Jose Cuervo Especial Silver

Rating: 8/23 I recall liking this better than most people (though still not particularly liking it). Let's see if that assessment holds. N: I get mint, cedar, confectioner's sugar, perhaps a bit of agave, and a dash of caramel coloring. P: The confectioner's sugar really hits me along with the big cedar flavor. There's some suggestion of agave, but this isn't really what I think of when I think of tequila. There's something a tad savory and there's also a hint of citrus (mostly orange), mint, and perhaps a dash of almond. There's also a lot of alcohol flavor and some harshness, but it doesn't taste like rubber, so it's probably just the distillate's lightness being shown off here more than the inclusion of excessive heads and tails. It's prickly and fairly light in the flavor department, but with a chalky sweetness. The prickliness does help to cover for the harshness, but it doesn't succeed entirely. F: The confectioner's sugar really takes over here, drowning out most of the other flavors. Suggestions of orange and some bitter flavor from the caramel flavoring and cedar remain along with a substantial alcohol presence. This is the low point of this drink. I have to say that this isn't as good as I remembered. I still think that most of the hate this gets is from people who associate it with bad experiences at parties, but it's an actively unenjoyable experience. It isn't actively painful though and I imagine that it would be fine drowned in margarita mix. It's below a 10, but not as bad as a 6 and probably not a 7 either. I'm going with an 8 because the harshness really does start getting to me.

Nose - mint, pepper, clay, light cooked agave, fresh wood, subtle citrus zest, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - sawdust, citrus zest, mint, ginger, pepper, earthy grassiness, sweet cooked agave, clove, vanilla, moderate alcohol bite, finishing fast with fading pepper, mint, and grassy flavors. This is not great, but not quite as bad as I expected. The cooked agave takes a backseat on the nose and palate, which is a good indicator that this is not quality, well made tequila. If you’re on a shoestring budget, this will do for mixing, but I recommend stepping up a bit in price to something like Olmeca Altos Plata, which is much tastier and 100% agave-based.

Standard cheap tequila meant to make margaritas and give plenty of broke college kids a great time. Will give you a hangover though because of the impurities if you drink this only straight. The fact that you need lime and salt should tell you about the flavor profile of this drink.

I got this on sale - two 100ml bottles for $4 - and thought I'd try it. It's a good thing the stuff was on sale, because even $2 was too much for the amount. The nose was disgusting - nothing but sour jalapeño peppers. It was so awful that I didn't even taste it.

A crisp Agave Spirit crafted by NOM 1122. It has an aromatic birth with notes of agave, fruits, flowers, herbs & spices, while a rich life led to a balanced death of medium length. May 2017

Clear and sparkling appearance. Aroma is of smoke, agave juice, and pepper. The flavor is identical. Medium body. Smooth mouth-feel. Mostly-dry finish. RJT