Don Rico Tequila Añejo is one of those tequilas that immediately lets you know it’s doing something different.
Produced at Compañia Tequila Los Valores (NOM 1608) and made without additives, this double-cask aged añejo leans heavily into rich dessert-style flavors while still keeping enough agave character to remind you it’s tequila.
The tequila begins its maturation in American white oak bourbon barrels for three months, then gets transferred to French oak Cabernet wine barrels for an additional 10 months.
The bourbon barrels contribute classic notes of vanilla, caramel, and oak, while the French oak Cabernet barrels add wine-influenced characteristics like raspberry, chocolate, and coffee notes.
On the nose, I am getting cooked agave, vanilla, and caramel right away, then it shifts into chocolate, coffee, and raspberry notes.
On the palate, it’s a rich and velvety great mouth feel of caramel, honey, plum, and cherry. That raspberry really comes through. This is definitely more fruit-forward than your typical añejo. You still get some toasted oak and a little spice to balance it out.
The finish is long, warm, and slightly sweet with butterscotch and a little citrus hanging on until the end.
NOM | 1608 |
|---|---|
Agave | Jalisco (Los Altos) |
Cooking | Stone and brick ovens |
Extraction | Roller mill |
Water | Deep well water |
Fermentation | Open-air stainless steel tanks |
Still | Stainless pot with copper coil |
Age | 13 months in French oak barrels, bourbon barrels, and wine casks |
ABV | 40% |
