Fósforo Blanco

Like Dos Hombres and Madre, Fósforo is another brand that started by making mezcal, and recently launched a blanco tequila.

Fósforo began in 2022 as a Puebla-based mezcal brand founded by Lisa Detwiler and her husband, CNBC’s Jim Cramer, after the couple spent considerable time vacationing in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

The tequila is made by Miriam López Montaño at Casa Tequilera de Arandas (NOM 1499) in the Highlands town of Arandas. Only a blanco has been released so far.

Many other craft tequila brands are produced at the NOM 1499 distillery, though not necessarily by López Montaño, including Mijenta and LEON Y SÓL.

This tequila utilizes agave from the Highlands and features a proprietary Champagne yeast blend in fermentation, a technique used by a few distilleries to add lift and lightness to the final spirit.

Pricing on this blanco is fair at approximately $39, and it’s one of the ever-growing number of tequilas that can work as a sipper or as a mixer, although I’d lean toward mixing due to its gravelly notes.

Aroma: Minerals, sea water, cut grass, and bell pepper. All nice notes on their own. Together, it smells a bit riotous, but not off-putting by any means.

Flavor: Lighter mouthfeel, but the real question is: can something be both dry and sweet simultaneously? A hint of citrusy sweetness hits me first, like a jolt of Country Time Lemonade, followed by a pronounced, tannic, mineral rebound that dries my cheeks in an instant.

This is not what you’d consider a "juicy" sipper. The overall impression is as if you poured Sprite on a rock and then licked it. But not in a bad way!

Finish: Short-to-medium, with the gravel notes being the final memory.

This is an interesting tequila, especially because it doesn’t necessarily smell like it tastes. That’s not always a flaw, as this is one of those bottles where you pick up something different with every sip. I don’t love it, but I certainly don’t hate it.

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