What should I try next?
Why hello! Newbie here. As of a few months ago, I turned 21. My dad, as long as I can remember, has been into whiskeys, specifically bourbons. Naturally, I went and tasted a few to see what I liked and if that is something I would be into. To a degree, I did enjoy it, but one day, on a whim, I decided to try tequila, and I enjoyed it, moreso than just about any whiskey I've had. (Though what I've had isn't an extensive list.) That brought me to here, where I started reading around and seeing what all is out there. As with whiskey, there are quite a few options, and since the community is pretty friendly so far as I've seen it, I was hoping for some recommendations of tequila, mezcal, or sotol. I haven't yet tried any sotol, but maybe someone who has can chime in on that.
That of course means I need to give a rundown of what I've had and what I've liked. For all of these, I had 40ML of each neat and sipped on each with about an hour between all three to let my palate rest and fully clear of the flavour. One note is the Patron extra anejo I had stored in my freezer, meaning it was quite cold, and the others were at ambient temperature, perhaps making the comparisons not fully one to one. I also took the last 20ML or so and tried it all in one sip since drinking a slightly larger volume at once can sometimes highlight the flavours and finish better. Basically, 20ML slowly sipped, and 20ML drank, but not shot, by keeping it in my mouth for a while to taste what I could.
The first tequila I tried was Milagro Reposado. Trying it now, keep in mind, I'm no expert here and I have no idea what I'm smelling, not to mention having COVID three times pretty well wrecked my sense of smell, but it's on the sweet side for sure. I can smell the agave, some notes of vanilla, and maybe a bit of caramel. As for the flavour, I can taste agave, and it's a bit sweet, and a little bit of a woody flavour with a smokey after taste. It has a warmth or heat to it on the finish. Not super long, but not short either. I enjoy the finish and the warmth. To me, it felt a bit thick and maybe syrupy, though I do come from the world of whiskeys where the consistency is typically near that of water.
After linking this tequila over whiskeys I've had, most of which also cost more, I came to Reddit and took a brief look through here and found out that extra anejo was a thing, and it seemed like an interesting thing to try given it should have some similarities to aged whiskeys I've enjoyed such as Woodford Reserve double oaked. So, I got some Patron extra anejo, seeing as it is additive free, which I wanted to try and XA, which I also wanted to try. Trying it now, the smell is more like that of a bourbon. I can still smell some agave, but the smell is mostly dominated by oak. The taste has less of a punch. It's smoother, with less of an ethanol taste than the Milagro. There also seems to be less of a smokey taste than the Milagro. Very little in the way of agave taste, pretty much just wood as far as I can detect. (Again, keeping in mind that I am totally new to the world of tequila.) The flavour is much less complex than the Milagro, and maybe airs on being bland and perhaps a bit too simple. As a sipper, it's not bad since it's a clean taste with the ethanol being much less of a dominate flavour compared to the Milagro. Perhaps it's just my palate not being well built yet, but the taste was very simple and was essentially just that of a well aged bourbon, but smoother than most bourbons.
Lastly, the Mezcal, this being Bozal Ensemble. During my initial search on this subreddit, I came across mentions of mezcal (which I had not heard of) and got one that sounded like a good value. I read that it was smokey compared to most tequilas, so I suppose I'll try that and we'll see. Trying it now, the smokiness is immediately noticeable in the smell, with some peppery hues. Giving it a sip, it's rather spicy, peppery, and smokey. Very different from the other two. Lots of heat for sure, but as a sipper, it's not overwhelming. Even just sipping it, it's quite obvious that it has a very long finish, with plenty of warmth. Taking 20ML in one go, it's surprisingly not punishing. I can keep it in my mouth without the ethanol being overpowering. Here, the agave notes do shine a bit, though the taste is mainly smokey or peppery. I quite enjoy the mezcal. The smokey flavour is nice, and as a sipper, I want the finish to be long and I enjoy the heat it brings. I really thought it would be harsh to drink after sipping and smelling it, but somehow that isn't true. The agave is not as strong a note as the Milagro, but it still exits unlike the Patron, though I'm sure someone with a better palate could still find the agave in the Patron.
So, out of the three, my order goes:
- Bozal Ensamble mezcal
- Patron XA
- Milagro reposado
Surprisingly, despite the Milagro being what got me here, it's my least favourite out of the three. That's not to say it's bad, because it isn't, it's just too syrupy and sweet for my personal taste. I'm a big believer in drinking what you enjoy, and if that's the Milagro for you, then by all means, enjoy it! The Patron was also good. It was the easiest sipper out of the bunch since it had little heat compared to the others, but the flavour was simple, but simple to a fault, in my opinion. The mezcal was my favourite out of the bunch. As a sipper, the Patron XA is maybe a little less harsh, but the heat is something I kind of enjoy in a sipper, and the smokey flavour of the Bozal mezcal is the best out of the three, in my opinion.
Perhaps that was a bit long, but that's my introduction into the word of the agave spirits! What do y'all think I should get next? I plan on making a trip to Total Wine and More next weekend, and have a budget of about $300. That could be one $300 bottle, or that could be a few different $100 bottles. Any tequila, mezcal, or sotol recommendations are welcome!