Cazcanes No. 7 Reposado

Is there anything more ironic than searching far and wide for the right tequila, only to find exactly what you’re looking for while eating tacos at a roadside taco stand?

Cazcanes is that story. Two brothers looking for something new in the tequila world were eating tacos when they hear of a guy making “moonshine tequila” in the hills of Arandas. Naturally, they had to go check it out. They met Humberto, and inspired by his dedication to the craft of making tequila, Cazcanes was born.

But the interesting stories do not end there. There is purpose behind everything in a bottle of Cazcanes tequila (including the bottle itself).

The name is taken from the Cazcanes, an indigenous people of Mexico who were known for their defiance of the Spanish occupation of Mexico.

Their logo is the “healing hand,” symbolizing all the hands that work together to create the tequila, from field to bottle.

Their water source is natural spring water trucked in from the Navichi Springs all the way to their distillery at Tequilera Tap (NOM 1614) in Amatitán. The tequila was originally made at Atanasio (NOM1599), but they moved when they needed to scale up. They keep trucking the same water to maintain their profile.

Cazcanes has entrusted production to master distiller Francisco “Don Chico” Jiménez Lazcarro, the craftsman behind all expressions except Nuestras Raíces, which is handled by Huberto himself in the jungle where their story began.

Barreling for my particular batch of reposado used a blend of four-, ten-, and 12-month-aged tequilas, matured in American oak previously holding four different brands of bourbon, with three different char levels. Each batch is blended individually and aged to taste rather than time, so expect subtle differences.

Why “No. 7,” you ask? The numbers on Cazcanes bottles correspond to proof: No. 7 is 80 proof, No. 9 is 100 proof, and No. 10 is 108 proof.

On the nose, I get plenty of cooked agave, oak, caramel, citrus, pepper, butterscotch, as well as spice notes.

While on the palate, I taste very similar elements, but add flavors of cocoa, banana and honey as well.

Cazcanes No. 7 Reposado is delicious, and I would gladly recommend if you enjoy aged expressions.