Cava Don Anastacio Tequila Anejo

It took a number of sittings before this tequila really grew on me. It begins with a soft yet pronounced nose of leather, earth, and oak. A very satisfying medium body, it feels nice and full on the tongue, exactly what you want in a tequila. Taste is toffee, black pepper, clove, and well-roasted agave, giving way to an outstanding spicy nutty finish of burnt caramel and agave. As the heat recedes, there is a prolonged after-finish, warm and sweet and woody, that remains on the back of the tongue and in the throat. This is an earthy, smoky, barrel-y anejo. Fantastic.

Aroma: This is a bright Agave scent that is full and rich but not overly and rich and not overly masked by the oaking process. Quiote has struck a good a balance on the aroma of this tequila, a trend that goes for the other categories.

Initial Taste: As the tequila entered my mouth, I felt more tingling than tasting and picked up the aromas on a very intense level. The bright agave flavour's dimensions start to sink into the crevaces in my mouth and the intermingling oak flavours latch on for the long-haul.

Body: The body is a continued experience but with more depth, and with a hint of "bite" from the ethanol that keeps you lingering onto a tongue full of tequila as long as possible hoping to delay the inevitable hot finsih.

Finish: The finish is hot! It comes on quick, peaks very quickly and dies off as the cava don reminds you of their anejo's bright agave and oak flavours begin to dominate the ethanol heat. This tequila is one of a few that seems to burn in my stomach too which in turn forces myself to slow it down and to enjoy the finer things in life.

Summary: I saved up my dollars and cents for this $80 tequila after it was featured in LCBO's Tequila summer feature brochure. Those interested in this tequila should opt for cava don for sipping only in my opinion. I did try a tequila sour with this one and the oak and agave flavours were thrown far out of balance in this mixed cocktail. This tequila was the first for me to experience this but it demonstrates to me that it was never meant for "simple mixology"; proceed with good planning if you are building a cocktail with this one. Otherwise, shoot for a sipping session and enjoy your favourite soundtrack on some vinyl after a long day of work.