Alamo Reposado Tequila
Review: Alamo (Reposado) Tequila (86/100)
A review by Chip Dykstra (Aka Arctic Wolf)
Published February 05, 2018
Alamo is a tequila brand sold by Minhas Distilleries in Western Canada. I reviewed part of the portfolio a few years ago, but recently I noticed that a change had occurred concerning the distillery of origin for the tequila brand. In my previous review I had noted that the Nom on my sample bottles was 1529, which indicated that the spirit was produced by Agaveros y Tequileros Unidos de Los Altos, a tequila producer which typically distills agave grown in Los Altos, the highlands of Mexico’s tequila producing region. However, the new spirit sold by Minhas now carries a different Nom (1438) indicating the distillery of origin for the current spirit is Destiladora del Valle de Tequila, S.A. de C.V., a producer which typically uses both highland and lowland agave in its production of Tequila. (The NOM identifier is required by the Mexican Government to be placed on the label of each bottle of tequila to verify that it is produced legally from agave sourced in the Tequila region of Mexico. Each distillery has its own NOM, and thus we can trace the distillery of origin.)
The change of Nom upon the tequila bottle is a signal that a new series of reviews is in order, and I though I would take the opportunity to review not only the Reposado and Anejo tequila which I analyzed a few years ago but also the Gold and Blanco tequila which are part of the Alamo line-up.
According to the Minhas Distillery website, Alamo Reposado is a 100 % Agave Tequila aged for 6 months in white American oak barrels. The Minhas website tells us that the Hernandes Estate near Guadalajara is located high in the mountains which implies the spirit is a highland tequila, however as noted earlier, the distillery of origin, Agaveros y Tequileros Unidos de Los Altos typically uses both highland and lowland grown agave when producing their tequila. (In the production of tequila, highland agave tends to bring stronger fruity citrus notes and more spicy pepper into both the delivery and in the finish. Lowland tequila tends to bring firmer earthy flavours of the agave fruit into the flavour profile.)
In the Bottle 4/5
I like a nice distinctive bottle on my liquor shelf. You get the idea, something a little unique in bottle shape or maybe something with a little color or even something with some texture to make gripping easier. The Alamo Reposado Tequila bottle has all of the elements I look for right up to a nice solid synthetic cork stopper.
My only quibble with the bottle is that it sort of has the appearance of a gummy bear. That ‘gummy candy’ look gives the tequila a strange look next to the other tequila spirits on my barshelf which over time is less and less appealing.
In the Glass 8.5/10
I poured out a small sample of the Alamo Reposado into my glencairn glass and began my review with a good look at the tequila before I began to nose it. It is a pale straw coloured spirit consistent with a Reposado Tequila which would spend between three and eleven months in oak barrels. I gave my glass a light tilt and a slow swirl and discovered a light sheen of tequila left on the inside of the glass which gave up a few very skinny legs and nothing more. This is consistent with expectations and so far I am happy with my observations.
When I brought the glass to my nose I discovered a lightly sweet, mildly punky agave aroma lifting from the glass. It has a fruity smell reminiscent of baked squash with white pepper and citrus zest building. There is a lovely earthy quality which brings me impressions of licorice and angelica as well as very light hints of butterscotch and oolong tea.
In the Mouth 52/60
The tequila has a relatively smooth entry onto the palate with lightly sweet butterscotch and the fruity flavour of agave leading the way. There is some spicy heat in the form of white pepper with a hint of grassiness which reminds me of sweet green bell peppers. Baked zucchini and grilled pineapple are present as well. A smattering of light oak spice and black tea leaves rounds out the flavour which is nice and easy to sip with a bit of ice.
Of course I like to mix cocktails, and my go to cocktail for Tequila is the Margarita. In this case the lime juice and the triple worked very well together with the Alamo Reposado in a cocktail that was very enjoyable. I also constructed a sipping cocktail, (Maximiliano Tequila) which I enjoyed immensely.
In the Throat 13/15
That relatively smooth entry I mentioned above is followed by a little spicy pepper in the finish. However, the back of the throat was warmed not assaulted. Hints of black tea, oak spice and a bit of sweet agave complete the exit.
The Afterburn 8.5/10
The Minhas Distillery is known locally for spirits which are favourably priced compared to their counterparts in the industry. Part of the reason for this is that they work hard at finding bargains when they source their spirits. I suspect that this is the reason why the company is now sourcing their tequila from a new producer. A price advantage was found, and they pounced upon it. This means (if you are checking my review before you purchase a bottle) that you should check the Nom on the bottle and make sure the Nom in my review corresponds to the bottle you are considering.
In the case of Alamo Reposado (labeled with the Nom 1438), it is quite nice especially considering the attractive price point in my locale. It is suitable for sipping over ice or for classic tequila based cocktails.
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
Maximiliano Tequila
1 1/2 ounces of Tequila Añejo
1/2 ounces of Bols Triple Sec.
Serve in a suitable glass with no ice
Allow the cocktail oxidize for about 5 minutes
Garnish with a twist of orange peel.
Note: If you are interested in more of my original 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)
The Rum Howler Blog 
Andrew B said
I’m sad to see that this tequila is being discontinued. I’ve tried all sorts of tequilas from lowly Jose Cuervo all the way up to Herencia, Avion, Patron and Don Julio. Nothing (except maybe for Patron Anejo) even comes close to the smoothness of Alamo. I’m a fan of shooting, not sipping, and without doubt this is truly the greatest shooting beverage I’ve ever experienced in my life.
Fortunately, the local liquor store was clearing out their remaining stock and I was able to get 9 bottles at a clearance price. 🙂
Arctic Wolf said
Like you, I have found the Alamo Reposado to be a very nice Tequila. Hopefully the brand owner will retain the same quality when and if it ever comes back to the market.
erich said
thanks i would assume the aged is better ?
Arctic Wolf said
Actually… in my opinion no. If you check out my tequila reviews you will find I scored the Alamo Reposado much higher. I liked it better as a sipper and as a mixer. Tequila is quite a different spirit from Whisky or Rum and the aged Tequila is not necessarily better than the unaged.
erich said
hi just wondering the differance
from the red bottle to the blue ?
Arctic Wolf said
As far as I know the red bottle is the Anejo and the blue is the Reposado. (The Anejo is aged longer)
Chris said
I picked up a bottle of this from a new liquor store on 14 street in Calgary. It was at a promotional sale price. I love the taste. Wish I had bought several bottles back then.
Arctic Wolf said
The Alamo Reposado is an absolute gem. I named it the Best Reposado Tequila when I did my 2011 Rum Howler awards, (The Rum Howler Awards – Vodka, Gin and Tequila). Did you try either of my Cocktails?
Ruminsky van Drunkenberg said
I find it curious that reps aren’t providing you with the background info you need to write the review of the products they are supposed to be shilling..
You might want to start adding pricing info, when you know it – part of any purchase I make is a price to (perceived) value comparison, and I don’t think I’m alone on this one. It’s all well and good to say the stuff is good, but some understanding of the cost is useful info as well, don’t you think? Even if some guy from Autralia is reading this, he’ll understand its relative level. Your thoughts?
Arctic Wolf said
Hi Lance:
I found it curious that I was provided with so little information, but to be honest I am a little ambivalent towards this. It is almost impossible to verify information provided by reps anyway, so sometimes when you receive information you do not know whether to publish it. I am not sure anyway, how much that background information would have added to the layman’s appreciation of the review. I like to think that my readers are more concerned with how I believe the spirit tastes than with the background information. I do agree it would be nice if this information was always provided honestly to me to pass on but you and I both know that this is a bit of a pipe dream. (It may be the case that this particular company did not want to tamper with the review process by sending me the press kit full of glowing advertising speak.)
As for pricing information, my own opinion is that it is is misleading to include comments about price versus value in the review. I make the assumption that my reader can make his own price versus value assessment based upon the score I assign. The only place that price has an impact on my review is in the presentation category where more expensive spirits are judged more harshly. Everywhere else, my review makes no account for price. If I score a $20.00 spirit a 92, and a $100.00 spirit a 84. This means that I prefer the 20 buck spirit even if I could get the more expensive spirit at the same price.
I should point out that I have also seen such wide variations in price right here in Alberta. As an Example, I bought a bottle of Glenmorangie Nectar Dor for 54 bucks the other day. The same spirit was available for 149 bucks at a liquor store down the street from me. How can anyone make a rational statement about price with such a variation happening in the same city. Also because of skewed taxation systems where local products are taxed a different rates than imported products in most jurisdictions, and where import costs and taxation costs can easily dwarf the cost of the actual spirit, the usefulness of price in the review process to me is questionable.
I expect the reader of the review to figure out for himself what price level he is willing to pay for each score on my blog.