The Still & The VineSchool of Wine & Spirits
El Tequileno Blanco Gran Reserva
TequilaIssue 74

El Tequileno Blanco Gran Reserva

El Tequileño · Destilería La Guarreña (NOM 1108)

80 proofNASTequila, Jalisco, Mexico
El Tequileño Blanco Gran Reserva is a textbook example of what traditional Tequila valley production yields — rounder, more cooked-agave-forward, with none of the diffuser flatness that plagues the category's industrial end. At its price point, this is one of the best value blancos available, equally suited to sipping or mixing.

Kit Aromas

Tasting Notes

Nose

Bright cooked agave and white pepper open into a clean, mineral-driven aroma with hints of lime zest and fresh-cut grass. There is a subtle yeasty, bready quality underneath that speaks to traditional fermentation.

Palate

Medium-bodied with excellent texture. Cooked agave is the anchor, flanked by citrus and a distinctive herbal mintiness. A mineral earthiness runs through the mid-palate, and the pepper builds steadily toward the finish.

Finish

Clean and moderately long, with lingering agave sweetness and a dry, peppery close. The grassiness returns at the very end.

Specifications
Agave
100% Blue Weber Agave
Production
Brick oven cooked, open-air fermentation, copper pot distillation
Region
Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico
Cooking Method
Brick oven cooked, open-air fermentation, copper pot distillation
Distillation
Double distilled in copper pot stills
NOM
NOM 1108
Additives Free
Yes
Serve & Pair

Cocktail Suggestion

Tequila Paloma Clásica — 2 oz El Tequileño Blanco · 0.5 oz fresh lime juice · 0.5 oz fresh grapefruit juice · Pinch of salt · Top with grapefruit soda · Build in a highball glass over ice, stir gently, garnish with a grapefruit wedge.

Food Pairing

Ceviche with mango and habanero

The Story

Produced at Destilería La Guarreña in the town of Tequila since 1959, El Tequileño remains a family-run operation using brick ovens and open-air fermentation tanks, methods unchanged across three generations.

Train These Aromas
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