Review: Adictivo Tequila Plata    86.5/100
a review by Chip Dykstra (Aka Arctic Wolf)
Published October 12, 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.

Adictivo Tequila Plata is a Blanco or Silver tequila is produced from agave pinas which have been baked in traditional brick ovens, with the juice extracted with a Stone Roller Mill. The cooked agave juice is twice distilled before being aged for 3 weeks in french oak barrels. Depending upon the market the spirit is exported to, the bottling proof may be anywhere from 35 to 40 % abv..

My sample bottle was bottled at 40 %.

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 9/10

The Adictivo spirit is clear with no trace of colour. This leads me to suspect that the spirit has undergone some sort of filtration to remove the light colour which would have been imparted by its short stay in french oak barrels.

I gave my glass a light tilt and a slow swirl, and I discovered a light sheen was left on the inside of the glass which released tiny droplets from the crest which formed. Slender legs ambled down which seemed to imply a thicker consistency than such a young spirit would normally have. This could be an indication of added sweetness or perhaps a indication of small pot still distillation.

When I brought the glass to my nose, I noticed a soft almost refreshing aroma of herbaceous agave represented by impressions of grilled pineapple and zucchini  with a mild white pepper accent. There is a light agave sweetness, bright citrus notes and sweep of mint in the breezes as well. The impact of the aroma is soothing, and I look forward to taking my first sip.

In the Mouth 51/60

Adictivo Plata has a beguiling quality with softly sweet agave leading out on the palate followed by a slow build up of peppery spice which then ebbs away leaving the soft sweet agave lingering. The flavour does not smack you in the mouth, instead it kind of swamps you with light nuances as though the raw power of the agave plant has been buffed of its sharp edges which allows you to enjoy the spirit’s softer side. There are ripples of mint, bits of bright citrus, a light sweep of vanilla and light lemony flavours playing beside the fruity agave. These nuances are enjoyable to discover as you sip. The only detriment that enjoyment is that perhaps the spirit carries a tad more sweetness than I would prefer.

I mixed a typical Margarita (recipe shown below) and found the cocktail very enjoyable especially as the lime played nicely with the softer flavour of the spirit.

In the Throat 13/15

The spirit is light to medium bodied, but there is enough of an oily consistency to give the finish some length. As noted, the palate heats up after you swallow, but this heat dissipates leaving flavours of sweet agave, vanilla and traces of mint playing on the tongue afterwards. There is also a lingering sweetness which is pleasant, although it seems somewhat out of place.

The Afterburn 8.5/10

I opined earlier that the spirit may have undergone a filtration to remove the colour imparted by its short stay in french oak. This filtration has also buffed smooth the jagged edge of agave spice and punky fruit which is typical of lightly aged tequila. I realize that some Tequila enthusiasts will find the lighter flavour of the Adictivo Plata unfulfilling as they relish the firm punky flavour and spice of the agave spirit, but I also believe that many more persons will find the playful interaction of the revealed softer flavours pleasing.

You may read some of my other Tequila Reviews (click the link) if you wish to have some comparative reviews.

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Suggested Recipe:

You will notice that this recipe includes an optional element (a splash of soda). I often add a touch of soda to a margarita especially if I have friends over who do not consume tequila regularly. The touch splash of soda often makes the taste of the Margarita cocktail more suitable to a larger variety of palates.

The Margarita Cocktail (A Traditional Recipe)

1 1/2 oz Adictivo Plata Tequila
3/4 oz Bols Triple Sec
3/4 oz fresh Lime Juice
1 tsp Sugar Syrup (1:1ratio)
ice
Splash of Soda (optional)
Lime Slice for garnish

Chill a cocktail glass and rim the outside with coarse salt
Place the tequila, lime, Triple Sec, and sugar syrup into a metal shaker
Shake until the outside of the shaker frosts
Strain into the chilled cocktail glass
Add a splash of soda if desired
Garnish with Lime
Enjoy!

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!

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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)