Arette Tequila Reposado Suave

A tequila with the word "Suave" right in the name. Suave is Spanish for smooth...a word that can be maligned at times in the tasting community because smooth is more of a texture than a flavor...and one of the most common things you'll hear people say their first time they drink a decent tequila is that it's "pretty smooth." Perhaps Arette is trying capitalize on people who want a smooth drink. Perhaps it's just a way of saying that this is better than the standard line. The labor that it is for me to find out...

Price: $40-45/bottle

Aroma: An earthy agave sweetness. Very reminiscent of tahona crushed tequilas. Wet cement and spice notes. Almost musty.

Initial Taste: A musty type of sweetness. A light hint of vanilla and fruit to go along with earthy agave.

Body: Thin bodied overall. There's a hint of bitterness as it advances along the palate. It's a unique flavor, but I feel like the earth notes and the sweetness are more at odds than they are complimenting each other.

Finish: Fairly short linger with the earthy agave notes being at the forefront. Nothing to write home about.

The price on this tequila is all over the map. I've seen it as low as $30 and as high as $60+. In the lower end of the range, the unique profile and musty agave flavor makes it a worthy pick up. In tthe high end, I feel like there's just too many elite tequilas to recommend this one for $50+. Obviously, the only way to know for sure is to try it yourself. But I would mainly recommend this one to those who like the more earthy/musty profile.

Artesanal Suave...and smooth it is. This is a very lean and clean tequila with crisp and distinct aroma, taste and body.

The aroma is somewhat minerally but pleasant with hints of agave and a little spice. The taste is bright with a nice bite, but the edges have been rounded off making it very drinkable. The flavor is more of wam spices than anything, with clove being first followed a little cinnamon. Nice sweetness without overwhelming, no bitterness. Body is light to medium. It's not thin and it does linger a bit on the palate, but there is no heaviness to this tequila. The biggest detractor to this tequila for me is the finish which pack a good punch of mineral and earth, but luckily it's a short finish so it does not linger.

This is a nice sipping tequila. I thought I'd like it a little more than I do (finish being the detractor for me) but it will certainly grow on me and I'll have no trouble getting through the bottle. I bought a liter bottle in Tijuana for $27, which is a stellar price compared to the $64 price tag for a 750 ml bottle in the U.S. The liter bottle also has a much nicer design and presentation than does the 750 bottle. Like the tequila in it, it's lean and clean bottle...taller with a spare design.

Overall, I'd encourage anyone to try this tequila and form their own opinion. It's a nice tequila that borders on being a very good one.