Double-Blind Tequila Taste Test
 

After the roaring successes of vodka night and pinot noir night, my friends got together yet again for another double-blind taste test, this time, tequila. Our methodology was identical to the previous tests, to the standard caveat applies: we all drink together and talk about it because it's more fun that way, even if it may introduce some bias. Also, I turned everyone loose to buy their own choice of tequila to bring and test rather than dictating the choices myself, so if your favorite brand isn't here, blame an unnamed friend of mine who didn't show and thus didn't bring it.

The plan was to do all blanco/plata/silver or otherwise clear tequilas. However, I was also interested in what people thought of aged tequila, so I had a couple lower-end reposados to try and see if anyone might prefer the reposado style to any or all of the blancos. As it turned out, one of my friends failed and brought a reposado instead of a blanco, so we ended up doing a mini taste-test of the three of them. I'll cover that at the end.

For the blanco portion of the night, we had 6 contenders.

Contestant #1:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/l...on-silver1.jpg

Patron Silver
100% Agave
$46 for a 750 mL bottle

This won't be a total hodgepodge. There will be some brands you recognize. I'm glad that one of my friends brought it, as it's such a big name premium tequila that it's important to see how it stacks up.

Contestant #2:

http://www.spirituosenworld.de/produ..._blanco_gr.jpg

Sauza Blanco
Undisclosed percentage of agave
$15 for a 750 mL bottle

I know that some of you said to do only 100% agave tequilas because they're better, but I definitely disagree. I think it's important to test that claim and see if we can tell the difference between a 100% agave tequila and a cheap tequila. Even if we do all think it's terrible, it'll be a bar by which we measure the others.

Contestant #3:

http://www.astorwines.com/images/ite...g/11677_lg.jpg

El Jimador Blanco
100% agave
$20 for a 750 mL bottle

I'd never tried this one before last night

Contestant #4:

http://www.loscabosguide.com/tequila...co_4497_r2.jpg

1800 Blanco
100% agave
$23 for a 750 mL bottle

This tequila seems pretty widely available, but I'd never managed to try it before last night, either.

Contestant #5:

http://www.beveragewarehouse.com/ima...ducts/6154.jpg

Asom Broso Silver
100% agave
$37 for a 750 mL bottle

I'd never even heard of this brand before I went to the liquor store to pick out a tequila I wanted to bring. My friend and I, rather than getting two $20 tequilas decided we'd rather pool the amount of money we wanted to spend and try something more expensive. We went with this one because it was dead on with the amount of money we wanted to spend and because the bottle is fantastically phallic. Even if we hated the tequila inside, the bottle would make a great conversation piece.

And finally, Contestant #6:

http://www.latamerspirits.com/portfo...equila_Big.jpg

Two Fingers Silver
Undisclosed percentage of agave
$20 for a liter

I don't think I'd ever heard of this one or seen this in the store, either, but the gf got it on a recommendation and went hunting to track it down.

Results!

Our grand champion was a pretty big favorite. Two guys who were mostly trying the tequila as shooters rather than sippers rated this one 4th, but six of the 10 people in attendance all rated this their #1 tequila, and with enthusiasm. I found that it tasted deliciously of vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and butter on top of a pleasing touch of classic agave flavor. It went down very smooth. This was the last tequila we all tried (although we did pass a few more around for a second try so people could make their comparisons), and as soon as I smelled it, I knew I had my winner. That tequila was:



The tequila we ranked second was also nearly a consensus. Almost everyone ranked it #2 or #3, with a couple #1s and one guy who hated it. I found this tequila to be surprisingly buttery, to the levels of some chardonnays, as well as having a pleasant hint of lemon and pineapple. That tequila was:



In third place, we started getting more diversity of opinion. Some thought this was alright, some didn't care for it. I thought it had a flavor that reminded me of corn tortillas, oddly, but everyone thought I was crazy when I said it tasted like that to me. It had a hint of spiciness, but it was not as flavorful as the first two. It was pretty easy drinking, though. That tequila was:



The fourth place tequila we found to be very fiery. It didn't so much burn in the back of your throat, but it burned on the tongue. It also had a woody character, so this might have been aged briefly in oak but not long enough to be a reposado. Some of us didn't mind the fieriness and enjoyed the wood (I ranked this #3), but others found that character pretty off-putting. That tequila was:



In fifth place, most of us found this tequila pretty banal and insipid. Even the people who didn't care for the 4th place one didn't so much like this because there was so little to it. However, the two shooters ranked this #1. If you want a shot that doesn't taste like much and goes down easy, this would be a decent pick, but if you want something delicious, don't bother. That tequila was:



And finally, the big loser of the night had some sort of unpleasant character in the aroma and the taste that no one liked. I called it "old sock," but that's not quite right. It wasn't really all that bad -- no one hated this as much as the worst vodkas -- but given that there were tequilas we liked much more, this dropped to the bottom. By process of elimination, that tequila was:




All in all, it was a fun and surprising result. I'll confess, I was a little disappointed to see one of the most expensive tequilas on top, but I also didn't know that tequila, esp. a blanco tequila, could have as rich as complex a flavor as the Asom Broso did. The Patron does seem to exceed it's reputation, but it's not quite as much of a ploy as Grey Goose. No one hated the Patron as much as they hated the Grey Goose, although I suppose it has a higher price tag to live up to. The two shooters both said before we started the tasting that Patron was the best tequila they'd ever had. They both ranked it dead last. But of course, Sauza was the big shocker. It was actually the first tequila we tried, and when I tried it, I thought there was a good chance it would be my favorite even before I'd tried anything else. I thought it was fantastic, and it's quite a steal for the price.

I'll put the reposados in the first reply.

Re: Double-Blind Tequila Taste Test
 

Don Julio?
Cabo Wabo?

Re: Double-Blind Tequila Taste Test
 

Here we go again....

Why didn't you try (insert random Brand here)?

Re: Double-Blind Tequila Taste Test
 

i like the vodka taste test and this one was good also thanks wookie

Re: Double-Blind Tequila Taste Test
 

OK, the reposado round. I'd intended to just pass around one reposado at the end to see what people thought of the style. My hypothesis was that some people, including myself, might prefer even a cheaper reposado to any of the blancos we had because I expected the reposados to be more flavorful. However, when one of my friends brought a reposado by mistake, I figured we'd put it up against the two I had and both do a separate taste test and test my hypothesis.

The contenders:

Contestant #1:

http://www.tequila.net/images/storie...1179983380.jpg

Milagro Reposado
100% Agave
$29 for a 750 mL bottle

This is what my friend brought. DBZ had recommended the Milagro silver, so I wanted to test it, but it wouldn't really be fair to put the reposados against the blancos.

Contestant #2:

http://www.tequila.net/images/storie...1174018146.jpg

Hacienda Vieja Reposado
100% agave
$22 for a liter bottle

I bought this a while back because it was the absolute cheapest 100% agave tequila in the liquor store. That it was also a reposado was a bonus.

Contestant #3:

http://www.lunazultequila.com/images...e-reposado.gif

Lunazul Reposado
100% agave
$19 for a 750 mL bottle

I got this because it came with a $10 rebate on a $19 bottle of tequila. I don't generally bother with the rebates, but for $10 which amounts to more than 50% off, it seemed reasonable.

Results!

The winner was almost unanimous. Only two people said this was anything but the best reposado we tried. It had great flavors of oak, apple, butter, and more of the classic agave flavor than in the blancos. That tequila was:



There was more dissent about 2nd place. This one wasn't as smooth or as woody as the first place tequila, and there was a little bitterness. I also tasted a hint of anise, which was kinda weird, although no one else did. That tequila was:



And following closely in 3rd place was then obviously



The Lunazul was 3rd, but not because people disliked it, but people found it the least flavorful. As for my hypothesis about people liking reposados better than the blancos across the board, it wasn't quite true. Some people did, but I was surprised that I thought I liked the Asom Broso better than any of the reposados, although I'd put the three of them ahead of the Sauza, and I wasn't the only one who thought like this. Still, if I were picking a tequila I'd never tried, I'd probably grab a cheap reposado instead of an expensive blanco.

Re: Double-Blind Tequila Taste Test
 

.

Re: Double-Blind Tequila Taste Test
 

Sauza Blanco gets the Mr.Wookie seal of approval.

Re: Double-Blind Tequila Taste Test
 

Indeed it does, but it's only a buck fifty more for an equivalent volume of Hacienda Vieja, so that'll probably dominate my future tequila purchases.

Re: Double-Blind Tequila Taste Test
 

OP, add this one into the mix and try again.

http://www.mixology.eu/files/images/Milagro_Silver.jpg

Re: Double-Blind Tequila Taste Test
 

Unlikely to happen, as the next time we get together, we'll probably try an entirely new spirit, but I'd encourage you to get some friends together and do your own blind test.

Re: Double-Blind Tequila Taste Test
 

Or just try it the next time you're out. It's 100 agave also, I prefer it over Patron Silver, and it's probably $29 for 750mL

btw, Patron XO (coffee flavored) is soooooo good.

Re: Double-Blind Tequila Taste Test
 

Wookie, thinking about doing gin for the next one? If so, I have a suggestion for a brand. I used to work for a wine and spirits trade mag, and I went to an event once for Plymouth gin. At that time I drank a lot of gin, but mostly Bombay Sapphire. As soon as I tried Plymouth I was hooked. My favorite by far. These days I'm drinking Gordon's (aka the cheap ****), but in a G+T it's not too bad.

http://plymouthgin.com/

Re: Double-Blind Tequila Taste Test
 

Partida blanco is very good, but of course I'm not suggesting you should have used it.

Re: Double-Blind Tequila Taste Test
 

Yeah, we want to do gin eventually, and I definitely love Plymouth. I'm not sure if my contribution to gin night would be that or Hendrick's, but it'd be nice to have both. I've been enjoying New Amsterdam as my go-to cheaper gin. It's pretty flavorful for something cheaper than Beefeater.

Re: Double-Blind Tequila Taste Test
 

Yeah, that was recommended to me as one worth testing, but no one brought it.

Also, has anyone here tried Asom Broso before, or is it some combination of new and obscure? When I bought it, the woman working the cash register didn't even recognize it.

Re: Double-Blind Tequila Taste Test
 

Never heard of it, personally.

Re: Double-Blind Tequila Taste Test
 

Very cool as usual, I'll have to pick up some of the dick tequila.


That's the first I have seen/heard of Asom Broso.

Re: Double-Blind Tequila Taste Test
 

i've never heard of asom broso, will check it out.

i'm not surprised how people felt about patron. it's pretty harsh and i've found anecdotally that if people don't know it's patron they don't tend to like it that much. as a blanco tequila i rarely order it, some of their more aged stuff is closer to being worth the price though.

pretty funny about the sauza. that stuff makes me want to die. but then i rarely drink blanco tequila anyway. just goes to show how much marketing goes into this stuff.

a couple others that you might like to try at some point:

el tesoro (the reposado is my favorite, the paradiso and anejo are flat out amazing but quite expensive) - this is a more fiery tequila similar to patron, but with more smokiness and depth to it.

jose cuervo tradicional - unlike the low end cuervo stuff this is an inexpensive and solid reposado if you can ever find it. i think the only time i had it was in mexico.

herradura - another very solid mid-range reposado

chamucos - i had this at a restaurant one time and have never seen it again. it was a very nice anejo i believe, fairly smooth with cinnamon and pepper overtones

Re: Double-Blind Tequila Taste Test
 

my friend bought me a bottle of Two Fingers for my 21st birthday. I got kicked out of the bar, went back to my house, grabbed my bottle of two fingers then stumbled into the bathroom. I drank a little, dropped it on the floor spilling about 80% of the rest of it then passed out in the bathtub for a little. Oh, Two Fingers...

Re: Double-Blind Tequila Taste Test
 

I only drink tequila out of guns

http://www.notempire.com/images/uplo...led-1-1388.jpg

http://www.topliquor.com/store/images/T/t-66848-296.gif

Re: Double-Blind Tequila Taste Test
 

oh yea, good post Wookie, I do enjoy when you do these.

Re: Double-Blind Tequila Taste Test
 

+1 these are awesome

good EDF material

Re: Double-Blind Tequila Taste Test
 

Oh man, nice work.

If you are ever in the Guadalajara/Puerto Vallarta/Jalisco area, the town of Tequila has a wine country feel to it and samples are to be had at all of the distillers. It reminds me of Napa Valley. It is definitely worth the day trip.

Re: Double-Blind Tequila Taste Test
 

What's funny is I just had a friend recommend Asom Brosa to me this weekend. I had never heard of it either. I guess after this I will definitely have to put it at the top of the list for my next tequila buying excursion.

I remember I also recommended Sauza, but a different one than used in this test. I'm a big fan of the Sauza Hornitos which is 100% agave. I think it has some great fruity notes that stand alone very nicely for a sipping tequila, but also makes it a good mixer as well. The price I remember being pretty decent and it is one of my gotos. If you liked the base Sauza, I definitely recommend trying the Hornitos.

Re: Double-Blind Tequila Taste Test
 

heh i've had some friends go on and on and on about el jimador for years

glad to see they're not completely loco