Review: Gran Centenario Tenampa Azul Resposado Tequila

Gran Centenario is mostly known for their high-end tequilas, but they also make a line that's much more affordable - the Tenampa Azul tequilas. They have a silver and a resposado on this label - both are 100% blue agave, and taken from plants that are 10-12 years of age, supposedly the sweet spot for making tequila. In the resposado's case, it's then aged for a minimum of two months in oak barrels.

Tenampa Azul resposado is a golden straw color. Agave is rich on the nose, almost as raw and powerful as a blanco. The taste, however, is much more muted. Agave still dominates, but not in an overpowering way. The oak provides a lot of flavor too, and there's a hint of sweetness, particularly in the finish. Faint vanilla and citrus notes are also there. It's not too complex, but it's surprisingly sippable. Every bit as good, in my opinion, as Patron's resposado, and about a third as expensive.

This is a good tequila, and a phenomenal value. It's great in cocktails, good on its own, and only a couple bucks more than a bottle of Cuervo. Recommended for budget-conscious tequila lovers, and for anyone who's stocking a bar and wants a good tequila.

Price: ~$20

Value: 19/20
Overall Quality: 16/20

Review: Don Julio Anejo Tequila

I'm back after a bit of a hiatus (lousy real-life obligations that don't involve drinking!), and today I'll be reviewing Don Julio's anejo tequila. Anejo refers to the age of the tequila - 100% agave tequilas (and why would you want to drink anything else?) are classified as blanco, resposado, anejo, or extra anejo, in order of increasing age. This particular anejo has been aged for 18 months in oak barrels, which gives it a nicely mellow yet flavorful character.

The tequila pours out a light straw color. It's a little bit light for an anejo, but this is probably a testament to the lack of any added caramel color to make it look like it was aged for longer. Oak and agave are dominant in the aroma, but lime works its way in there too. These are also present on the palate, but the flavor is substantially more complex than the aroma. Vanilla, grapefruit, and nougat all come to mind, with sweetness balancing out the sharp flavors from the agave. Salt and a bit of woody bitterness show up in the finish, the latter of which mars the flavor slightly.

In all, though, this is an excellent sipping tequila, and it also works very well in the couple of cocktails that I've tried it in - check out the Tequila Manhattan at Oh Gosh. Like most premium tequilas, it's expensive, but (in my admittedly somewhat limited experience in the tequila world) I haven't come across a better one.

Price: ~$55

Value: 16/20
Overall Quality: 17/20