1800 Reposado Tequila

[Johnny Murgatroyd]

Ralfy is in Tequila Month at the moment. I've not tried Tequila at all, ever, and really I know little about the drink. I got me a bottle of 1800 Reposado and here we go!

Nose:
Madre de Dios! I mean, whoa.

This is so alien to my usual experience of scotch whisky and the occasional rum or bourbon...that I literally felt it was a surreal experience. My first thought was: this has got to be defective. Nothing smells like this on purpose!

I can smell the jalapeno peppers Ralfy mentions. Also a kind of eggy-avocado smell. But below that, some dried spices from an opium dream during a wild carnivale. It's so weird to me it's almost hallucinatory. I don't even know how to classify what I'm smelling, but it is like a spice from an alien culture I've never encountered. People say this smells like cilantro, but I've never encountered cilantro before. Sweaty, Mexican, deeply weird.

Taste:
Much more sane. A nice chilli taste that is surprisingly prosaic after my weird trip off the nose.

Finish:
Moderate, more of the same.

I have literally no knowledge of tequila. Can anyone tell me: is this smell typical of tequila? Is it the agave smell? Am I the only one the finds the odour immensely weird? And is 1800 Reposado a bad tequila?

[SMC]

I've only just gotten into Tequila as well and have found it to have a very "vegetable"(the agave) and perfumery profile. If you're used to peated Scotch I would suggest giving Mezcal a try, they typically retain some smoke flavour.

I can't comment on 1800 reposado though, they only sell the blanco here. Reviews are mixed on tequila.net, perhaps some variation in batches? Cuervo products are generally disliked among tequila enthusiasts, but unfortunately tend to be the most available.

I would suggest browsing tequila.net instead of relying too much on Ralfy. I like his other reviews, but after giving Jose Cuervo Gold an 84 I wouldn't trust his Tequila scores. The last time I tried that it was like drinking gold coloured gasoline.

[whiskytime]

The 1800 Reposado is pretty average IMO....not bad at all but I don't consider it a great sipper. I use it in Margaritas. As for Jose....well, I would not even consider using that as a sipper - strictly Margaritas - bar rail Margarita. Not bad but nothing special.

As for that vegetable note, you will get used to it (probably) & may even come to love it - if you become a tequila drinker. Tequila is very different from whisky/whiskey. Remember your first Islay? That probably made you scratch your head & rub you nose too & then the rest is history!

[dramtastic]

Agree with using tequila.net as a guide.

I really like good tequila. As always this is subjective. I don't get a vegetal note, though this may be the agave note for you JM, I just wouldn't describe it as such.
Not much of a tequila selection in Australia, where there must be at least 500 or more in Mexico(or certain bars in Japan). No different in respect to quality of spirit as whisky, tequila can range from drain cleaner to highly refined.
My suggestion would be to try a bottle of Don Julio Anejo next. For those outside of Australia with a far larger selection, Don Julio and Patron are the only higher end tequilas that have blanco, reposado and anejo's available at out largest discount liquor chain. A few others such as Casa Noble and Partido are available online.
Although I don't drink tequila often(I have and open bottle of the awesome Don Julio 1942), I'm as used to the taste and smell of tequila as I am with whisky, nothing alien about it to me. I should mention that the 1942 is smoother than just about any whisky(though so it should for the price in Australia).

[Johnny Murgatroyd]

I will check out Tequila.Net.

I tried the tequila again yesterday, and was much less weirded out. Getting used to it maybe? I liked the white pepper kind of aroma in it.\\\

Is it just me, or does tequila get you more....er....indisposed than whisky? I was all over the place after one tequila.

[dramtastic]

I don't think that is uncommon. Tequila goes to my head faster than whisky and I know others it has the same effect on.

[The Third Dram]

As with just about any spirit, it all boils down to balancing the intrinsic characteristics of the spirit ('green fruit'-vegetal, and sometimes even with hints of smokiness and peppery spiciness) with the effects of maturation in wood. Some aficionados prefer the aromas and tastes of younger, less wood-influenced tequilas. Some prefer greater impact from the wood (i.e. the 'softening' effects that mellow the spirit and can also introduce sweeter, more fruit-driven scents and flavours).

I generally oscillate between the Reposados and Añejos. An excellent example of the former (in my opinion) is the 4 Copas Reposado from Tequilera La Quemada... Perhaps a little difficult to track down depending on your local availability, but well worth the effort.

[bpbleus]

Many non-whisk(e)y spirits have a big problem: a lack of stringent rules to protect their quality. An anorak might fume about the small adulterations allowed in the making of (Scotch) whisky, such as chill-filtration, caramel addition and watering down, a lover of rum, tequila, cognac, etc is exposed to a much wider range of spirit enhancement methods or malpractices. Purists as we are, we wouldn't want to recognize most bottles on the shelves as tequila, rum, cognac, etc, if we only knew how the spirit got coaxed into a certain profile. But we don't, as the producers are not required to tell us they added sugar, oak soup extract, flavorings, etc.

I've come to understand that real tequila is extremely rare. Adulterations seem to be the rule. This is a world in which a toddler is very old and an infant mature. Ever seen a 7, 10 or 20 year old tequila? They do exist, but almost everything out there can't yet stand on two legs without the support of additions to smooth out the rough edges. I've had a number of $100+ tequilas, single casks and all that, but my modest nose and palate didn't have much problem to single out the toffee-ish nutty oak soup extract. I don't want to spend money on chemical mixtures. So, I decided to stop collecting weird bottles and drop tequila from my radar until I can get something guaranteed real. K&L is supposed to get a collection of real tequilas, teenagers and beyond, this Fall.

[ColSanders]

I cringe imagining the price... at work everyone was wide eyed at a 6 year old bottle... I just shook my head and said that's barely whisky! Old Store I worked at had Dos Lunas 8 Year I believe... $1200! Mostly because of the bacarat decanter...

We did a tequila dinner based on 1800 not long ago... liked what I had... but still iffy on buying some bottles...

[Moggy]

i recently tried some tequilas, 1800 resposada was one of them and it was delicious. out of the 4 i tried though Clase Azul reposado was my favourite. it's aged 8 months in oak barrels and tastes great. sweet, smooth and so drinkable.

[Tim F]

Agree with dramtastic, Don Julio 1942 is glorious stuff. Very pricey here, though.

Siete Leguas is also wonderful. I have just bought a bottle of Chamucos Blanco, which I'm really looking forward to, will report back when I've opened it.

Also a massive fan of Hacienda de Chihuhua Sotol, which is not a tequila as made with a different type of agave. The Plata is stunning, incredibly soft & smooth. I used to keep it in the fridge and have the occasional shot of it a few summers ago.

[Tequila Tourist]

It's nice to see a tequila discussion happening and I'll clear some things up regarding the spirit as well.

#1 - Tequila is REALLY heavily policed by the CRT in Mexico. Any time any barrel is opened, they need to be notified and present.

#2 - The bulk of 100% agave tequilas are made without any additives. The maximum allowable additive is 2%.

#3 - Most of what you see in store shelves on the bottom shelf (Cuervo Gold, Sauza, etc) is what is called a Mixto tequila. Basically, it's 51% tequila, 49% cane liquor and color and flavor additives. To most agave spirit drinkers, this isn't even worth mixing.

#4 - 1800 is a Cuervo brand and is overall pretty harsh when compared to the marketplace. It's one of my least favorite brands of 100% agave juices out there.


If anyone has any other questions about tequilas and where to find good ones in your area, I'd be glad to help. The fact that the bulk of what is still selling is mixto or bad is bothersome, but I'm sure that whisky drinkers can understand that as well.

[two-bit cowboy]

The best thing that's happened to Joe's Cuervo recently is this:

http://www.shankennewsdaily.com/index.p ... geo-talks/

Oh, dang, my Pako's IPA just overflowed when I opened it. Gotta go....