
Tequila Ocho Blanco 2022 Los Mangos
Tequila Ocho · Destilería La Alteña (NOM 1474)
Ocho's single-estate approach yields blancos that genuinely taste different from vintage to vintage and field to field. The 2022 Los Mangos shows a particularly expressive mineral profile alongside bright fruit and clean agave. This is tequila that rewards the same kind of terroir-focused attention you'd give a good wine.
Nose
Bright cooked agave sweetness with citrus zest — lime and grapefruit — followed by fresh-cut grass and a subtle mineral earthiness. A light peppery edge and faint herbal note of thyme round out the aromatics.
Palate
Clean and focused, with sweet roasted agave at the core surrounded by white pepper and green herbs. Tropical fruit — pineapple and pear — appears mid-palate, while a chalky mineral note keeps everything grounded. The mouthfeel is medium-weight and silky.
Finish
Medium and clean, with lingering cooked agave, a touch of citrus peel, and gentle peppery warmth.
- Agave
- 100% Blue Weber Agave (single estate, Los Mangos rancho)
- Production
- Tahona-assisted, open-air wooden vat fermentation
- Region
- Arandas, Jalisco, Mexico
- Cooking Method
- Tahona-assisted, open-air wooden vat fermentation
- Distillation
- Slow-cooked in stone ovens, crushed by tahona and roller mill, fermented in open-air wooden vats, double distilled in copper pot stills
- NOM
- NOM 1474
- Additives Free
- Yes
Cocktail Suggestion
Dawn Paloma — 2 oz Tequila Ocho Blanco · 1 oz fresh grapefruit juice · 0.5 oz fresh lime juice · 0.5 oz agave syrup · 2 oz sparkling grapefruit soda · Shake first four ingredients with ice, strain into highball over fresh ice, top with soda, garnish with grapefruit wedge.
Food Pairing
Fresh shrimp ceviche on crispy tostadas with avocado, radish, and jalapeño. The citrus and mineral notes in the tequila complement the lime-cured shrimp, while the pepper warmth echoes the jalapeño's heat.
Distilled by Carlos Camarena at La Alteña in the highlands of Jalisco from agave harvested on the Los Mangos rancho in 2022, continuing the Ocho tradition of single-vintage, single-estate tequila production.
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