I was sort of chided for doing too many scotches over the holidays (they were gifts, and yes some were from me to me), so with St Patrick’s Day having passed it was time for some tequila reviews. The last Anejo we’ve had on this site was from Riazul, although technically we had an Anejo rum since then (which is weird)
This boasts on the back of being a decanter version, and while the bottle may say that, there is a printed Government warning below the labeled warning, and the front has glue made of diamonds. It is however very pretty to look at, and sadly does better as a piece of my bar, than a liquid in my drink.
What they Say: “” (Nothing on the bottle, but I do have what seems to be a decanter version)
Taste: 7.0 – This is exactly what I want from a nice smooth Anejo tequila.
Aftertaste: 3.0 – This is exactly what I don’t want from an Anejo tequila. The tequila just gets this hotter more cheap tequila taste towards the end – the kind you pray is solved by some ice.
Burn/Smooth: 4.0 – Sadly drinking this neat does burn.
Aroma: 5.0 – You really need to get your nose into it to get a deep smell. Sure the second you open the container you get the nice sweet whiff of agave, but for the most part that’s it.
Honesty: 4.0 – They don’t wank, and the decanter bottle version I have is nice despite there still being printed text underneath the label, and a stamp placed right over the barcode. Add that to the cheap feeling front sticker and it starts to feel more like they slapped a quick coat of paint to cover the mold in your local taco joint.
Mixability: 4.0
W/ Rocks: 4.0 – Sigh. Sadly this does nothing but blend the 2 tastes together, rather than improve the aftertaste. This is not the sipping anejo I wanted for the holiday and I’m rather disappointed.
Value: 4.0 – It’s just not enough for that point, hell nearly half that price point. I’ve had much better Anejo for cheaper so it does not do well.
Google Shop Average: $40
Website: http://www.tequileradearandas.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 4.5
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Metric Score: 31/70 |+| Metric Average: 4.43 |+| Reviewer Average: 4.5
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Final Thoughts: We have a subpar Anejo tequila here which is sad, but just because you age something out does not always mean it will be good. Here we are let down by a poor aftertaste than sinfully does not improve when you put it on ice. I really wish it had though, I wish that just putting this in a rocks glass with a cube would make it a sipping tequila for the coming warm months, but no.
