The Drink

Los Arango Anejo Tequila

The Price (750ml bottles)

$69

The Score

E-mail this to a friend  »

The Taste

Party animals think of tequila as the great get-drunk-quick drink -- mostly for shots and frozen margaritas. Cocktail mavens want something that pairs well with mixers -- soda, juice and water. Scotch fans seek out aged, smoky flavors that can be sipped neat, perhaps with a cigar. Luckily, these three personality types can choose from three perfectly corresponding categories of tequila: blanco (unaged and often inexpensive), reposado (aged for more than two months but less than a year) and anejo (aged in oak between one and three years).

Named after the Mexican Revolution hero Pancho Villa (real name Doroteo Arango), 100 blue agave anejo tequila Los Arango bucks the system. Lab rats at the distillery make their own yeast (which is like the kernel of life for any distilled spirit). They've bottled the juice in a square, quasi-rustic blue bottle; it certainly looks handmade and artisanal.

During taste tests, the color proved to be lighter than other anejo tequilas -- more yellow than amber or gold. The nose is not overwhelmed by oak, wood or vanilla, but rather evidences the vegetal earthiness of the agave plant along with some pineapple and coconut. A first sip reveals sweetness and dryness at the same time -- an oddly appealing combo. There is some sharp alcohol mid-sip, but the finish is clean and lingers long enough that you'll probably want another pour. Purists may feel it tastes like something in between a reposado and an anejo. If you like the flavor of tequila, that is a good thing indeed.

-- James Oliver Cury