Have you tried Espolón? Their reposado is very reasonable and pretty darn affordable (think under $25 per bottle).
I recently used their blanco for a big pitcher of margaritas for some friends. It received a lot of praise.
Anyone have any other recommendations for tequilas that are good for mixing (eg not so harsh or low quality as to interfere with the drink, but also not so high end and complex as to be ill suited for mixing)?
Oh crap I must be thinking of something else then. I didn’t realize that was the Clooney one. Probably another hopeless @Timex suggestion (I’m teasing – mostly).
@ReptileHouse My wife and I have been making margaritas with it for years. I tried sipping it once and didn’t like it as much as DJ (of course) but I’ll try it again. Not sure this place has it. Almost tempted to swing by and take a picture of their menu!
Cool! It’s my go-to for margaritas, too.
A few other options are Arette and Ocho.
Hang on… Tim, you’re bay area, right? Are you by any chance going to Tommy’s? If so, don’t worry about figuring it out ahead of time. Just talk to Julio and let him guide you to something you like at a price point you’re cool with. He’s awesome.
No, opposite coast. I don’t mind asking for a recommendation but the last time they had some newbie that didn’t seem to know anything. Maybe when I call I will ask if their tequila expert can swing by. That’s a good idea!
Ya, when I first bought it, part of why I got it was because its bottle was pretty plain looking… kind of the opposite of the super fancy bottles where the bottle is better than its contents.
I recall the dude at the register saying, “Oh, this place is owned by George Clooney!” and I immediately though, “Well crap.”
It’s not bad though. The distillery existed before Clooney bought it, and he’s no longer involved with it anyway.
The distillery also makes Avion, which is actually hot garbage in my opinion. But it USED to be the place that made Clase Azul… so it’s got that going for it. Again, Clase Azul is somewhat over rated (another one of those tequila’s that has a big part of its appeal linked to its fancy bottle), but still it’s generally respected. And it actually used to be better than it is, from what I’ve heard, which would add points to the place making Casamigos.
Regardless, Casamigos is respectable. I wouldn’t pay a lot of it, but if you can get it for what you consider a reasonable price, then go for it. (their mezcal is actually real nice, too)
For me, Casamigo is 2/3rds the price of the other bottles I like for Anejo. So I always have a bottle on hand now.
This is my favorite new find. It’s my go to reposado now. I can sip it by itself with no issues or toss it in a margarita. For the price it’s great.
If you can find that 6 degree reposado I posted earlier, get it. For its quality, that stuff is dirt cheap. (I think I paid $29 for a bottle of it last time?)
I called them and they had some lame excuse that they were about to revise their menu and then they’ll finally put it online. Small businesses…
Anyway, they have Espolon. I’m going to have a sip tonight and then we’re going with that!
Haven’t seen that, but will keep an eye out for it.
My favorite Anejo now is Los Osuna, which you won’t find anywhere except Mazatlán and I guess a distributor in Minnesota of all places. I ordered some more from them and it worked, but it’s very pricey once you add shipping. Compared to what you would pay in Mexico anyways.
Yeah this Espolon reposado isn’t bad for sipping. This will work for my group. They’ll get the general idea.
Also I think I’ve been saying resposado for the last 5 years.
Really? I have to confess that that lowers my level of interest. In Clooney.
Ya, i seem to recall hearing last year that he had sold his stake in the label.
Victory!
I confess I sometimes catch myself saying “repasado.” My accent in Spanish was never great, but it’s gotten really bad over the last 10 years or so due to not being around pretty much any native speakers anymore.
I thought I posted but I was probably already too drunk. The Espolon was a hit. I bought 11 rounds. I had Casamigos Anejo. Delicious – @Timex you’re redeemed for now.
Ok bitches, let’s go.
Blocked the name of the place to try to maintain some semblance of privacy on the Internet, as futile as that is.
#43 there, inexplicably in the blancos, is chamucho’s anejo, which is excellent. That’s the anejo of the still strength blanco I’m drinking now. That’s one of the best things on that entire menu, and a pretty good deal for only $11.50.
It’s weird, because they list it again in the anejo section at #110, for $12. That would make me think that maybe they mean the chamucos blanco is 11.5, but they list the blanco for $8.
It’s possible that #43 is actually the still strength blanco, in which case you should drink that.
Separate from at that, they got maestro dobbel’s line, which is all solid. You can drink any of them and they’ll be good.
I see that they have suerte… I’ve never had that, but it’s supposed to be extremely good stuff. Like really top tier stuff. If i was there, that’s what I’d drink, to see what it’s about.
Got a hidden gem here.
Found this for $27. Easily, EASILY, one of the best Blancos I’ve ever had. Absolutely amazing.
Alright, my trip out west got cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic. But before I left, i picked up two treasures for my collection.
First, there is:
Fortaleza makes some of the best tequila in the world, and their Blanco is up there with my all time favorites.
This, however, is even more special. It’s their “still strength” Blanco, which is 92 proof instead of the normal 80. Straight from the still, without the additional water normally added. But, impressively, it’s just as smooth, with a more complex flavor. An exceptionally good drink.
I was super happy to find that, but then, there is this:
This is, in a word, amazing. I have never had anything like it.
I’ve had marca Negra’s mezcal before, but it was their more standard espadin mezcal. If you get a chance to try it, it’s exceptional. Very strong smoke flavor, but still with a complex agave under it.
But this, is their mezcal made from the Tepeztate agave.
Tepeztate is a special species of agave, which, for some reason, cannot be commercially farmed. It grows in rocky, mountainous terrain. So, they have to harvest it from the wild, where it takes 25 years to mature, and they are currently engaging in conservation efforts to make sure it doesn’t go extinct. As a result, distilleries are only allowed to produce a certain amount of this type of mezcal every year. And this is the first time I’ve gotten to try it.
It was quite pricy, at $120, despite the place i bought it having extremely good prices on everything. (The Fortaleza was only $46, which is insanely low for that bottle) I have to say though, it was really worth it, as the flavor is totally unique. I didn’t really expect it to be that different, but it is. It’s got crazy floral and herbal notes that I’ve never had in anything before. Slightly sweet, and surprisingly smooth given it’s 101 proof strength.
Oh man I so love mezcal. Do want.