Tequila has been a part of my website almost since the beginning. When I first made the decision to write about the Mexican spirit, it was with some trepidation. You see, I wasn’t familiar with agave, and I wasn’t sure whether I would be able to write a meaningful review. However, my website is about exploration and discovery, and I felt that it would be a growth experience to push myself in directions I had never trod.

Tequila Old Fashioned

One thing I discovered quite quickly, was that Tequila had much more to offer than I originally anticipated. The agave plant (more specifically its cooked and fermented juice) brings rich flavours though the distillation and unlike whisky, it is the agave rather than flavours drawn from an oak barrel which is at the centerpiece of the spirit’s character. My first reviews were cautious, but by focusing my discussion upon the my enjoyment of the spirit, my reviews found favour not only among Tequila novices like myself, but also among many seasoned agave enthusiasts.

I have learned a lot in the last eight years as my understanding of the Mexican Spirit has grown. So this year I plan to re-boot my Tequila Reviews section revisiting many of my early reviews with new tasting notes and new scores for each spirit. That doesn’t mean I will ignore new agave spirits which come my way, in fact I hope to expand the tequila section at the same time. I hope everyone sticks around for the ride.

Last year was a good year for the Tequila, and if you are starting your own home bar, a great place to begin will be with my Rum Howler Award Winners for 2018.

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The 2018 Rum Howler Award for Best Blanco Tequila

and the winner is:

Cabresto Silver Tequila

Runner-up Award to: Espolon Blanco Tequila

Honourable Mention: Siempre (Plata) Tequila

In 2016, I received an email from a small producer in Detroit (Cabresto Imports Corporation) asking if I would taste and review their line of Tequila. When I received the samples, I have to admit I was not inspired by the rather plain-looking bottles that arrived. But when I served the agave spirit to my Rum Chums, we were blown away. The Cabresto Silver Tequila (from the Tequila Embajador Distillery) is a diamond in the rough, and for the second year in a row it is the winner as the Best Blanco Tequila I have tasted within the past two years.

Espolon Blanco is this year’s Runner-up, and Siempre Tequila win’s an Honourable Mention. All three of these tequila spirits are great representations of the Blanco Tequila category.

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The 2018 Rum Howler Award for Best Reposado Tequila

and the winner is:

Roca Patrón Reposado Tequila

Runner-up Award to: Cabresto Reposado Tequila

Honorable Mention: Espolon Reposado Tequila

I was excited earlier this year when I received a sample of Roca Patrón Reposado Tequila. This was because when I tasted the Roca Patrón Blanco two years earlier I was completely enthralled with the silver spirit. I was though, worried that the reposado spirit couldn’t live up to my expectations. Not only did the Roca Patrón Repodado live up to my expectations, it exceeded them.

When I chose the winners of the Reposado Category, I wanted not only great spirits for sipping, I wanted to select spirits which were also great mixers for classic cocktails. The winner, Roca Patrón Reposado is a smooth, character-filled tequila spirit which crossed that border where I would recommend it as sipping spirit. It is also (of course) highly recommended as a cocktail mixer.

Cabresto Reposado is a worthy Runner-Up Award Winner, and the Honourable Mention goes to Espolon Reposado.

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The 2018 Rum Howler Award for Best Anejo Tequila

and the winner is:

Dulce Vida Organic Rocky Mountain (SE)

Runner-up Award to: Casamigos Añejo Tequila

Honorable Mention: Reserva del Señor Añejo Tequila

For the third year in a row my selection for best Añejo Tequila was won by Dulce Vida. The winning spirit, Dulce Vida Rocky Mountain Special Edition was aged in a special selection of barrels chosen by Dulce Vida’s Colorado State Manager to appeal to the light, crisp air of the Rocky Mountains’ high altitude and outdoor environment. The Añejo Tequila was aged in these single barrels in the Los Altos region of Jalisco at 1790 meters of altitude in the dry, crisp climate of San Ignacio Cerro Gordo near Arandas, also known as Tierra Colorada.

Casamigo Anejo (the brand promoted by George Clooney, Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman) earned Runner-up and the Honourable Mention Award was earned by Reserva del Señor)

In case you are wondering, all of these agave spirits were served in both cocktails and sipped neat during the award selection process with the bulk of the weight in my decision being based upon the neat serving.

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The 2018 Rum Howler Award for Best Overall Tequila

and the winner is:

Roca Patrón Reposado Tequila

Runner-up Award to: Dulce Vida Organic Rocky Mountain (SE)

Honourable Mention: Cabresto Silver Tequila

This past year, I tasted two tequila spirits which I felt was very special, the Dulce Vida Organic Rocky Mountain SE and the Roca Patrón Reposado. And, it was a very difficult decision I had to make to determine which Agave Spirit deserved the honour as 2018 Rum Howler Award for Best Overall Tequila. I decided that a side by side tasting was the best way to make my determination. Roca Patrón edged out the Dulce Vida Rocky Mountain by the narrowest of margins.

One other tequila spirit deserves special recognition as well, Cabresto Silver Tequila and it is my Honourable Mention.

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The Winners:

The 2017 Rum Howler Award for Best Blanco Tequila: Cabresto Silver Tequila

The 2017 Rum Howler Award for Best Reposado Tequila: Cabresto Reposado Tequila

The 2017 Rum Howler Award for Best Anejo Tequila: Dulce Vida Organic Rocky Mountain (SE)

The 2017 Rum Howler Award for Best Overall Tequila: Roca Patrón Reposado Tequila

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The Runner-ups:

The 2017 Rum Howler Runner-up Award for Best Blanco Tequila: Espolon Blanco Tequila

The 2017 Rum Howler Runner-up Award for Best Reposado Tequila: Casamigos Añejo Tequila

The 2017 Rum Howler Runner-up Award for Best Anejo Tequila: Reserva del Señor Añejo Tequila

The 2017 Rum Howler Runner-up Award for Best Overall Tequila: Dulce Vida Organic Rocky Mountain (SE)

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The Honourable Mentions:

The 2017 Rum Howler Honourable Mention Award for Best Blanco Tequila: Siempre (Plata) Tequila

The 2017 Rum Howler Honourable Mention Awards for Best Reposado Tequila: Espolon Reposado Tequila

The 2017 Rum Howler Honourable Mention Awards for Best Anejo Tequila: Reserva del Señor Añejo Tequila

The 2017 Rum Howler Honourable Mention Awards for Best Overall Tequila: Dulce Vida Organic Rocky Mountain (SE)

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