
Tequila Ocho Blanco 2022 Los Nopales
Tequila Ocho · Destilería Tequila Ocho (La Alteña)
Ocho's single-estate philosophy mirrors wine's terroir obsession. This Los Nopales parcel delivers a blanco with unusual mineral density — heavier than many blancos in body, yet bright and transparent in flavor. It demonstrates that unaged tequila can carry the weight of place.
Nose
Pronounced cooked agave and wet mineral earth, with bright citrus — lime zest and green grapefruit. A trace of white pepper and fresh grass rides above the agave sweetness.
Palate
Clean and linear, with cooked agave at the center surrounded by a halo of citrus and mineral notes. A slight yeasty, bready quality gives it depth. The texture is surprisingly oily for a blanco.
Finish
Medium length, with lingering mineral soil notes and a final spark of white pepper. Clean and precise.
- Agave
- 100% Blue Weber Agave from Los Nopales estate, Arandas highlands
- Production
- Tahona-crushed, brick oven cooked, natural yeast fermentation
- Region
- Arandas, Jalisco, Mexico
- Cooking Method
- Tahona-crushed, brick oven cooked, natural yeast fermentation
- Distillation
- Slow-cooked in brick ovens, tahona-crushed, fermented with natural yeast, double distilled in copper pot stills
- NOM
- NOM 1474
- Additives Free
- Yes
Cocktail Suggestion
Quarry Paloma — 2 oz Tequila Ocho Blanco 2022 Los Nopales · 1 oz fresh grapefruit juice · 0.5 oz fresh lime juice · 0.5 oz agave nectar · 2 oz mineral sparkling water · Build in a salt-rimmed highball over ice, stir gently, garnish with a grapefruit wedge.
Food Pairing
The mineral earthiness and citrus brightness in the tequila lock in with the acidity and crunch of ceviche, while jícama adds a clean, sweet counterpoint.
Carlos Camarena and the late Tomas Estes created Tequila Ocho to prove that agave from different fields — harvested in different years — tastes fundamentally different, applying a single-estate vintage model to tequila.
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