Tears of Llorona Extra Añejo Tequila

Tears of Llorona is an interesting one where the tequila is aged in oak barrels which aged Scotch, sherry and cognac for around five years then bottled at 43.0%. I’ve been interested in trying this one for some time, but could never bring myself to buy a bottle. Thankfully, @ctbeck11 was very generous and provided me with a sample to taste. The nose is light and delicate that starts with floral notes and a roasted agave hello before a background of light smoke with the fruits front and center of white grapes, tinned peaches and salted mango then comes caramel flan that transitions to a stronger but still mild smoke with roasted asparagus, fried yucca root and cinnamon churros with a spicy dark chocolate dipping sauce with low ethanol burn. The taste is a light mouthfeel starting fruity with limes, oranges and persimmons that quickly goes to a clay minerality along with a drying ginger, black pepper and cinnamon spice that then fades to churros followed by roasted agave, olive oil covered grilled asparagus, fried yucca root and vanilla meringue with low ethanol burn. The finish is short with light smoke, lime, sautéed apples, persimmons, vanilla pudding, spicy dark chocolate, black pepper, ginger, and moderate oak spice. This is a very complex tequila that was a lot of fun to break down with a nose of florals, citrus, light smoke, sweets, roasted veggies and spices followed by the palate leading with fruit forward before an earthy and spicy mix that fades to fried sweets, roasted veggies and creamy sweets that finish with a light smoke, citrus, chocolate and a mild spice. At $250, I’m happy to have been able to taste this fine and complex tequila but would likely never buy a bottle as my preference leans towards unaged Del Maguey Arroqueno mezcal at half the cost. If you’re looking for a very complex tequila with layers of flavors, I’d recommend giving this one a try at a bar before committing to a full bottle.

Time to Segway out of scotch for a wee bit. What better way than an extra anejo tequila that has spent some time in scotch barrels? And brandy. And sherry. Has me wondering: I wonder what a scotch aged in casks that once contained tequila would taste like? Anyways, the price point for this particular bottle is $200-280. What you get is a flavor profile without comparison. I can still taste some agave, but is this still tequila? NOSE: Brandy dominates. Sweet floral grapes. I don’t get cognac or Armagnac, however. Perhaps it’s the influence of the agave, but this smells more like grappas. Only after the grappiness subsides do you get some aged tequila. Oaky, vanilla, cinnamon, peppers. I don’t get much in the way of sherry or anything resembling scotch. Perhaps a hint of tobacco is the only trace of peat. This is astonishingly complex and smells like nothing I’ve ever had. PALATE: Oh man, these must have been wet casks. The flavors are coming in from everywhere and dangerously close to being cacophonous. The arrival is hugely cinnamon and ginger, followed by vanilla and nutmeg. If there is scotch in here, it reminds me of a young Auchentoshan – too smooth and oaky for its own good. But then richer flavors take over. Once the dark chocolate takes over, it really takes over. This transitions into leather and coffee. Sherry flavors round out the back end. Black figs, cherries, and gingerbread. FINISH: Hello tequila. There you are. Chocolate, vanilla, ginger, agave. Says goodbye before you are ready for it to leave. VERDICT: Betrays tequila perhaps. But how many tequilas can be described as contemplative? I don’t think this is good enough to jump to buying a bottle. But, I had a 2 oz pour at a very reasonable $31, and I am probably going to try this again. I know there’s plenty yet to discover about this eclectic dram. MARK: 85/100.

@pkingmartinmartin , @ctbeck11ck11 @Richard-ModernDrinking and I had our quarterly online tasting. We had 4 pours …all amazing. 25yr Proof and Wood Light whiskey, Tears of Llorana tequila, Del Maguey Iberico, and a no name local only mezcal from a oaxacan distillery. Okay, I’m no tequila expert, but I did have more than enough to have one listed as my all time best. This is it. It’s my all time favorite tequila I’ve ever had. This is a whiskey drinker’s tequila. It’s layers and layers of complexity, almost like a well aged Speysider finished in tequila cask. Aged 5 years, in a cognac, scotch , and Sherry casks. Heavy in rancio, custard, toffee. Expensive, but so damn good. I’d you’re going to buy one tequila, this is it. Thanks to @ctbeck11 for the pour!!

Neat. Clear amber with very long slow moving legs. On the nose, agave is a background player. Sweet notes of heavy dried fruits, prunes, cherries, some ripe banana, milk chocolate, caramel, vanilla. Balanced with lots of oak, some leather leather, and a hint of peat smoke Flavor starts sweet with agave, dried fruit, slight vanilla. Nicely countered with oak, black pepper, cinnamon, leather, a little mint. Nice long finish with sweet oak tannins and spice. Mouthfeel is rich but finishes dry Overall, on the sweeter side of balanced. Delicious and very complex. Lots of flavors to explore as it opens up in the glass and through the bottle. Pricey, but the juice is special and excellent. Great for a special occasion sipper

Very rich, very smooth. Not as full and velvety as I imagined it would be, but oily and smooth nonetheless. It has a very deep and complex flavor profile - one with an exquisite dark chocolate tone that dominates over the more subtle notes of vanilla, tobacco, and pepper. The finish is a bit sweeter with brighter tones of cooked agave and cinnamon apple. The alcohol is still notable given the higher proof of this one, but its smoothness allows for a thoroughly enjoyable, clean sipper. Would be interested in how much smoother it becomes at the standard 40% level - but hey, who doesn’t love a little extra alcohol! Buy one bottle to sip and one to display - the color is gorgeous (among the best in that category)!

Its got that classic cooked agave nose behind layers of oak, caramel, dark fruits and raisins, and black pepper. Wow, this smells amazing. Smooth but not heavy, it has a beautiful feel around the mouth with barely any burn too. Big notes of agave, black pepper, and artichoke really get the palate interested as a first wave of flavor. After the initial savory flavors, the sweetness comes through with caramel, plums, raisins, and a lingering oaky vanilla ice cream note. Truly great stuff. So much complexity. It still remains tequila however and the layers of complexity from the different barrels comes through too. Wow, very impressed