Volans Single Barrel Reposado

Score: 14/23 N: Earthy minerals, gentle smoke, a whisper of aged wood, faint mint. Is there anything else happening? The aroma is extremely understated. P: Flavors of wood with light spice and mint. More delicate herbal notes emerge, yet everything remains quite muted and limited. The wood gives the impression of a few wood chips left in for an extended duration, suggesting it's over-oaked without tasting intensely woody. There's a hint of paperiness and a very subtle note in the cinnamon-ginger-clover spectrum. A faint pineapple presence with even fainter vanilla, and something else tropical. Possibly the faintest orange and lime? And the absolute faintest hint of mustard. Overall, it has many spices and is light, but other characteristics are less impactful. F: Paper, wood, some spices, minerals. Very little sweetness to indicate agave or tropical fruits. - Summary - This is unfortunately a decline from Volans Blanco. It's not bad, but it's rather dull Would I prefer this over Cazadores Reposado? Yes, but they are closer in quality than I'd like. I'm considering this a 14 at most, but that feels a bit generous. Rating it below a 12 seems too harsh. There's enough interesting complexity that I'm leaning towards a 13. I appreciate the nuance, but I desire more intensity, and the wood doesn't benefit this expression. The blanco is truly significantly superior. I believe a 13 is the most fitting score. As a benchmark, I compared this to Partida Añejo (15/23). This tastes more authentic, but it lacks some expected tequila elegance. Still, I think I was initially underrating this. I would likely still choose the Partida, but that "likely" strongly suggests I should reconsider a higher score. I'm inclined to favor the Partida, but I'm surprised by the closeness. I'm thinking of a score between 13 and 15. I'm leaning towards a 14, but it could still be a 13. It's a difficult decision. I think the earthy woodiness is perhaps a bit excessive, so I'll give it a 13. Actually, upon final reflection, I think its complexity warrants a 14. This brand appears subtle, but it lacks significant flaws and exhibits good complexity upon deep examination. Thank you for sharing this sample too, a friend!

Standard Bottling: The aroma has notes of lime peel and mild cigar ash over agave. It has a medium body. The ash notes diminish, and the heat increases, leading to a balanced taste of cooked agave, butter, and minerals. It's nearly as good as G4.

Excellent quality, pure tequila. I really like this one!