The Still & The VineSchool of Wine & Spirits
La Gritona Reposado
TequilaIssue 112

La Gritona Reposado

La Gritona · Destiladora El Pandillo

$5080 proof8 months in ex-American whiskey barrelsValle de Guadalupe, Jalisco, Mexico (Highlands)
A reposado that refuses to shout — Melly Barajas lets the agave and terroir carry the conversation. Understated, elegant, and one of the great values in agave spirits.

Kit Aromas

Tasting Notes

Nose

Bright cooked agave leads, followed by wet river stone, lime zest, white pepper, and a whisper of vanilla. Grassy and clean, with none of the oak-forward sweetness common to the category.

Palate

Silky and medium-bodied, with cooked agave at the core wrapped in citrus pith, green herbs, and a mineral salinity. Subtle vanilla and a light peppery warmth emerge midpalate, but the wood remains a quiet supporting player.

Finish

Dry, savory, and lingering — chalky minerality, lime peel, and a faint anise note that fades slowly without heat.

Specifications
Agave
100% Blue Weber Agave, sourced from the Highlands of Jalisco, cooked in stainless steel autoclaves
Production
Agave is cooked in autoclaves, milled, fermented with proprietary yeast in stainless steel, and double-distilled in stainless pot stills with copper coils. Rested approximately 8 months in ex-American whiskey barrels. Bottled in distinctive recycled green glass with hand-numbered labels.
Region
Valle de Guadalupe, Jalisco, Mexico (Highlands)
Cooking Method
Agave is cooked in autoclaves, milled, fermented with proprietary yeast in stainless steel, and double-distilled in stainless pot stills with copper coils. Rested approximately 8 months in ex-American whiskey barrels. Bottled in distinctive recycled green glass with hand-numbered labels.
NOM
NOM 1533
Additives Free
Yes
Serve & Pair

Cocktail Suggestion

The Quiet Word — 2 oz La Gritona Reposado, 0.75 oz fresh lime juice, 0.5 oz honey syrup (2:1 honey to water), 3 dashes celery bitters. Shake with ice, strain into a chilled coupe, garnish with a lime twist expressed and discarded.

Food Pairing

Grilled branzino with salsa verde, charred spring onions, and a squeeze of lime — the fish's clean minerality mirrors the tequila's saline finish.

The Story

Master distiller Melly Barajas built her Jesús María distillery, El Pandillo, largely by hand — repurposing a truck axle into a tahona-adjacent shredder she calls 'Frankenstein' — and hand-numbers every recycled green glass bottle of La Gritona herself.

Train These Aromas
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