Pueblo Viejo Orgullo Cristalino Extra Añejo
Pueblo Viejo · Destilería San Nicolás (NOM 1108)
This cristalino extra añejo strips away the color but retains the substance of extended aging, revealing a spine of pure mineral grit beneath polished agave. For a theme centered on the temper of stone, Pueblo Viejo Orgullo delivers: it is transparent yet deeply grounded, a tequila that tastes like looking through clear water at a riverbed of volcanic rock. Remarkable value for the complexity on offer.
Nose
Opens with bright cooked agave and wet limestone, giving way to crushed white pepper, dried chamomile, and a whisper of flint. A subtle minerality runs through everything—imagine chalk dust on warm clay—before resolving into light caramel and a faint herbal note reminiscent of dried sage.
Palate
Medium-bodied and remarkably transparent in flavor. The entry is clean agave and stone-fruit sweetness, followed quickly by a chalky, almost saline minerality that anchors the mid-palate. Vanilla and butterscotch drift in from the oak aging but remain restrained, never overwhelming the earthy core. White pepper and a hint of dried citrus peel add brightness, while a subtle earthen note evokes volcanic soil and rain-dampened gravel.
Finish
Medium-long and notably dry, with lingering wet stone, a dusting of white pepper, and the faintest echo of cooked agave sweetness dissolving into mineral ash. Quietly persistent.
- Region
- Los Altos de Jalisco, Mexico
- Additives Free
- No
Cocktail Suggestion
Piedra Blanca — 2 oz Pueblo Viejo Orgullo Cristalino Extra Añejo · 0.75 oz blanc vermouth · 0.25 oz chamomile syrup · 2 dashes celery bitters · 1 dash saline solution · Stir all ingredients with ice for 30 seconds and strain into a chilled coupe; express a grapefruit peel over the surface and discard. · Garnish: thin white grapefruit wheel rested on the rim with a small sprig of dried sage · Glass: coupe
Food Pairing
A thick swordfish steak, grilled over high heat until the exterior takes on a smoky char while the interior stays moist and meaty, served with a bright salsa verde of roasted tomatillos, serrano chiles, and cilantro. The mineral density of the fish mirrors the tequila's chalky mid-palate, while the charred tomatillo's acidity and slight bitterness amplify the spirit's citrus peel and pepper notes. The pairing grounds both plate and glass in volcanic terroir—ocean mineral meeting highland earth.
Destilería San Nicolás sits in the iron-rich red clay soil of Los Altos, where agaves drink deep from mineral-laden earth for years before harvest. Pueblo Viejo—'Old Town'—has been a workhorse brand in Mexico for decades, beloved by cantineros and home drinkers alike. The Orgullo Cristalino expression represents a modern evolution: a fully matured extra añejo filtered through activated charcoal to strip away color while preserving the mineral fingerprint of its highland terroir. The result is a paradox—a spirit that looks like a blanco but carries three years of oak memory in its bones. The word 'orgullo' means pride, and there's an apt stubbornness to this bottling: it refuses to let filtration erase its sense of place. The volcanic soils of Los Altos literally shaped the agaves that became this tequila, and every sip carries that geological imprint, making it a natural companion for an issue devoted to mineral grit revealed.
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