Tequila Ocho Plata 2022 Single Estate Los Nopales
Tequila Ocho · Destilería La Alteña (NOM 1474)
Ocho's single-estate approach lets terroir speak, and Los Nopales delivers a particularly mineral-driven expression. This is blanco tequila at its most transparent — no barrel influence to hide behind, just agave, earth, and craftsmanship. The 2022 vintage captures a bright, citrus-forward character that makes it equally compelling neat or in a cocktail.
Nose
Bright cooked agave leads, supported by wet stone minerality and citrus zest. A gentle green herbal thread — almost like fresh thyme — weaves through, alongside a subtle white pepper note that keeps the nose lively.
Palate
Clean and focused, with cooked agave sweetness balanced by a chalky mineral backbone. Lime zest, a whisper of green apple, and fresh-cut grass emerge on the mid-palate. The texture is silky but not heavy, with a saline quality that enhances the fruit.
Finish
Medium-length, with lingering agave, a snap of white pepper, and a mineral dryness reminiscent of limestone.
- Agave
- 100% Blue Weber Agave (Highland grown, single estate Los Nopales)
- Production
- Brick oven cooked, tahona crushed, natural fermentation, copper pot distilled
- Region
- Arandas, Jalisco, Mexico
- Cooking Method
- Brick oven cooked, tahona crushed, natural fermentation, copper pot distilled
- Distillation
- Slow-cooked in brick ovens, tahona-crushed, double distilled in copper pot stills
- NOM
- NOM 1474
- Additives Free
- Yes
Cocktail Suggestion
Ocho Paloma — 2 oz Tequila Ocho Plata · 1 oz fresh grapefruit juice · 0.5 oz fresh lime juice · 0.5 oz agave syrup · 2 oz sparkling mineral water · Build over ice in a salt-rimmed highball, stir gently.
Food Pairing
A bright shrimp ceviche with tomatillo, serrano chile, and cucumber mirrors the tequila's citrus snap and herbal freshness while the seafood amplifies its mineral core.
Crafted by Carlos Camarena at the family's La Alteña distillery in the Jalisco highlands, this single-estate blanco showcases agave from the Los Nopales parcel, harvested and distilled in 2022.
Be the first to comment.
Leave a comment
Tequila Ocho Añejo 2019 Single Estate
Tequila Ocho
Tequila Ocho's single-estate model means every vintage reflects a specific rancho and harvest year. The 2019 añejo demonstrates how American white oak can enhance highland agave without erasing it. Where many añejos lean too heavily on barrel influence, this one maintains transparency — you taste the field and the cooperage in equal measure.
Ocho Añejo Tequila
Tequila Ocho
Ocho Añejo demonstrates that a single year in barrel, when executed with care, can enhance agave rather than obscure it. The vintage and single-estate approach means each release carries a sense of place. This is añejo for people who actually like tequila.
Tequila Ocho Blanco 2022 La Magueyera
Tequila Ocho
Ocho's single-estate blanco program is the closest tequila gets to grand cru thinking. The 2022 La Magueyera bottling captures a specific field in a specific year — mineral-driven, herbaceous, and pure. It's an argument for terroir made in agave rather than grape, and it's convincing.
Tequila Ocho Blanco 2022 Los Mangos
Tequila Ocho
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.
Código 1530 Añejo
Código 1530
Código 1530 Añejo is a masterclass in what happens when spirit and stave become intimate. The use of Cabernet-seasoned French White Oak—rather than the more common American oak ex-bourbon barrels—creates a distinctive bridge between the agave world and the wine world, making it a perfect fit for the 'Barrel's Inner Skin' theme. The wine-stained wood imparts a refined tannic structure and fruit-forward complexity that complement rather than overwhelm the cooked agave heart. This is contemplative, after-dinner tequila that rewards patience.
Tequila San Matías Gran Reserva Extra Añejo
San Matías
Casa San Matías has been making tequila since 1886, and this extra añejo demonstrates a mastery of time and barrel. Three years in American oak have deepened the spirit without erasing its agave identity—a furnace of patience made liquid. At under $90, it punches well above its price class, delivering the contemplative depth of bottles twice its cost. A superb after-dinner pour for those who believe great tequila rewards the same reverence as aged whisky.
Fortaleza Reposado Winter Blend 2024
Fortaleza
Fortaleza's Winter Blend series marries reposado lots of varying age into a seasonal expression that highlights the interplay between agave and oak. The tahona-crushed agave gives it a textural richness that roller-milled tequilas rarely achieve. This is tequila where craft and material are inseparable.
Siembra Azul Añejo
Siembra Azul
A quietly excellent Añejo that resists the modern impulse toward heavy oak and sweetness — David Suro's Siembra Azul remains a benchmark for honest, agave-first tequila at a fair price.