Tequila: My final frontier

[coleridge]

So I know Scotch and all other types of whiskey inside out. Have Gin hammered home. Rum locked down. Know way more than I should about the uselessness that is Vodka.

But know nothing about Tequila except that I know good tequila is night and day better than bad tequila. More so than any other spirit I think.

What's good in these price ranges:

Under $40
$40-$60
Over $60

Where should I start?

 

[The Watcher]

Tequila and Scotch are my drinks...

I love Milagro

 

[Bernnie Federko]

Don't care for the silver milagro.

Patron Gold is about 50$ in the US, absolutely worth it.

 

[rudebwoy]

So I know Scotch and all other types of whiskey inside out. Have Gin hammered home. Rum locked down. Know way more than I should about the uselessness that is Vodka.

But know nothing about Tequila except that I know good tequila is night and day better than bad tequila. More so than any other spirit I think.

What's good in these price ranges:

Under $40
$40-$60
Over $60

Where should I start?

if you like scotch, try mezcal as well. its similar to tequila (not made from blue agave, and no regional specifications attached to it) but its smokey, earthy flavours sometimes remind me of mildly peaty scotch whisky. the Zacbe reposado is a nice bottle at ~$55.

c.

 

[Ho||yw0oD]

Start off inexpensive and work your way up. Made the mistake with both rum and scotch of drinking the good stuff too early.

A good mixing tequila:

A good sipping tequila:

 

[Sal De Ban]

Cazadores and Milagro are both excellent and easy to find at lcbo

 

[acheron]

jump on this!

Guinness Book of World Records Largest Tequila Tasting
https://www.facebook.com/events/1395302767363223/

 

[kyfe]

this is my regular inexpensive tequila

Presently I have this in my freezer, it's the one from entourage and while it's not the best I've had it's better than I expected

 

[Liability]

My parents always bring me back a couple of bottles of Don Julio Blanco when they return from mexico.

I think the taste is great but I don't have the most extensive Tequilla knowledge.

Product Information

 

[Psyrel]

Highly recommend entry level tequila - Tromba. It's super smooth.

Check out Reposado on Ossington when they're not busy (weeknight) and do a tasting flight. The bartender paired a smokey aged tequila with dark chocolate, not something we expected and it was awesome. Based on our reactions to the 1st flight she was able to customize the 2nd one - I liked the aged stuff, another person liked the peppery ones and the 3rd person gave up.

 

[erika]

if you like scotch, try mezcal as well. its similar to tequila (not made from blue agave, and no regional specifications attached to it) but its smokey, earthy flavours sometimes remind me of mildly peaty scotch whisky. the Zacbe reposado is a nice bottle at ~$55.

c.

Definitely try mezcal; I prefer it. Have had some really funky artisanal ones in Mexico; have brought some back and marinated a vanilla pod and part of a cinnamon stick in it, which takes it somewhere different.

I would suggest you go to Reposado and taste a few things there; they can point you towards something based on what you tell them you like.

Oops! Just read Psyrel's post - well yes, I agree

 

[SyKicK]

So I'm down in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and thoughth about picking up a bottle of Tequila (sipping). Do the picks above still stand true or are there anymore I should look at.

I'm kind of looking for the Glenfiddich of Tequila, something that is good but if I can't get into it I haven't wasted too much money.

Thank you.

 

[octo]

classe azul reposado is a great sipping tequila

it's $140 at the lcbo but you should be able to get it for half that in Mexico.

definitely try Mezcal. i was in mexico recently and tried probably over a dozen Mezcals. They all had different flavour profiles. Some are VERY smokey. One in particular was unbelievably delicious. If you can find Tosba Tobala mezcal, try it. Buy it. If you don't like it, i'll buy it off you when you come back.

Tobala « Mezcal Tosba

Also, try pulque. It's what the natives originally drank. I brought a bottle back.

 

[octo]

another one to try is 1800 reposado or anejo. that's my go to tequila when i'm at a bar down south.

 

[SyKicK]

Octo Thanks for getting back to me so fast. I'll be heading over to the Walmart with in the next few days and I'll see what they have. Always get the best prices on booze there. I'll have to take a list with me.

 

[cosmosuave]

Last year in Cabos we did a tequilla tasting on this beautiful sailboat cruise anyway the dude giving the tasting sez this is good value...

Also I bought the silver at Walmart...

 

[SyKicK]

Got my list all made up. Should be over at the Walmart in the next few days so I'll see what they have. My inlaws were there today and said they just had a massive amount of booze setup for Xmas/New Years so we will see.

 

[kyfe]

so what did you get?

 

[SyKicK]

So I ended up grabbing a bottle of the 1800 Reposado. It was on for 292 Pesos which right now works out to $23 Canadian so that isn't too bad. Looking forward to giving this a go when I get home.

 

[diablo]

I don't go for tequila (and when I have a shot, I always take white tequila if possible), but my oldest friend loves it. Hence, most of his birthday/Christmas/murder acquittal gifts from me are bottles of tequila. Therefore, I had to get a little bit educated about it.

Under $40 - don't bother

In the $40-$60 range, Don Julio, Tromba, Milagro and 1800 have all been well-received and enjoyed (always white/silver versions) when I gave them.

I'll second the recommendations of mezcal. I actually enjoyed a few of these. This one in particular ($60-ish at LCBO) won universal acclaim from me and my circle of friends:

 

[the_fornicator]

I know nothing about tequila but do know that I loooooooooooove Don Julio anejo. The 1942, I tried it at a restaurant with some friends and drank like an idiot and did shots of it instead of sipped it. It was a-fucking-mazing -again, I know nothing about tequila though.

Don Julio Tequila Review - Drink Spirits

 

[djglobalkiller]

matt, let me know if you want to go on a good tequila pilgrimage! I have 4 friends that are brand ambassadors for some tequila brands.. if you want to come to a tasting session at my bar, let me know,..

for a good base of tequila, i would start with:

tromba blanco: $49
tromba reposado: $56
tromba anejo: $85
(master distiller was the previous master distiller for don julio)

dolce vida anejo

la pinta (pomegranate infused tequila.. only flavoured one id go for)

don julio anejo, not the 1942.. save yourself some money..

Maestro Dobel Tequila Diamante, (blend of repo, anejo, extra anejo):$75
(i can set you up a personal tasting with the brand guy)

Jose Cuervo Platino, $75 great stuff, almond notes,
Jose Cuervo reserva de la familia, top end extra anejo $160 us a btl

espolon reposado, $44 good bite not too woody

El MAyor anejo, $67 a bottle good stuff, wood and agave heavy

siempre blanco, newer $80 really green and citrusy(orange) for a blanco, on the higher end for a blanco but ok


the clase azul is over priced but their mezcal is top notch, $300 a btl

 

[SyKicK]

Just got back from Mexico again. Picked this one up at Walmart. Worked out to be about $27 Canadian which isn't too bad. I haven't had it yet, anyone given this one a go?