Cachasol Blanco

Cachasol Blanco has a story that most tequilas can't tell—it was made by a brewer.

James Montero, co-founder and Dogfish Head veteran, came to tequila not from the agave world but from the world of craft beer, and he brought a brewer's obsession with fermentation along with him.

Paired with fifth-generation Master Distiller Jaime Villalobos Sauza at Hacienda de Oro (NOM 1522), they created a blanco that thinks differently about how flavor is built.

The specific choice of an IPA-inspired ale yeast is the hinge on which the entire flavor profile swings. Most tequila fermentation is designed to be neutral, a clean vehicle for agave character. Cachasol’s fermentation is designed to amplify it, specifically targeting the citrus and floral compounds that Nayarit agave already tends to express.

What lands in the glass is a blanco that is unmistakably agave-forward, but with a brightness and freshness that feels genuinely unusual for the category. It’s a fave for me.

Aroma: Citrus leads, bright and immediate. Sweet cooked agave follows, grounding the aroma without competing with it. A light floral character. The IPA yeast influence is present but not aggressive, so it lifts the profile without overwhelming it.

Palate: Clean agave sweetness hits first, followed by a citrus pop with a creamy mouthfeel. The mouthfeel is lighter than you might expect at 40% ABV. There's no harshness, no alcohol heat to speak of. It just keeps moving cleanly across the palate and off the back.

Finish: Clean, bright, creamy, and lightly roasted; the cooked agave sweetness that grounded the nose returns and lingers longer than expected for a 40% ABV blanco. The minerality fades first, leaving behind a pleasant citrus note for a finish that makes you pick the glass back up.

At $50, it earns its place as a home bar anchor, whether it is for sipping or a cocktail. I guarantee you this and the Epic Strength version are two you will want to keep stocked!