El Padrino De Mi Tierra Blanco

7: I liked the anejo, so I thought that this was likely to be quite good. Sadly, I really can't think of a situation in which I would want to buy this. It isn't very good and the price is just too high for it to work as a bargain bin mixer that gets drowned in a cocktail. N: To the extent that the nose has any character, it's bitter, a bit herbal, and a bit like rubber. This has less goin on than Partida Blanco does by a fair margin (in terms of presence, this:Partida::Partida:Fortaleza). It smells more than most vodkas do, but if a vodka smelled like this, I'd be concerned. There's really no complexity here. P: A bit sweet, a bit bitter, a bit rubber. It gets more bitter and rubbery as the palate goes on and it never develops any complexity. There is some stewed agave if I swish it a bit and there's maybe a faint hint of banana along with some lemon and lime, but there just isn't much here. I'm actively unhappy drinking this, though not super so. It definitely seems like a 10 at best though. Likely not worse than a 7. It just tastes fairly artificial and unpleasant and the nice sweetness and stewed agave subside as the palate progresses. F: Not much on the finish, but there is bitter rubber for a while with a hint of agave. Not impressed here. A little bit of the citrus stays, but not in any sort of good way. I'm going to have to go with a 7 based on the consistent lack of flavor and complexity combined with the alcohol and rubber. The miserable finish is what really knocked it down from an 8.

And here we are at the final tequila of the El Padrino trio I've set out to try ( Yes, I know they have a lot more than three. But I'm not really into flavored... anything really. Or "cristalino" tequilas. ) Inherently, as I am a fan of all things sweet in my liquor, Blancos are usually not my go to. But I shall remain open-minded and in a worst case scenario, I can always mix this bottle up into cocktails at gatherings. What was a sweet and salty aroma on the nose of the reposado and anejo, this blanco loses that sweet characteristic and kicks off with salty and briny sea water. A little spicy peppercorn and just the faintest trace of some sweet tangerine in there. Of course, all of these ride on the back of agave. Sort of a given in the world of blancos. A surprising and interestingly sweet palate. I actually was not expecting soft caramel to open up this taste. Plenty of agave in here but as the taste opens up, so too does the spice. Cinnamon and pepper prick and tingle the tongue. This tequila gives an odd powdery mouth feel between back of taste and finish. The finish remains spicy and dry. Agave, hay and pepper run the show and that's really sort of it. Not much to this finish but I didn't expect that of a blanco. You know what? I don't hate this. The palate has a very surprising sweetness that I don't often find in blancos. I think I might just keep this in my shelf rotation as its perfectly acceptable neat and I'm sure would make a great mixed drink.

Rating: 10/23 This is a big disappointment given how good the añejo is. This is kind of like with Patrón where there's a huge leap in quality where the añejo adds all of the missing flavor and complexity. The dominant notes here are banana and bitter alcohol. It isn't terrible, bit it's far from what I'd choose as my first pick for sipping. Still, it doesn't have a ton of flavor (even the banana isn't very strong), so it seems like a really good choice for mixing without making much of a statement. The nose is very mild with alcohol and just some whiffs of cooked agave wit a faint reference to banana. The palate is similarly ok the alcohol side with not a tremendous amount of herbal, toasty, sweet cooked agave coming through. It's smooth up front with some spice on the finish. It's on the bitter side toward the end and while there is definitely a bit of mineral, it mostly tastes like nothing and a bit of alcohol. There is a faint hint of tropical fruit - banana at first, bit eventually mango and pineapple. The flavor is all extremely light though. It isn't bad, but it's very underwhelming. It does remind me a fair amount of El Tesoro Blanco. Less than a 12, but more than an 8. There's a bit of smoke in here for sure, though it's mixed with some earth, so it's hard to tell the exact proportion. It's a tad toward the viscous side, but not too much.

Neat. Nose is lots of sweet fruity agave along with earth, brine. Fairly rich mouthfeel with flavors of big cooked agave, fruity, mild herbs like cilantro anise, hint of cinnamon and peppercorn. Finish is moderate with some herbal bitterness, black pepper, saccharine Overall very smooth, fairly pretty without any off-putting notes. Maybe not a purist's choice, but this could convert 'tequila haters' to give the spirit another chance. Some additives, but seems more restrained than their aged expressions. My pick of the range. Worth picking up when it goes on sale (which is fairly often)

An elegant, Agave Spirit by NOM 1438 in Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico crafted with 100% Tequilana Weber & local volcanic spring water double distilled after fermentation in copper pots stills. It has an aromatic birth with notes of agave, fruits, flowers, vegetables, herbs & spice; while the palate adds banana; that led to a complex death of medium length with a touch of cinnamon. February 2018 / 2019 / May 2022

Agave, pepper and hints of citrus on the nose. Pepper and agave on the palate, there’s another flavor I can’t quite identify, reminiscent of bell peppers but without the sweetness. Buttery mouthfeel, minimal burn on the finish. Altogether I like it, it’d make a good mixer and a decent, albeit unremarkable sipper.