Since Minimum Unit Pricing of Alcohol – MUP – has come into force in Ireland I’ve noticed a few more bottles of spirits offered in 500ml packages.
Sierra Tequila Silver – for sale in Dunnes & Tesco – happened to be one of the first – so I bought it!
I’m happy to have smaller bottles.
Tasting a wide variety of spirits is what excites me & smaller bottles allows me to indulge for less outlay.
So how was Sierra Silver?
Having previously enjoyed a miniature Reposado from this fun brand – well who else would put a sombrero stopper on their bottles? – I was pre-disposed to the Silver.
There’s no mention of 100% Agave so clearly Sierra is a Mixto style of Tequila – but it does have an expressive earthy agave nose.
Smooth & oily on the palate.
The finish is very drying. That peppery spice is to the fore & leaves with a lip-smacking prickliness.
Sierra Silver is a fun & flavoursome tequila to tipple!
Global drinks group Jose Cuervo’s Tequilas regularly top the best selling charts.
In Ireland they aren’t doing too badly either with Bushmills coming in at No 3 for the Irish Whiskey category.
The recent hot weather prompted me to sample some Jose Cuervo Tequila.
One positive from the pandemic is a profusion of outlets offering tasting packs to whet your appetite.
c/oCelticWhiskeyShop
This particular 6 bottle selection was ordered from Celtic Whiskey Bar & Larder – although other providers exist.
A zoom tasting accompanied it – I missed the date – but it didn’t deter me from enjoying the tequila!
Comprising of 3 separate ranges – all 100% blue agave & 38% ABV – I chose initially to compare within each brand starting with the Tradicional offerings.
Tradicional Tequila c/oCelticWhiskeyShop
Traditional Silver
That classic earthy agave pungency greeted me with a hint of peppery spice.
Smooth & silky palate topped off with a hearty serving of signature black pepper spice on the finish.
Just what I expect from a tequila.
Traditional Reposado
The agave pungency was tempered a touch by hints of barrel ageing.
More complexity on the palate as the interplay between the raw ingredients used & wood maturation played out & added a hint of oakiness to the finish.
Very enjoyable – although the clear simplicity of the Silver won me over.
A trio of brand 1800 came next.
1800 Tequila c/oCelticWhiskeyShop
1800 Silver
Back – for me at least – to the signature agave & spice combination.
Lovely.
1800 Reposado
Once again – a lovely interplay between the distilling ingredients & wooden maturation.
1800 Anejo
I was beginning to miss the agave influence with this one!
It was there – but the barrel ageing dominated for me & detracted from what I’m looking for in tequila.
All 1800’s were enjoyable tipples – with Silver gaining my affections most.
Reserva Tequila c/oCelticWhiskeyShop
Reserva de la Familia Extra Anejo
A solo offering that stood out from the others with a noticeably darker colour & clearly perceptible & pronounced wooden cask influence.
The sweet agave came through on the nose – but caramels & hints of vanilla more reminiscent of whiskey were evident.
Very smooth, very cultured & very engaging – tequila for the whiskey lover?
For a 2nd round I compared the Silver & Reposado offerings.
Silver Tequila c/oCelticWhiskeyShop
Silver
Traditional’s flavour profile shone through with it’s defining features.
1800 delivered similar – but I found it a smoother, sweeter & ultimately a less exuberant offering.
Traditional for me!
Reposado Tequila c/oCelticWhiskeyShop
Reposado
Tradicional was a shade lighter than 1800 – which suggests a shorter period in wood.
This played out in the tasting.
1800 had less spice, a sweeter & subdued feel to it with the wood influence a tad more forward.
The differences weren’t massive – & would be hard to pick up unless a back to back comparison was possible – but once more – Tradicional won the day.
Overall
As in all these tastings – I like to choose my favourite.
For the sheer clarity of flavours & bold display of the agave used in distillation there could only be one winner for me – Tradicional Silver.
Tequila appears to be the new ‘in thing’ with rising sales across the world.
Moving beyond the salt-lemon-tequila shot of yore are more upmarket brands made using 100% agave that can be appreciated neat for the pleasing flavours within.
Tequila in a Tuath c/othewhiskeynut
1800 Tequila is one of those brands.
Available in supermarkets across the UK & more specialist outlets in Ireland – 1800 is presented in an attractively designed bottle that catches the eye.
The contents pleased my palate too!
Tequila miniature c/othewhiskeynut
This Silver variety – unaged tequila – exhibits a rich earthy & vegetal agave nose coupled with a luxurious mouthfeel topped off with those signature cracked pepper spices on the finish.
A delightful full on flavoursome agave hit – rich earthiness abounds! It’s what I like in a 100% agave – and it certainly delivers.
A lovely exploration of the tequila genre.
Diamante Reposado – aged from 2 to 12 months in oak barrels.
Diamante c/othewhiskeynut
Usually reposado tequila takes on a slightly golden hue from the barrel ageing – but Diamante Reposado has been filtered to remove the colour – and although exceptionally smooth & easy going with a touch of spice on the rear – I can’t help feeling some of those rich agave flavours have been stripped out too!
Añejo – aged from 1 to 3 years in oak.
Anejo c/othewhiskeynut
A touch of woodiness, a hint of tobacco, a smidgen of smoke.
Añejo is an elegantly balanced & complex tequila displaying an agave base overlaid with flavours emanating from those wooden barrels.
A wonderful combination!
Picking a winner from this trio depends on the angle you’re coming from;
For agave fans – Silver is the truest representation,
Añejo would please whiskey drinkers,
While Diamante Reposado offers an easy drinking platform for cocktails.
Back label c/othewhiskeynut
For me Diamante Reposado was a bit of a disappointment – but the full on flavours of both Silver & Añejo excited my palate.
A holiday commemorating the Mexican Army victory over foreign intervention in 1862 – now morphed into a celebration of Mexican identity & culture – often of the alcoholic variety – tequila.
To mark the day I further explored this wonderfully pungent spirit by tasting Patrón’s 3 core releases.
Los tres amigos c/othewhiskeynut
Silver, Reposado & Anejo.
All are presented in highly attractive & distinctively shaped bottles complete with oversized corks at 40% ABV using 100% blue agave.
Silver is the unaged variety.
Silver, Blanco, Plata. Unaged. c/othewhiskeynut
It displays the pure clean taste of agave after it’s long growing period & subsequent distillation process to make Tequila.
A lovely pungenty earthy agave note of soft ripe fruits with thick legs and an oily consistency.
The palate was smooth & rich in flavour.
A light peppery spice enlivened the finish over a slowly fading earthiness & attractive heat.
Very enjoyable!
The Reposado is aged for 3 to 5 months in oak barrels – ex-bourbon barrels are commonly used!
Reposado, Aged, 60 plus days. c/othewhiskeynut
A more pronounced nose with an added charred cask note.
The mouthfeel was softer – more mellowed agave with an easier overall appeal & gentler finish.
Anéjo is aged for more than 12 months in French Oak, Hungarian Casks & ex-bourbon barrels.
Anejo, Extra Aged, 1 plus years. c/othewhiskeynut
Hints of vanilla, caramel & a soft smoke overlay the earthy agave.
Silky smooth on the palate – the flavours are more balanced & complex bouncing between the cask influence & pungent agave base.
A more relaxed experience.
All 3 were highly enjoyable easy sippers.
My order of preference would have to be Silver for the sheer exuberance & excitement of the agave.
Anéjo for the interaction of that earthy agave with cask aging notes more familiarly encountered in Whiskey.
And finally Reposado possibly slipped between 2 stools here but an engaging offering on it’s own merits.
I’d happily explore more tequila based on these experiences.
WestmeathWhiskeyWorld 