The Still & The VineSchool of Wine & Spirits
Don Pilar Añejo Tequila
TequilaIssue 91

Don Pilar Añejo Tequila

Don Pilar · NOM 1584 - Industrializadora de Agave San Isidro

80 proof18 MonthsJalisco, Mexico
Don Pilar's Añejo delivers genuine agave character that has been shaped, not masked, by eighteen months in oak. This is añejo the way it should be done — the wood serves the spirit, not the other way around. At its price point, it competes well above its weight class, offering depth and balance that many pricier añejos struggle to achieve.

Kit Aromas

Tasting Notes

Nose

Cooked agave at the core, wreathed in butterscotch, vanilla, and toasted oak. Secondary aromas of cinnamon stick, roasted almond, and a faint earthy minerality provide depth. There is a subtle honeyed quality that suggests patient barrel aging.

Palate

Rich and full, with caramel and cooked agave forming a sweet, rounded base. Oak and vanilla weave through the mid-palate, balanced by a peppery spice that keeps things grounded. A touch of dark chocolate appears at the edges, along with dried citrus peel.

Finish

Medium-long, with warm oak, butterscotch, and a gentle agave sweetness lingering alongside a trace of cinnamon and pepper.

Specifications
Agave
100% Blue Weber Agave, highland-grown
Production
Brick oven cooked, double distilled in copper pot stills
Region
Jalisco, Mexico
Cooking Method
Brick oven cooked, double distilled in copper pot stills
NOM
NOM 1584
Additives Free
Yes
Serve & Pair

Cocktail Suggestion

Pilar's Repose — 2 oz Don Pilar Añejo · 0.75 oz Ancho Reyes · 0.5 oz agave syrup · 2 dashes mole bitters · Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass over a large cube, garnish with an orange peel.

Food Pairing

Mole negro with braised short ribs

The Story

Produced at a small facility in Arandas in the highlands of Jalisco, Don Pilar is the vision of Mexican-American entrepreneur Ron Aylor, who insisted on 100% blue Weber agave and traditional brick ovens to honor the terroir of the Los Altos region.

Train These Aromas
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