Review: Adictivo Tequila Añejo   79.5/100
a review by Chip Dykstra (Aka Arctic Wolf)
Published December 11, 2020

Tequila Adictivo was founded by Gildardo Partida, a third generation ‘tequileros’ from San Diego whose family apparently has a rich tradition of tequila manufacture and distribution which reaches back over 100 years. Adictivo Tequila was formerly produced at Tequilas Gonzalez Lara, S.A. de C.V. Distillery, (NOM 1560 CRT) in Los Vallos (the lowlands) at El Arenal, Jalisco. Knowing that the spirit is produced in the lowlands, gives us a clue as to its taste profile. Lowland grown agave will usually bring more earthy/punky fruit flavours through the distillation than highland agave which tends to bring more citrus-like fruit flavours through the distillation as well as a light squeal of white pepper. Of course Lowland distilleries may source their agave from the Highlands and vice versa or even use both styles of agave in their production of tequila.

According to the website information, Adictivo Tequila Extra Añejo was aged for 7 years in French Oak casks and bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume.

Note: Recently, there has been a change and Adictivo Tequila is now produced at Tequilera Puerta de Hierro (Leticia Hermosillo Ravelero), (Nom 1477) which is also located  in Los Vallos (the lowlands) at El Arenal, in Jalisco Mexico. Gildardo Partida also founded the Lote Maestro which is produced at the same facility. My sample bottle is identified with the NOM, 1560 indicating it was produced at the older facility. This is reflective of the spirit in my market in Alberta.

In The Bottle 5/5

The bottles for Adictivo Tequila are stylish decanters which exhibit a touch of feminine class which is unusual in the tequila category. The bottle is sealed with a glass topped synthetic plastic cork stopper which adds to the ambiance of the bottle. An interesting feature of the glass stopper is that it is hollow and filled with tequila as well. So when your bottle is empty, the last shot can be obtained by removing a plastic stopper from the bottom of the stopper. The label tells us that this is a 100 % agave spirit.

In the Glass 8/10

Colour: Deep copper

Legs: Thickened and slow

Nose: Oak and vanilla with caramel and butterscotch, tempered agave fruit. Orange Marmalade, hints of black pepper.

The sweetness seems exaggerated, but not to the point I noted in earlier reviews of the Anejo and Reposado.  The typically robust agave has either been filtered to take the blunt edges off, or is being suppressed by the sweetness.

In the Mouth 48/60

I make a cocktail that mixes Orange liqueur with aged tequila (see here). I am very strongly reminded of that cocktail as I sip Adictivo Extra Anejo. The cocktail is pleasant, I would even say delicious, but when I am tasting a well aged Tequila, I do not want it to taste like a sweetened cocktail. I want robust agave flavour coupled tempered with oak flavours of light butterscotch and vanilla. This spirit falls short with respect to the agave. Both in terms of fruity flavour and in terms of agave spice.

In The Throat 12/15

Although the finish is long and pleasant with an oaken spiciness that suits a seven year old spirit, the sweetness is much too firm. I really wish I could taste more agave in the exit.

The Afterburn 7.5/10

I have tasted the entire Adictivo line-up from the plata (blanco) all the way up to the Extra Anejo. And I found myself getting a little more annoyed with each expression. When reviewing the Plata, I remarked that I felt the robust agave must have been filtered away leaving only a remnant behind. It made the Plata easy to sip, but somewhat unsatisfying. That theme seems to run throughout the entire family of Adictivo tequila. And with each expression I tasted, I found my scores dropping. Unfortunately, while making the brand easy to sip, the producers have left the product bereft of character; and as a result, the brand is easy to dismiss. (And you wouldn’t be wrong in doing so.)

Note: If  you are interested in more of my cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

You may (loosely) interpret the scores as follows.

0-25     A spirit with a rating this low would actually kill you.
26-49   Depending upon your fortitude you might actually survive this.
50 -59  You are safe to drink this…but you shouldn’t.
60-69   Substandard swill which you may offer to people you do not want to see again.
70-74    Now we have a fair mixing Tequila.  Accept this but make sure it is mixed into a cocktail.
75-79    You may begin to serve this to friends, (we are probably still cocktail in territory).
80-84    We begin to enjoy this spirit neat or on the rocks. (I will still primarily mix cocktails)
85-89    Excellent for sipping or for mixing delicious cocktails!
90-94    Definitely a primary sipping spirit, in fact you may want to hoard this for yourself.
95-97.5 The Cream of the Crop
98+       I haven’t met this bottle yet…but I want to.

Very loosely we may put my scores into terms that you may be familiar with on a Gold, Silver, and  Bronze medal  scale as follows:

70 – 79.5    Bronze Medal (Recommended only as a mixer)
80 – 89.5     Silver Medal (Recommended for sipping and or a high quality mixer)
90 – 95         Gold Medal (Highly recommended for sipping and for sublime cocktails.)
95.5+            Platinum Award (Highest Recommendation)