
Terralta Añejo
Terralta · Destilería El Pandillo (NOM 1579)
Felipe Camarena's Terralta Añejo is aged tequila done with discipline. Two years in barrel adds complexity without turning the spirit into a wood-bomb. The agave speaks clearly throughout — a sign that the distiller's hand was steady from field to bottle.
Nose
Rich cooked agave and butterscotch open the nose, followed by vanilla, baking spice, and a wisp of dried leather. Underneath there's a pleasant earthiness and a bright note of cooked pear.
Palate
Silky and well-integrated. The oak influence provides caramel and cinnamon warmth without obscuring the agave character, which still reads as sweet roasted piña. Pepper builds in the mid-palate alongside a pleasant honey note.
Finish
Long and warming, with lingering oak, butterscotch, and a gentle agave sweetness that fades slowly into mild smoke.
- Agave
- 100% Blue Weber Agave, Jalisco Highlands
- Production
- Brick oven-cooked, roller mill extraction, natural fermentation, copper pot distillation
- Region
- Jalisco Highlands, Mexico
- Cooking Method
- Brick oven-cooked, roller mill extraction, natural fermentation, copper pot distillation
- Distillation
- Double distilled in copper pot stills
- NOM
- 1579
- Additives Free
- Yes
Cocktail Suggestion
Terralta Oaxaca-Style Old Fashioned — 1.5 oz Terralta Añejo · 0.5 oz mezcal · 0.25 oz agave nectar · 2 dashes mole bitters · Stir with ice, strain over a large cube, garnish with an orange peel.
Food Pairing
Mole negro with braised chicken
Master distiller Felipe Camarena crafts Terralta at the high-altitude El Pandillo distillery, where his family's multi-generational tequila legacy meets an uncompromising commitment to additive-free production.
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