Casamigos Añejo Tequila

My friends are a bad influence on me. I am arguably a die hard whiskey fan. Of every taste I have written up on this beautiful and sacred website, only one was non-whiskey and ( surprise surprise ) it was another Anjeo Tequila. I think some of my friends are just trying to bounce Anejos off of me as they are the most "whiskey like" of tequilas. I was tricked one day during a dinner outing. A friend of mine ordered an old fashioned for me at a nice restaurant. I was surprised... the taste caught me off guard. It was an old fashioned but.... sweeter. The notes were somehow brighter than I remember... with a twang of herbal kick. What was this wonderful drink? Then it was revealed to me. The old fashioned was made from Anejo Tequila. After asking around, the majority of Tequila folks around me recommended Casamigos as a good starting point. So I picked up a bottle of this stuff, some bitters and an orange and decided to make myself a Tequila old fashioned. But before I did, I poured myself a dram of Casamigos Anejo neat in a Glencairn and set off to tasting... The nose smells of bright, zingy citrus and that familiar herbal, fresh cut grass tequila hit. But there's also something a little sweeter underlying that bright nose, perhaps a bit of butterscotch. The palate is incredibly subtle, almost undetectable. When I smell tequila I almost instantly expect the jarring, medicinal herbaceous lightning bolt of face puckering alcohol hit that I received from cheaper tequilas of my youth but....no. This stuff isn't even close. In fact...I rather LIKE this. Oh no.. am I converting? The flavor profile is decadently sweet, tasting of nilla wafers and marshmallows. There is a hint of smoky, charred oak but really... the taste is overwhelmingly sweet. I can pick up a little bit of spice - not herbal but more peppercorn type spice, too. The finish brings back the familiar herbaceous taste of tequila. A bit of mint ( not the cooling, rather the herby punch of it ) mixes with some lemon peel for a more classic tequila finish. The finish is quick and light ( compared to whiskey, not sure how it compares to other Anejos ). What a pleasant surprise this was indeed. Thinking of tequila conjures up memories of scantily clad girls in night clubs pounding down shots of Patron to the ubiquitous party anthem by the same name by Lil Jon. But a tequila to sip and enjoy like whiskey? One that has a great presence in an Old Fashioned? Hell... sign me up.

Soft, extremely pleasant sweet agave on the nose, slight dark sugars and vanilla, actually the Distiller notes from Stephanie are spot on. That agave sugar sweetness is strong on the palate, it's definitely a sweeter anejo as such your mileage will vary with your preference for the sugars. The vanilla seems to have a naturally creamy middle and it stays warm and sweet all the way down. The barrel aging shows up in a slight bitterness but not really overpowering. It's not particularly complex as aged tequila goes, it brings some small oak notes and for agave distillate it works well. I tend to avoid these celebrity signature brands simply because they don't typically deserve the money they receive for putting a name on a label and doing nothing else for what's in the bottle. If you like a smokey and rich tequila you'll get more from a Herradura or other well made tequila for less moola, but I certainly wouldn't turn this down as overall it's a good, aged, drinker. Cheers!

I wasn't really feeling this to be honest. Perhaps it was the cold, which made this feel less like a nice sipping drink, as I may have wanted something smokier or warmer. But something about this just didn't land very well for me. A bit too smooth, a bit too underwhelming.

Not a huge tequila fan but I was surprised by how much I enjoy this one. Light, sweet, fruity, but I have no bitter aftertaste (a good thing). Supposedly spicy but as a high proof whiskey drinker I really cant find any. At least not what I would consider spice.

For the money, it's a hard pass. The Blanco and reposado are very nice but this falls significantly short. Too light, not too complex, and too low in alcohol. It's missing some bite and body, likely because it's been diluted too much. Stick with the other two.

Nose of vanilla cake, lemon, cotton candy, leather and a touch of agave. Palate is sweet, peppery and smooth, with flavors of vanilla, oak, leather, caramel, agave and a little black pepper and citrus peel. It finishes bitter, and woody. Solid stuff.