Socorro Reposado

Few tequila brands have endeavored to support philanthropic efforts as much as Socorro Tequila. The brand’s name literally means to “help.”

Founded in 2020 by Josh Irving and Pablo Antinori, Socorro’s charitable contributions have become as central to the brand as the liquid itself. Since its beginning, Socorro has donated tens of thousands of cases of water to Jalisco communities in need, and recently, Socorro has expanded its charitable support to include organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center.

Charitable giving isn’t the only thing Socorro does well. Co-founder Pablo Antinori, who worked with major tequila brands prior to Socorro, is deeply involved in every stage of production. From agave selection and fermentation to barrel selection and final blending, Pablo’s experience is able to get the most out of the team at Casa Tequilera Dinastía Arandina (“Casa Camarena” NOM 1610).

Pablo also uses a very interesting and somewhat uncommon production method, new American oak barrels for aging.

Socorro Reposado is a perfect example of how new oak, lightly toasted to Pablo’s specifications, brings a very different set of flavors to the bottle. Pablo’s experiments with used bourbon barrels yielded disappointing char-level consistency, and moving to new oak gave him more control.

So, what does lightly toasted new oak that has never known bourbon do to tequila? For the approximately 4-month aged Socorro Reposado, it offers a more nuanced set of barrel aromas.

The smell of oak comes off like fresh-cut wood with enjoyable hints of herbs. Some light vanilla comes through as well, but not the somewhat typical caramel and sweet bourbon scents you might encounter from used bourbon barrels.

On the other hand, lightly toasted new wood gives flavors that are quite a bit different. You couldn’t blind taste this reposado against a bourbon barrel-aged reposado. The lightly toasted new barrel’s unique fresh oak taste would give it away in a second. But it’s that difference, working from a good blanco base, that gives Socorro Reposado a unique complexity that is definitely worth a try.

Nose: fresh oak / hints of vanilla / hint of butter / agave / herbal / light citrus / bell pepper / tea / hazelnut

Taste: sweet cooked agave / fresh oak / hint of vanilla / lime / pineapple / tangerine / bell pepper / black tea / lemongrass / nutmeg / molasses / hint of chocolate / mint

Finish: light viscosity / imparts clear tastes but dissipates quickly / oak, bell pepper and a light agave sweetness stay on the palate for a short time / light minty, herbal, and green pepper aftertaste