March 17, 2008 Don Julio Tequila Reposado, NOM 1449. Pale amber color, nice long legs with a wonderful sweet agave & vanilla nose. The initial taste is earthy with a nice oakiness developing into a complex, floral aftertaste. This medium bodied spirit has a myriad of flavors such as caramel, chocolate, oak, orange, & vanilla which finishes by dancing across the tongue & exiting with the same agave sweetness it started with. The smoothness of this exceptional tequila continues throughout the entire tasting experience with absolutely no taste of alcohol. Needless to say I was very impressed with this reposado & it will always have a place on my shelf. A/A+. Top shelf.

 January 25, 2008 Gran Centenario Reposado, NOM 1122. In my opinion this is a truly fine tequila with a light amber color & nice, long, symmetrical legs extending to the top of the glass. The first nose is that of light agave followed by slight oak & caramel. The sweet, peppery initial taste is openly inviting with a nice aged quality. Vanilla & more peppery spice forms a deep, consistent body. This entire experience finishes with an enveloping veil of agave nectar, tingling sensation, & tapers off beautifully. A slight numbing warms the entire palate & adds to the overall smoothness. This is my favorite reposado to date. It mixes superbly in a Margarita or with grapefruit soda. Very enjoyable strait, on the rocks, etc. Top shelf. A+

 January 16, 2008 Tequila Reserva La Cava De Don Agustin Blanco, NOM 1456. Crystal clear color with long legs extending to the top of the glass. Moderate agave nose with nice depth, slight alcohol, & very clean. Complex smoky sweet with spicy cinnamon & slightly creamy initial taste. Medium body with flavors of pepper & spice. The finish starts @ the tip of the tongue, rolls across the middle, & leaves with a nice open sensation. The smoothness of this tequila carried all the way through the entire tasting & finished with a nice warm glow. This is the best value, in recent years, I've ever found for a 100% de Agave tequila, $22.95 for a 750 ml bottle. Top shelf. A-/A

 January 05, 2008 Mesteno Sotol Reposado. I purchased this sotol mixto @ Licores de Chihuahua on a recent trip to Juarez & on the recommendation of the proprietor. I should have invested in HDC instead. The color is light amber with slight green tones. With the exception of the smell of alcohol, the nose was almost nonexistent. The first taste was reminiscent of agavecea with a sweetness due to the cane spirits & alcohol burn. The experience does get a little better with more of the agavecea taste opening up through the somewhat rapid finish. It all ends up being smoother than I initially thought which was probably due to the fact that me estomago was becoming numbed over the tasting period. Do not confuse this product with the fine spirits of HDC or the Bronze Medal on the label. Inexpensive @ best. Bottom shelf. D-/D

 December 28, 2007 Tres Rios Tequila Silver, NOM 1482, Lot. Nr. 1802, Bottle Nr. 039985-A. Crystal clear color with long legs extending high on the shot glass. The first nose is sweet cooked agave with a hint of spice. The second nose is cedar pencil with more spice. The initial taste is spicy sweet with hints of coriander, cloves, & cinnamon followed by a warm glow. The body is very peppery with nice warmth, sweetness, & light alcohol. The finish rolls over the tongue & fades into a memory. I have tasted smoother tequilas but Tres Rios has a quality that spans the entire tasting experience with only a slight alcohol numbing sensation. The presentation, inner wrapped & boxed with a sealing waxed neck ribbon is impeccable. Everything here is silver. Above the hard rock/heavy metal hype is a reasonably priced, very sound tequila worthy of your consideration. Top shelf. A-
(I am concerned about tequila bottle corks not sealing as well as they should, this one included. Every tequila I've reviewed so far has had this problem. Be careful to, especially transport & obviously store, straight up or leakage will occur).