Patrón Añejo Tequila

This has a sweet, aged, rich nose with something a tad meaty and smoky going on along with a scent that mixes some vegetal and fruitiness with a tad of grass. The palate is spicy as with the other Patrón. The sweet agave come sour nicely with some of those vanilla, papery elements of Don Julio. The vanilla is really nice with the bouquet of spices that includes cinnamon, clove, and ginger. The flavor is on the lighter side, but it's good. Some fruitiness comes in a bit, like sour orange juice, but it's mild. This isn't exceptionally complex, but it's decently so and thoroughly sippable. It has more distinct flavors than the reposado does, though it isn't quite as viscous. I appreciate the scotchy elements here, but compared to scotches, this is a bit underwhelming. It's definitely sippable though - it just isn't a big success. It doesn't have as much rich caramel and fruit as El Jimador Añejo does and it isn't as robustly flavorful, but it does miss a couple of El Jimador's missteps. It's a little bit tough to choose between the two, but I think I'd take this. Neither has anything on San Matias Extra Anejo though. Given that those two are the same price, the decision to not buy Patrón should be obvious. This has some more richness than Embajador Blanco does and some nice hints of that Don Julio flavor, but it's still pretty bland with mineral. The Embajador Blanco is clearly a little bit better. There is some swirling complexity here a little bit, but it's hard to pick out. I enjoy El Jimador Añejo a tad more as well, though it is rougher.

Nose - sweet tobacco, smoked pepper, butterscotch, creamy vanilla, cooked agave, nutmeg, clove, green pepper, apple, pear, cinnamon, grape, light grassy earthiness, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - butterscotch, creamy vanilla, cooked agave, tobacco, cocoa, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, pear, apple, fresh cut grass, ginger, chili pepper, green wood, powdered sugar, floral notes, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with sweet cooked agave, caramel, ginger, and baking spice flavors. In my opinion, this is better than the Silver and Reposado offerings. The bright crispness of the Silver is here. There is very little of the Reposado’s vegetal funk. It’s certainly the sweetest of the three, with the caramel, baking spice, and apple notes presenting strongly. I don’t think I like it quite as much as Don Julio Anejo, and it’s absolutely a step down from Fortaleza and Pasote, but overall this is a decent sipper.

It’s damn good, but yet underwhelming, all at the same time. The nose is the most of a flop, yet still has pleasing notes of grass, cedar, vanilla, and maybe…. Just maybe… star fruit? Something bright and juicy, in any case. But it’s all pretty subtle and subdued. Once it hits the tongue the story improves and intensifies, but it’s still mellow. The whole package reminds me of a Rum Agricole Vieux (specifically, did a side-by-side of this with Clement V. S. O. P. and they had way more in common than they had distinguishing factors). But, of course, this is lighter, greener, and the aging comes across as less pronounced. In any event, this is a nice sipper! The quality and availability make it easy to recommend as a go-to, but the return on investment might not be high enough to justify it, since significantly better options are significantly cheaper (but maybe not as easy to identify and then source).

Got a great deal on this one at the Duty Free. Nose is sweet agave, vanilla and peppery salad greens. The first thing you're struck with on the palate is the sliky smooth mouthfeel. You can tell this is made the right way. A little on the sweet side, but not cloying. Vanilla and oak, with a backdrop of mellow agave. The finish completely flips and I'm left with dry chardonnay, celery and green pepper. I'm still a complete tequila rookie, but I'm surprised that people say this one is overrated. There was a lot going on with this one and it was all good to me. Now all I need are some tostadas and pico de gallo.

On the nose I get light oak, subtle sweet vanilla and juicy yellow raisins. - To the palate it is very soft with notes of vanilla bean and honey with subtle wood spice. The agave presents itself as those yellow raisins and a subtle lemon citrus in the background. - In the finish the sweetness builds to a caramel aftertaste with lingering oak wood accompanied by a subtly smoky ash note.

This is much more straightforward like good tequila with some good age and some good wood. The wood comes through a little more clear, both on the nose and on the pallet. Little bit more of an alcohol burn here compared to tapatio. Less green flavors and more subtle hints of vanilla and caramel. This is kind of reminding me of tequila and bourbon. And that's not a bad thing.