Amatiteña Barrancas

Amatiteña is not your typical tequila.

In fact, it is not even typical of the tequila made at its own distillery, Tequilera Puerta de Hierro (NOM 1477), where you are as likely to find sweeter tequilas such as Cava de Oro as cleaner profiles such as the new Ascênda.

Master distiller Alberto Partida started Amatiteña as a passion project to practice ancestral tequila-making techniques.

Amatiteña crushes its local Valley agave with a tahona, ferments it with fibers in wood tanks open to wild yeast, and distills it in copper pots—all production decisions aimed at bringing out maximum agave flavor.

But what separates Amatiteña from nearly every other tequila brand is how it cooks its agave. While most brands use steam to cook agave, Amatiteña roasts its agave over a direct flame fueled by mesquite wood. This gives the lineup a smoky profile that is most pronounced in the blanco and fades in the aged expressions.

This Barrancas expression brings even more layers of differentiation from most tequilas.

Single-estate agave is selected from the ravines, or “barrancas,” between the Tequila Volcano and Amatitán Mountain, where the agave grows alongside wild mangoes, plums, and mamey fruit.

These wild fruits are harvested and then added to the second distillation with the agave. It’s almost like a wild-fruit pechuga, for those familiar with that style of mezcal. The final touch is resting the tequila for a full year in glass demijohns.

Aroma: Citrus, plums, cantaloupe, agave, alcohol, and an earthy pine-forest floor.

Flavor: A mezcal-like initial palate: smoky, woody, earthy, and Band-Aid, with an alcohol sizzle. On the back end, a wave of black pepper is followed by hints of plum and sweet mint.

Finish: A nice lingering mouth tingle, with alcohol, pepper, and mint sticking around.

Between its maximum-allowed 55% ABV and mezcal-adjacent profile, this can be overwhelming for the average tequila drinker. But give yourself time to warm up to the experience before assessing the flavors, which reveal their secrets to the patient sipper.

Amatiteña Barrancas won’t be for everyone, but it’s for me. There’s something about the interplay between the smoky, earthy notes and the wild fruit that works. If you’re open to pushing the boundaries of what tequila can do with traditional methods, give one of their annual releases a try.

More from Amatiteña: All of our Amatiteña coverage, including reviews, lists, scores, and more.