Siempre Añejo

Siempre Añejo has been one of my go-to tequilas for a long time, and this newer version from NOM 1414 is a big improvement over the previous release made at NOM 1137.

I respect Siempre and the people behind it—Alex, Monica, and Rick. They care about transparency, tradition, and making great tequila, and with Sergio Cruz making the tequila at NOM 1414, this one really delivers.

This añejo is made with estate-grown Highland Blue Weber agave, cooked in traditional masonry ovens, crushed with a five-pass roller mill, naturally fermented in stainless-steel tanks, and double-distilled in copper pot stills.

A lot of micro-batch blending is going on here. Fermentation uses a variety of experimental yeasts, including Champagne, rum, bread, sake, wild, and wild yeast with fibers, among others. The distilled tequila is blended after aging for 12 to 36 months in a range of used and new French and American oak barrels.

There’s a lot to like about the production process that leads to a layered añejo.

On the nose, I get cooked agave, minerality, vanilla, caramel, butterscotch, toasted oak, baking spices, cinnamon, and a little orange peel.

On the palate, the cooked agave and minerality are still front and center, which is exactly what I want in an añejo. The barrel adds caramel, toffee, toasted oak, dark honey, baking spices, and a little pepper on the finish without taking over the tequila.

Rich, balanced, and incredibly easy to drink—this is exactly why Siempre continues to be one of my absolute go-to tequilas.

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