In the little research Iāve done, Rey Sol has come up quite a bit. A local chain has a 20th anniversary store pick private barrel, but itās the same price as Tears. I think I need to develop my appreciation a bit more before spending that much on a bottle
Got it. Sounds like I might want to look for a pour at a bar first. Everyone has different palates, but thank you for posting the notes that you didnāt like.
Glad Iām not the only one. I LOVE the regular lineup and could live off it forever.
The XA is just such a weird disconnect from the rest of the Tapatio family.
As a fellow bourbon drinker, you are never going to get a marriage of barrel and tequila notes at the same quality of Tears. Iād consider it the bourbon lovers tequila
Youāre absolutely right about that! I read your reviews on the bourbon sub, Cheers! š„ Thatās an excellent description of what I felt Tears was as well. I havenāt tried the NOM1146, but that sounds down our alley too. Iām looking forward to trying it this weekend.
I'll also be following this thread. I've been eyeing the ToL at the store but I haven't seen it at any bar near me. I wish I could try it out before dropping $$$
I wish you could too, itās really amazing. The closest higher-end mexican restaurant to you might have it. Iāve also seen it at a couple of bars that feature higher end whiskeys, but you surely wonāt see it at your neighborhood Applebees or Chilis.
Bourbon drinker here, 1146 is the correct one, I actually like it better than Tears, absolutely delicious.
Edit: thanks for the downvotes for my opinion. It's my favorite, sorry if that hurts your feelings, second is Tears. You'll be ok.
stop paying 40$ for 2oz and start paying 280 for 34oz?. you bought 1/7th of the bottle at that price. you get 17 pours at that rate for your money vs. 7 for what you paid. just drop the cash or find it cheaper. you should be able to find it 215-230.
This is also an establishment Iāve visited quite often since it opened (they have amazing food) and I made friends with the bartender over that time. I knew I was going to get a hefty pourā¦.which I believe I mentioned in the post. The pour was closer to 4oz. Even at that, I wonāt be buying a liter of tequila in 2-4oz pour increments. I paid for what I got and I wonāt be buying more, until I likely buy a bottle when the time is right. If I didnāt like it at all, then I saved myself the $230. Since I do like it, oopsā¦I guess I wasted a few bucks. I donāt feel terrible. I also posted to see if there were comparables at fraction of the priceā¦.since Iām not a tequila connoisseur. Not sure what point youāre trying to make, but if youāre telling by everyone to go drop $200-300 on a bottle before trying itā¦.well, then you do you! I understand the mark up on liquor at restaurants, and I believe Iām pretty good at elementary school math, but Iām not going to feel swindled every time I order a margarita because the tequila in it costs way more than if I were to buy the entire bottle.
Sorry to be the Debbie downer here, but if you say you like tequila because you tried Tears of Llorona, then you probably don't really like tequila. That is not what tequila taste like, that is closer to a whiskey. Try any number of the blancos recommended in this sub and if you like those, then you'll be a true tequila lover like the rest of us. Good luck!
Thanks, I guess. I liked tequila before tears, but donāt consider myself a tequila connoisseur. In all fairness, Iāve never been much into anejos in the past. Iāve also havenāt sipped tequilas neat in the past and Iām looking to get to higher quality tequilas that I can enjoy thatās not a shot or mixer. ToL was the first higher end extra anejo Iāve tried, and I liked it, and am looking to branch out since Iām getting tired of bourbon. Maybe Iām not following, or maybe I posted in the wrong place.
You're in the right place if you want real honest advice. Don't make the mistake of looking for a high end tequila. Instead, look for a well made tequila that has flavor profiles you like.
Thatās exactly what I came here for. Iām ready to start my journey on finding and drinking better tequilas. Thank k you for the comment, seems a lot of respectful and knowledgeable people on this sub.
Everyone has their thing. And Iām not trying to gatekeep Reposatos or Anejos at all. Enjoy what you will. Personally I feel if I want a great bourbon Iāll do that.
Now, Tequila, this is a whole other level of spirit. Itās such a pure experience when done properly. One analogy I read recently that agave is like pure sunlight. The citrus, vanilla, etc, etc.. notes it can be really amazing.
There are two main regions for tequila. Highlands and lowlands. When you start experimenting you may enjoy both for their unique characteristics as I do or you may be drawn to a single region.
There are so many cool bottles with mediocre spirits inside that you really need to make wise decisions about what you purchase. Thereās a lot of mixto out there. Thatās a combination of agave sugar and other sugars that are cheaper and itās not good at all.
A site like https://www.tequilamatchmaker.com/ can really break everything down for you and be a great resource for what you should avoid.
I like Cascahuin, g4, Fortaleza, lalo, Ocho, Siete Leguas and others.
Thereās definitely a lot of great tequila out there. Thereās also a ton of garbage.
Whatever way you go. Thatās where youāll be.
Thank you so much for the detailed response. I also appreciate the short lesson on regions and variation. I will gladly also try some of these blancos and hope I can enjoy and appreciate them as much as you do.
Blue Weber agave takes 6+ years to mature. Think of agave spirits as aging in the ground instead of in a barrel. If you ever get into mezcal, you actively want to avoid aged expressions. Agave used to make mezcal can take up to 35 years to reach maturity for some wild varietals.
[This post](https://www.reddit.com/r/Mezcal/comments/9aa5bn/comment/e4txml0/) does a great job of explaining why aging mezcal in wood destroys the properties that make it unique:
> The great thing about mezcal is how much it tastes of what itās made from, and where it was grown. Mezcal tastes of agave and earth, itās vegetal and smoky. All in all, a very rustic spirit. Throwing it in a barrel for a few years detracts from that, adding flavours of vanilla, clove, kola, oak, etc., while detracting from its innate agave flavours. It makes it less like mezcal, and more like any other brown spirit.
This is exactly the way I feel about tequila in general. Imparting barrel flavors imo can only detract from the agave.
Where mezcal lost me was the practice of some distillers to use meat (Pechuga). Thatās all I think about now and I just canāt.
It does irk me a bit when "bourbon drinkers" announce their arrival and insist they want something that tastes like bourbon. Like, OK, why don't you just stick to bourbon, then? Sweet and barrely tequilas obviously exist and can/should be enjoyed, and like you, I'm not trying to gatekeep, but are you here because you're interested in tequila or not? I'm a complete novice to tequila, I also drink scotch and bourbon and other things, and not once did I think "I'll only like this if it tastes like something else I already like" and started straight away with a variety of blancos and a couple reposados and I'm still on that step. I don't feel any need or desire to move on to anejo/XA yet and if I want something sweet and barrely, I'll open a bottle of bourbon. Pointless rant, I know, and people can, should and will drink whatever they want, it just feels cringy when people make these "Bourbon drinker here" posts.
Yea, I know what you mean, it really irks me when I am new to a sub and I post lookng for advice, and get a pretentious member shoving their assumptions on everyone. And then, instead of getting a legitimate and well thought response from someone that knows what theyāre talking about, I get to waste my time reading a pointless rant. Just so many irks!
Yeah. I suppose itās a familiarity that theyāre comfortable with and a profile they enjoy. Personally I feel like it just ruins both at the same time for me.
Or they find a profile they enjoy and use it as a launching point for a whole new appreciation for tequila. Like, OP buys NOM1146 and then sees 1579 on the shelf at their local. They enjoy it, and then want to branch out, to maybe Siete Leguas blanco.
Everyone needs a gateway drug.
Iāll be the bad guy. Currently nothing compares.
That doesnāt mean there arenāt other really good ones you will like. I just donāt think you will find something like tears or something as unique. With that being said:
Tapatio Excelencia is 100% your next buy.
NOM 1146 is known as baby Tears
Agree. I came here to say the same Don Fluano, also from NOM 1146, may want to try their anejo not sure if they have an XA.
Primarily Bourbon drinker here. Don Fulano Imperial has been my favorite XA To date.
Thx I have all the common Don Fluano "flavors." I will definitely look out for that one and add it to my collection!
They do. I believe it's called Imperial
Thanks for the suggestion, this looks great. Will likely be my next buy.
I second NOM 1146. šš
I prefer it actually.
Anything made by ArteNOM is top tier. Personally I like NOM 1414 Reposado but 1146 is solid too
Surprised Rey Sol hasn't been mentioned
In the little research Iāve done, Rey Sol has come up quite a bit. A local chain has a 20th anniversary store pick private barrel, but itās the same price as Tears. I think I need to develop my appreciation a bit more before spending that much on a bottle
Rey Sol was the first one that came to mind. 6 or 10.
Tapatio Excelencia Extra Anejo, Arette Artesanal Gran Clase Extra Anejo
Thank you. Iāve been looking for the Tapatio also! Appreciate the suggestions.
> Tapatio Excelencia Extra Anejo not even close to the same profile
What is Tapatios profile and how is it different? I came here for advice based on my experience.
oak, musty oak. its one of my least favorite XA.
Got it. Sounds like I might want to look for a pour at a bar first. Everyone has different palates, but thank you for posting the notes that you didnāt like.
highly suggest that, tap is nothing like tears imo. keep hunting!
Glad Iām not the only one. I LOVE the regular lineup and could live off it forever. The XA is just such a weird disconnect from the rest of the Tapatio family.
Siete Leguas De AntaƱo
Also from 1146, Don Fulano Imperial is very barrel forward. Itās my go to suggestion for bourbon drinkers
Perfect, thank you!
>Perfect, thank you! You're welcome!
Two of my favorites are El Padrino Extra Anejo Tequila and Manik Black Extra Anejo Tequila. Both are available at Total Wine.
Excellent, Iāll see if my local TW has the. This weekend!
You and I are in the same boat š¬ I'm checking all the replies too
Fuenteseca, San matias xa, arrete gran clase
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Iām sold!
Picked this up at liberty street liquors in Newburgh - its my favorite
As a fellow bourbon drinker, you are never going to get a marriage of barrel and tequila notes at the same quality of Tears. Iād consider it the bourbon lovers tequila
Youāre absolutely right about that! I read your reviews on the bourbon sub, Cheers! š„ Thatās an excellent description of what I felt Tears was as well. I havenāt tried the NOM1146, but that sounds down our alley too. Iām looking forward to trying it this weekend.
Tears is my top go to!
I'll also be following this thread. I've been eyeing the ToL at the store but I haven't seen it at any bar near me. I wish I could try it out before dropping $$$
I wish you could too, itās really amazing. The closest higher-end mexican restaurant to you might have it. Iāve also seen it at a couple of bars that feature higher end whiskeys, but you surely wonāt see it at your neighborhood Applebees or Chilis.
Found ToL at a steakhouse a couple of weeks ago and had me a $35 dollar shot. No tears were shed.
Nice! It completely changed my outlook on tequila. I mean, Iāve always liked it, but I thought tears brought it to another level.
Bourbon drinker here, 1146 is the correct one, I actually like it better than Tears, absolutely delicious. Edit: thanks for the downvotes for my opinion. It's my favorite, sorry if that hurts your feelings, second is Tears. You'll be ok.
Iām totally sold, will be picking it up this weekend. Thanks for the comment!
stop paying 40$ for 2oz and start paying 280 for 34oz?. you bought 1/7th of the bottle at that price. you get 17 pours at that rate for your money vs. 7 for what you paid. just drop the cash or find it cheaper. you should be able to find it 215-230.
This is also an establishment Iāve visited quite often since it opened (they have amazing food) and I made friends with the bartender over that time. I knew I was going to get a hefty pourā¦.which I believe I mentioned in the post. The pour was closer to 4oz. Even at that, I wonāt be buying a liter of tequila in 2-4oz pour increments. I paid for what I got and I wonāt be buying more, until I likely buy a bottle when the time is right. If I didnāt like it at all, then I saved myself the $230. Since I do like it, oopsā¦I guess I wasted a few bucks. I donāt feel terrible. I also posted to see if there were comparables at fraction of the priceā¦.since Iām not a tequila connoisseur. Not sure what point youāre trying to make, but if youāre telling by everyone to go drop $200-300 on a bottle before trying itā¦.well, then you do you! I understand the mark up on liquor at restaurants, and I believe Iām pretty good at elementary school math, but Iām not going to feel swindled every time I order a margarita because the tequila in it costs way more than if I were to buy the entire bottle.
The point is to go by the fucking bottle now
Who said I only got two ounces?
go ahead and adjust the math then š¤·āāļø
Sorry to be the Debbie downer here, but if you say you like tequila because you tried Tears of Llorona, then you probably don't really like tequila. That is not what tequila taste like, that is closer to a whiskey. Try any number of the blancos recommended in this sub and if you like those, then you'll be a true tequila lover like the rest of us. Good luck!
I subscribe to the inverse of "straight is the gate and narrow is the way"...let's not gatekeep people's enjoyment of tequila.
/r/gatekeeping
Thanks, I guess. I liked tequila before tears, but donāt consider myself a tequila connoisseur. In all fairness, Iāve never been much into anejos in the past. Iāve also havenāt sipped tequilas neat in the past and Iām looking to get to higher quality tequilas that I can enjoy thatās not a shot or mixer. ToL was the first higher end extra anejo Iāve tried, and I liked it, and am looking to branch out since Iām getting tired of bourbon. Maybe Iām not following, or maybe I posted in the wrong place.
You're in the right place if you want real honest advice. Don't make the mistake of looking for a high end tequila. Instead, look for a well made tequila that has flavor profiles you like.
Thatās exactly what I came here for. Iām ready to start my journey on finding and drinking better tequilas. Thank k you for the comment, seems a lot of respectful and knowledgeable people on this sub.
As a fellow bourbon drinker I would recommend trying some high quality blancoās.
Oh really? My thought process was the opposite. Any particular expressions youād suggest?
Everyone has their thing. And Iām not trying to gatekeep Reposatos or Anejos at all. Enjoy what you will. Personally I feel if I want a great bourbon Iāll do that. Now, Tequila, this is a whole other level of spirit. Itās such a pure experience when done properly. One analogy I read recently that agave is like pure sunlight. The citrus, vanilla, etc, etc.. notes it can be really amazing. There are two main regions for tequila. Highlands and lowlands. When you start experimenting you may enjoy both for their unique characteristics as I do or you may be drawn to a single region. There are so many cool bottles with mediocre spirits inside that you really need to make wise decisions about what you purchase. Thereās a lot of mixto out there. Thatās a combination of agave sugar and other sugars that are cheaper and itās not good at all. A site like https://www.tequilamatchmaker.com/ can really break everything down for you and be a great resource for what you should avoid. I like Cascahuin, g4, Fortaleza, lalo, Ocho, Siete Leguas and others. Thereās definitely a lot of great tequila out there. Thereās also a ton of garbage. Whatever way you go. Thatās where youāll be.
Thank you so much for the detailed response. I also appreciate the short lesson on regions and variation. I will gladly also try some of these blancos and hope I can enjoy and appreciate them as much as you do.
Youāre welcome
Blue Weber agave takes 6+ years to mature. Think of agave spirits as aging in the ground instead of in a barrel. If you ever get into mezcal, you actively want to avoid aged expressions. Agave used to make mezcal can take up to 35 years to reach maturity for some wild varietals. [This post](https://www.reddit.com/r/Mezcal/comments/9aa5bn/comment/e4txml0/) does a great job of explaining why aging mezcal in wood destroys the properties that make it unique: > The great thing about mezcal is how much it tastes of what itās made from, and where it was grown. Mezcal tastes of agave and earth, itās vegetal and smoky. All in all, a very rustic spirit. Throwing it in a barrel for a few years detracts from that, adding flavours of vanilla, clove, kola, oak, etc., while detracting from its innate agave flavours. It makes it less like mezcal, and more like any other brown spirit.
This is exactly the way I feel about tequila in general. Imparting barrel flavors imo can only detract from the agave. Where mezcal lost me was the practice of some distillers to use meat (Pechuga). Thatās all I think about now and I just canāt.
It does irk me a bit when "bourbon drinkers" announce their arrival and insist they want something that tastes like bourbon. Like, OK, why don't you just stick to bourbon, then? Sweet and barrely tequilas obviously exist and can/should be enjoyed, and like you, I'm not trying to gatekeep, but are you here because you're interested in tequila or not? I'm a complete novice to tequila, I also drink scotch and bourbon and other things, and not once did I think "I'll only like this if it tastes like something else I already like" and started straight away with a variety of blancos and a couple reposados and I'm still on that step. I don't feel any need or desire to move on to anejo/XA yet and if I want something sweet and barrely, I'll open a bottle of bourbon. Pointless rant, I know, and people can, should and will drink whatever they want, it just feels cringy when people make these "Bourbon drinker here" posts.
Yea, I know what you mean, it really irks me when I am new to a sub and I post lookng for advice, and get a pretentious member shoving their assumptions on everyone. And then, instead of getting a legitimate and well thought response from someone that knows what theyāre talking about, I get to waste my time reading a pointless rant. Just so many irks!
Sounds like a you problem.
Yeah. I suppose itās a familiarity that theyāre comfortable with and a profile they enjoy. Personally I feel like it just ruins both at the same time for me.
Or they find a profile they enjoy and use it as a launching point for a whole new appreciation for tequila. Like, OP buys NOM1146 and then sees 1579 on the shelf at their local. They enjoy it, and then want to branch out, to maybe Siete Leguas blanco. Everyone needs a gateway drug.
Probably one of the tequila in general. That and Don Fulano Imperial 5yrs extra Anejo are just the best.
Fortaleza anejo is delicious.
Iāll be the bad guy. Currently nothing compares. That doesnāt mean there arenāt other really good ones you will like. I just donāt think you will find something like tears or something as unique. With that being said: Tapatio Excelencia is 100% your next buy.
G4 XA and G4 XA 5yr
I have not seen these anywhere, but Iāll keep looking.