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In my highly opinionated opinion, Tequila should either be sipped or slammed but never, ever mixed with some high fructose fruity mixed mess.  I just really love the taste of agave and I want to taste it in every mouthful.  The best example of sipped or slammed I have relates to Super Bowl XLVIII, in which the Seahawks mutilated the Broncos.  If you were a Seahawks fan, you could have poured yourself a snifter of tequila and savored it slowly while enjoying the game and the high score and ultimately the lopsided victory.  On the other hand, if you were a Broncos fan you could have slammed a shot of tequila after every Seahawk score, and that slamming could have started virtually a few seconds into the game when Seattle first scored and proceeded until the end of the game when the final score was 43-8.  Those slammers would not have just eased the pain of the loss but might have made you forget you even watched the game; either way a totally therapeutic result.

The El Jimador Blanco is an un-aged silver tequila, while the Herradura Reposado is a golden colored, aged tequila that has rested in oak barrels for 11 months.  I must again express my prejudice here as I actually prefer a good silver tequila over an aged tequila.  Yeah, I know that’s ass backwards since the aged tequilas are smoother, more complex, richer in aromas and deeper in taste and way more expensive, but all that complexity makes them start to taste similar to bourbons and cognacs and even scotches, and I like the straight up taste of agave, and I get the biggest taste profile of agave from the silver tequilas, and that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

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The boys and girls down at El Jimador sent me one hell of a presentation case with their Blanco.  It weighed as much as a titanium brief case and was about the same size but it was a pale blue.  Inside, there was a USB drive with printed information and to top that off there was an electronic presentation folder that when opened played a video.  That’s one whole bunch of electronics for a tequila touted as “hand harvested,” but it was all sure mighty impressive.  El Jimador Tequila Blanco looks like pure, clean water as it sits in its newly designed bottle with its newly formulated label, mighty impressive for a $20.00 bottle of tequila.  The nose is mild with agave, a touch of vanilla and just a hint of alcohol.  On the palate, the agave takes several steps forward and really shines.  That is followed by a vegetative after taste and that hint of vanilla.  It has a medium body, and is smooth on the palate.  The finish is medium in length and also smooth, leaving a clean taste of agave in the mouth as well as a trace of tingle.  At this price point, this is an excellent blanco tequila and perfect for either sipping or slamming. On the rocks, the agave taste steps back considerably and the entire taste profile becomes quite laid back.  I do believe I prefer it straight up.

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The Herradura Reposado is a pale golden color and comes in a bottle with a lucky horseshoe for a label that lets you know they have been distilling this stuff since 1870!  The nose is very, very subtle with just a hint of agave, a hint of oak and a hint of age.  Just 11 months in the barrel has mellowed this tequila quite a bit, while giving it some interesting depth.  On the palate, the complexity of tastes presents itself in a bourbon like back and a hint of agave in the front, with oak somewhere in the middle. It’s complex but not complicated; it has depth without being too deep.  The finish is short and smooth leaving just a hint of agave on the palate.  This is a very nice mid-priced ($40.00/750ML) aged tequila that should be sipped and savored and never slammed.  On the rocks, the agave somehow actually comes forward and more in focus giving it a bit more of a distinctive taste, go figure, but go enjoy.

 

By George Brozowski

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