Volcán de mi Tierra Reposado

The Gallardo family has called Hacienda La Gavilana in the Tequila Valley home since 1774. They have some seriously deep roots in the area.

In 2014, the Gallardo family created a joint venture with Moët Hennessy, LVMH’s wines and spirits division, launching Volcán de mi Tierra Blanco and Cristalino Añejo in 2017.

While I don’t usually like cristalinos, those early añejo batches were some of my favorites because they didn’t completely filter out the color and character. Volcán has always been willing to do things a little differently.

Volcán de mi Tierra is one of a small minority of brands produced at a distillery dedicated solely to them: NOM 1523 in Huaxtla, Jalisco, not far from the Volcán de Tequila, the volcano for which it is named.

I was fortunate to visit this distillery, and it is quite an impressive operation. They’ve got a multitude of equipment and leverage different regions of agave which allows them to vary production from expression to expression.

And oh boy, is that barrel room beautiful! They’ve got all kinds of wood species and fill types resting, ready for blending and experimentation.

Despite being located in the Tequila Valley, Volcán sources Highland agave for its core reposado. After distillation, the tequila is aged in a selection of new oak casks—50% American oak and 50% European oak—from its impressive barrel room.

Nose: Earthy, musty, red apple, charred pineapple, and allspice.

Flavor: Oak tannins, citrus rind, black pepper, butterscotch, and agave.

Finish: A black-pepper tingle lingers through wisps of tobacco.

A dark amber color suggests something potent is coming, while the fruity, earthy funk on the nose and spicy, sweet flavor deliver on that promise. I sense more of the European oak’s influence in this tequila.

Volcán de mi Tierra doesn’t taste like a typical tequila aged in ex-bourbon American oak because it isn’t. If you are looking for sameness, this isn’t for you. For those who like to expand their horizons, it may be worth a shot.

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