn't much going on here, but it toes the line between light and rich fairly well. Just smelling this, I can imagine the agave being stewed. That isn't true for Lunazul Reposado. P: I recall this having tons of vanilla, but although it does still have quite a bit of vanilla, it has way more stewed agave than I remembered. It's on the light side, but it's quite natural and has a nice bit of oiliness. I get a mix of vegetal, light savory, faintly herbal, and kind of briny flavors. There's nothing special going on here, but it is pretty solid. There's also quite a bit of cardboard Definitely a good choice for mixing, but it's also sippable. It really just isn't that interesting though. F: The cardboard remains the most, along with a vague creek water sweetness. There are suggestions of the agave flavors and vanilla, but nothing too strong here. This is kind of a disappointing finish. Lunazul Reposado is more complex, but also more immature and also a bit harsher. Both of these are fine enough and considering the price I think I'd go for the Lunazul, but between the two, I do find the Cabo Wabo to be a bit more enjoyable. It may be less complex, but I get a bit more of that natural agave flavor in it. I'm thinking 12 or 13 for this one. I compared it with Lunazul Reposado and El Mayor Añejo and determined that this was the middle one. Most likely, their ratings are 11, 12, and 13. I can imagine them being 11, 13, and 13, or even 12, 13, and 13, but I really think that 12 is what this probably deserves. For a simple cross-category comparison, I think I'd rather have Jim Beam Black than this, but I'd rather have El Mayor Añejo than Jim Beam Black. Jim Beam Black is a 13, but sometimes maybe a 12, so this is clearly a 12, unfortunately.

It smells light, sweet, and floral, with definite vanilla and something a bit vegetal providing richness. There's maybe a little bit of smoke on the nose too. The palate has some sweet minerality with squash vegetal that mixes a bit with some tropical fruit. There's a little bit of spice, but not a ton. It's on the sweet side, but it is balanced. It's a tad minty, but not too much. I'm not tasting that big vanilla that I tasted before, but that may be because I just drank El Padrino Añejo before this. There's enough of something a bit meaty to offset the sweet squash. It's quite good, but not amazing. Definitely better than Patrón though, probabaly even Patrón Añejo. It's no Cabeza Blanco. It tastes fine, with some nice vanilla on top of a standard tequila flavor that lacks depth and complexity, but at least has richness. It's no El Jimador Añejo, but it is better than Cuervo Gold (though it does have less complexity).

Nose - fungal earthiness, tree bark, black pepper, squash, vegetal and herbal notes, salty cooked agave, orange zest, cinnamon, allspice, old wood, subtle vanilla, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - cinnamon, dry vanilla, black pepper, ginger, nutmeg, briny vegetal earthiness, green pepper, nondescript herbal or floral notes, citrus zest, light cooked agave, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing short and slightly sweet, salty, and dank with faint agave and pepper flavors. This is a quality made tequila with a very average nose and palate. Nothing stands out as particularly off putting, but at the same time, there’s nothing to love about it either. At ~$30 near me, this isn’t unreasonably priced, but I’d rather pick up an Olmeca Altos Plata for a few bucks less. Thank you to @ContemplativeFox for generously providing the sample.

Started slightly sweet and moved to a more pepper and spice flavor and ended with a touch of heat. Not as good as it could be, but still a solid tequila that I would drink again.

Minerals with a hint of tropical citrus. Definitely needs a little lime to pull out the flavors. Fairly bland, a little salt and hints of smoked vanilla. Nothing spectacular.

At first a fruit, salt and definitely agave taste. Which quickly turns to pepper, cinnamon and heat. A nice step up from the basic blanco’s for only a few dollars more.