GSN Review: El Tesoro Extra Anejo Tequila
Contributed by on Nov 07, 2019
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El Tesoro de Don Felipe Tequila and Master Distiller Carlos Camarena recently introduced El Tesoro Extra Añejo as a permanent addition to its tequila portfolio. This tequila has been aged in ex-bourbon barrels for four to five years, with the first batch laid in barrels years ago by Camarena’s late father, Don Felipe J. Camarena Orozco.
El Tesoro released its first extra añejo – El Tesoro Paradiso – in 1994 before the Consejo Regulador de Tequila (CRT) officially established an “extra-añejo” tequila classification. The addition of the new El Tesoro Extra Añejo to the portfolio further celebrates the Camarena family’s passion for pushing boundaries in aged tequila, while still honoring El Tesoro’s agave-forward flavor and the family’s traditional methods of tequila making.
“Some families pass along heirlooms, but my family passes on a passion for making exceptional tequila,” says third-generation El Tesoro Master Distiller Carlos Camarena. “I always say that we have two faces at El Tesoro – one that looks to the past and respects the tequila-making traditions of my family, and one that looks toward tomorrow for ways to push the category forward. While most extra añejos are aged for three years, my father understood that we could create an exceptional Extra Anejo by resting it for more than four. Tasting this tequila today, I agree we made the right decision!”
As with all El Tesoro Tequilas, Extra Añejo begins with the same techniques that Camarena’s family has upheld since 1937. The process begins with the 100% estate-grown blue agave which grows for up to eight years in the mineral-rich soil of the Jalisco highlands. The terroir gives El Tesoro a more rounded, fruity and floral taste, and each agave harvest brings unique character and complexity to the liquid. Once the agave reaches peak maturity, it is harvested by hand, cooked in old fashioned hornos (ovens) for three days, then crushed solely using the two-ton volcanic rock tahona stone. It is then double-distilled to proof before the tequila is rested in American oak ex-bourbon barrels for four to five years.
El Tesoro Extra Anejo Tequila (80 proof)
Visual: Slight amber, almost yellow.
Nose: Cooked agave with hints of vanilla.
Taste: Toasted agave with sweet overtones. A lightly warm but not overpowering front, leaving a smooth feeling on the tongue.
Finish: A smooth burn afterwords that turns into a cooling effect at the back of the palate.
Overall: A very enjoyable tequila that excels with the extra aging process.
GSN Rating: A
For more information go to: El Tesoro Tequila
Review by Travis Owens for Good Spirits News
