
El Tequileno Añejo Gran Reserva
El Tequileño · Destiladora del Valle de Tequila (NOM 1108)
El Tequileño has been producing tequila since 1959, and this añejo shows the benefit of generational know-how. The two-year rest in American oak doesn't overwhelm the agave — it frames it. An añejo for people who believe tequila should still taste like tequila.
Nose
Cooked agave and butterscotch open gently, with vanilla and a subtle earthy minerality underneath. Hints of cinnamon and oak round out the aromatics.
Palate
Elegant and medium-bodied. Caramel and baked agave weave together, supported by warm oak and a touch of dark chocolate. A gentle pepper note rises through the mid-palate, keeping things focused.
Finish
Medium-long, with vanilla and earth lingering alongside a pleasant warmth of cinnamon bark.
- Agave
- 100% Blue Weber Agave
- Production
- Brick oven cooked, open-air fermentation, copper pot distilled
- Region
- Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico
- Cooking Method
- Brick oven cooked, open-air fermentation, copper pot distilled
- Distillation
- Double distilled in copper pot stills
- NOM
- NOM 1108
- Additives Free
- Yes
Cocktail Suggestion
Añejo Old Fashioned — 2 oz El Tequileño Añejo Gran Reserva · 0.25 oz agave nectar · 2 dashes mole bitters · Stir over ice, strain over large ice cube, garnish with flamed orange peel.
Food Pairing
Mole negro with braised chicken
Don Jorge Salles Cuervo founded El Tequileño in 1959 in the town of Tequila, and the family still operates the distillery using traditional brick ovens and open-air fermentation.
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