Alright, week 2 of Herradura (which we still can’t say in a non-derpy voice). This time we have the reposado, now while the silver was light and unique – this is smoky and unique. The main difference between the two though is that additional time aging gives this a character that actually shines through a cocktail – which is a good thing.
Overall we’d say go with the reposado, but now we are practically itching to find and try an Anejo of this. Our hope is that it takes the smooth (or at least good burn) aspects, the smoke aspects, and just properly mellows it out. As for this – well let’s just say it’s by no means a slouch.
What they Say: “Reposado. Aged 11 Months. Certification of Estate Bottling Casa Herradura”
Taste: 6.0 – You get a hint of agave, and similar to the silver there’s a sort of mint-like medicinal like flavor going on.
Aftertaste: 7.5 – That meanwhile is some big smoke and agave without either taking full control. It is very upfront and leaves a lingering of that mint/agave aftertaste for a while.
Burn/Smooth: 7.5 – There is a hint of that unique burn from the silver, but it’s overall managed to the point where it’s actually just smooth overall.
Aroma: 5.0 – The agave is much more muted here versus last week’s silver there’s a whiff of the mellow aging flavors, but to be honest it’s so little as to barely be there.
Honesty: 7.0 – As with the silver, great look, no crimes, but also nothing to garner more points.
Mixability: 6.83
W/ Rocks: 6.5 – Oh you get way more of the smoke than the agave at first, it eventually settles back into that making this a two-hit combo of a rocks drink. Likely not the way you’d have this, but damn it’s good.
Margarita: 7.5 – It’s actually better if you make this a strong margarita to get more of the flavor going on. Doing so makes some delicious that will have you hammered – real quick.
Tequila Sunrise: 6.5 – That’s is a tasty sunrise, that bit of smoke is there, but mixed well into the drink. It could do with a bit more of an agave flavor, but it’s still good.
Value: 6.0 – Now this is a 5 dollar difference between the silver. It’s been aged about 9 1/2 more months. However the effect on the cocktails is profound and can’t be understated. While the silver is an odd sipping oddity, this is a tequila you might actually buy.
Google Shop Average: $40
Website: https://www.herradura.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 6.5
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Metric Score: 45.83/70 |+| Metric Average: 6.55 |+| Reviewer Average: 6.5
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Final Thoughts: This was a hard call to not just go straight 7. Ultimately it was the knowledge of the silver that held this back. Because we knew where it came from, the reposado really just took everything and threw a smoke bomb at it. While that did make things better, and the difference in price isn’t so far – we can ACTUALLY recommend the reposado which while great, isn’t THAT great for our review scores.
Not a big Tequila drinker, but this is one of my go-to brands.