Espolòn Añejo Tequila

92. This bottle got a 92. False. For $30 you could do a lot worse, and I won’t deny that this is a solid budget anejo, but a 92 this is not. This begins my tequila mini series. I know it’s almost November, but that just means it’s not as hot in the south. Still lovely tequila weather. I’ve picked up a few stunning traditionally made tequilas recently (El Tesoro Paradiso, ArteNOM 1146, etc.) but it’s inadvisable to drink such things on a daily basis unless one has a bottomless budget. Enter the Espolon Anejo. The blanco and repo are at every bar I visit, often as the house mixer. This anejo seems more primed as a sipper, with a advertised “finish” in Wild Turkey bourbon barrels (thanks Campari…). You might think to yourself: I like tequila and I like Wild Turkey. What’s to loose? Nothing. You loose nothing. It’s good, just not great. It’s $30 because of the production method, which is long on efficiency but strips out a lot of the great agave flavor you get from a traditionally made tequila with slow, horno cooked agave pinas and tahona extraction. Nose is certainly aggressive. Faint agave, some butterscotch, and unusually aggressive baking spices. There’s the Turkey… The palate is…fine. It’s bold and flavorful, and I don’t tast many of any additives, but I’m missing that rich cooked agave taste and creamy mouthfeel a traditionally well-made tequila has. Finish is medium. More spice. Not enough cooked agave. This is a mixer at heart, not a sipper. It makes a killer Paloma, and is fine as a sessionable sipper with chips and salsa waiting for mediocre tex-mex food. It won’t be a rebuy for me, though. My tequila dollars are better spent elsewhere. Salud!

Anejos confuse me. I think I just need to explore the segment a bit more. I've had some that were sweet, almost bourbon sweet. Yet others were herbaceous and spicy, even more so than some Platas I've had before. The nose on this tequila is definitely not of the sweeter variety. Agave, cut grass, mint leaf, basil, black pepper and maybe a tiny bit of caramel. This nose immediately brings to mind all things green. The start of the palate is a bit sweet and fruity. Candied mango opens the taste but quickly becomes overpowered by other notes. It does hang around the whole taste, though. Mid taste, agave and pepper explode on the tongue along with some extremely herbaceous mint leaf. Although there's slight hints of bourbon barrel in the form of tannic oak and vanilla, it is such a quiet tasting note compared to the rest of it. The finish features some rather spicy cinnamon and black pepper, underlined by a drier, more tannic oak flavor. Agave is a pretty strong note on the finish along with that omni present mint leaf (think the actual herb, not a minty cool flavoring). What tasting notes are truer to Anejo and the way it was intended to taste? Is it this? Or more bourbon-like flavors such as vanilla, caramel and chocolate? Being a bourbon man myself; I prefer a much sweeter profile and tend to shy away from herbaceous and grassy notes. So this one isn't a winner in my book but at the end of the day - taste is all subjective, isn't it?

This is some good stuff, and very reasonably priced. I’ve come to realize I’m a fan of bourbon-barrel-aging, so the bourbon barrel finish was what drew me in (plus the 92 rating on distiller.com). Suffice it to say, I was not disappointed. I tried it in an old fashioned and it was good, but think I’ll be sipping the rest of the bottle neat...it doesn’t really need anything else! I’m a whiskey drinker first and foremost, but appreciate other spirits as well. And while there are some really good tequillas in the $50 and up range, this was so good, I can’t imagine needing an upgrade anytime soon. This will be a new staple for my personal bar.

Neat. Aroma is light, balanced, and pleasant Oak, butterscotch, vanilla, agave, herbal, earth Flavor is true to nose. Starting honey and agave sweet countered with oak and herbs and a little allspice, then butterscotch, vanilla, and slightly bitter green herbs lasting to the finish Great añejo for the price. Likable by tequila haters, yet can be appreciated by tequila lovers. On my (very) short list for good budget añejos

Sooooo good. Had this bottle for a couple years and never opened it. Had a nice Huevos a la Mexicana so decided “why not Tequila with breakfast”. With the huge bourbon craze going on maybe I need to get back into tequila. This is a really good affordable Anejo. Super smooth fantastic sipper. 1/15/21 Still one of my favorites. Can taste the bourbon barrel which adds a layer of complexity to it. 8/17/22

Spice at first. Spicy finish that lingers. Not very sweet. If you try hard you can find a hint of sweet. Very peppery. Not real smooth. Bigger mouthful reveals dry but sort of nice flavor. I could maybe get used to it. Still a bit spicy for my taste. But smoother if you take bigger sips.