Tequila El Mayor Extra Añejo Rum Cask Finish

Consumed neat. Possesses a golden straw color and leaves long legs on the glass. The aroma features agave with a slight but discernible hogo from the rum barrel, accompanied by subtle mineral and herbal notes. The taste is sweet, with agave mingling with sugarcane, vanilla, a hint of oak, herbs, and some dessert spices like cardamom, nutmeg/allspice. The richness and mouthfeel are fairly thin. The finish is long and sweet, with a touch of tartness/bitterness for balance. I find it absolutely delicious. I appreciate the rum barrel influence. It tastes genuine. However, I don't detect the oak, caramel/butterscotch, vanilla, richness, or color one might expect from an extra añejo. It genuinely resembles a reposado aged in previously used rum barrels. This is acceptable, as the typical extra añejo characteristics would likely overshadow the rum and be excessively syrupy sweet. Then there's my dilemma. The value proposition. Paying extra añejo prices when there's nothing extra añejo about it... but it is undeniably good and unique.

A complex, 100% Blue Agave Tequila aged at least 3 1/2 years in former Bourbon barrels, then finished in Agricole Rum casks for an extra 6 months; produced by Destiladora González González in Jalisco, Mexico for Luxco. It begins aromatically with notes of agave, earth, wood, nuts, herbs & spices; its full & complex character adds flavors of English toffee, vanilla, oak, caramel, dark chocolate, nutmeg, cilantro, plantain & yucca; leading to a warm & spicy conclusion of medium length with notes of black pepper, coriander & minerality. December 2021

This batch of El Mayor is fantastic. The agave flavor is in harmony with the rum cask's sweetness.

One of the finest tequilas I've had for sipping. The sweetness comes through and it's very smooth but packed with flavor.