I bet of all the reviews you’ve read/will read from our blog, you never expected to read one on tequila did you? I mean, we have all had our tequila moments haven’t we. You know what I mean, no need to go into detail.
Poor old tequila! A noble spirit with a very rich and deep history. The Aztecs made a crude form of tequila long before the Spanish arrived in the 1500s. Now, it has the unfortunate stereotype of being the drink of young party animals. But please, I beg you, give this spirit more of a chance then the meat between the salt and lemon sandwich.
Patron is recognisable as the top-shelf go-to for tequilas, and for good reason. Their tequila is great both in cocktails and as a sipping spirit. The one I am tasting tonight is the grand-daddy of Patron. The Gran Patron Burdeos.
Like all tequilas, it is made form 100% Blue Agave in Mexico. But interestingly, and this is the only spirit I know of where this happens, it is distilled, aged in barrels for 12 months, then re-distilled and aged further. The name ‘Burdeos’ comes from the barrels it is aged in the second time round, as they are sourced from the famous Chateaus of Bordeaux.
The spirit itself is clear in appearance and orange-gold in colour. It looks very thick and sticky in my glass, the slow travelling legs down the side confirm this. I don’t mean thick like treacle, but it just looks dense.
There is a lot more packed into this 30mL than there is with other spirits.
The nose is just pure bliss. I’m thinking a cool breeze across the hot night of a Mexican desert. I’m thinking a resort on the coast of Puerto Vallarta with ocean sounds and sea salt in the air. I’m thinking the rugged tough landscape of Mexico with all its dangerous and beautiful glory. There is spice, there is pepper, there are Cajun chillies, there is earth, there is leather and there is also a touch of salt. The density of the scent matches its looks.
Forget what you thought you knew about tequila being a spirit that burns and makes you cringe after your shot, this chihuahua is smooth. At first there is some caramel at the front. Did not expect that. Wash it around the mouth and some orange peel and sweet spices come alive. I mean real Mexican spices, none of this stuff from the Orient. If I were a cartoon there would be tiny chillies and peppers dancing with maracas on my tongue when the camera zooms in. The after taste is very earthy combined with some dry leather. Underlying all this is a brilliant sweet smokiness that is known and loved by all agave fanatics. It lingers for a long time, which is very impressive, shows depth of flavour.
It is a great shame it started raining just after I poured out my taster, as I think this would be well with a smooth and spicy Cuban, such as a Trinidad Reyes, with some nice vanilla notes.
To sum up
Nose: full of Mexico. Spicy and leathery and dirty. Don’t forget that smoke.
Tastes: Toffee caramel and vanilla on the front, spicy goodness in the middle and leathery smokiness to finish
Mouth feel: super light, the spirit doesn’t feel as dense as it looks, smells and tastes.
Finish: a very long and lingering smoke combined with leather and earth. Like a good pair of cow-boy boots
Accompanying tracks: Alt-J, a new band to contrast the old and noble spirit.
– Written by Lex Getley
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