Review: Roca Patrón Anejo Tequila  91.5/100
a review by Chip Dykstra
Posted on August 08, 2022

The Patrón Spirits Company was created in 1989 when John Paul DeJoria, and Martin Crowley formed the company with the stated singular goal of producing “the best tequila in the world.”

Roca Patrón Tequila is a pure 100% Agave Tequila made from agave grown in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico. The agave is 6 to 7 years old when harvested, and the heart of the plant or the piña is all that is used. After harvest the piñas are chopped in half by hand and slowly steamed in masonry brick ovens for about 79 hours to soften them. The softened piñas are then shredded and placed into a traditional stone pit, where they are crushed by a large 2 ton stone milling wheel called a Tahona.

According to many Tequila producers, the manner in which juice is extracted from the piñas has a distinguishable impact upon the flavour of the final distilled tequila. This was very evident when I tasted the Roco Patrón Tequila which has a noticeably softer and earthier flavour than the regular Patrón Tequila distilled mainly from juice extracted by a roller mill.

Roca Patrón Anejo Tequila is distilled twice in copper pot stills , and then aged for about 14 months in used American oak bourbon barrels. The lightly aged spirit is bottled at 44 % alcohol by volume.

In the Bottle 5/5

To the left is a bottle shot of the 750ml version of Roca Patrón Anejo Tequila. (I was given a bottle of the 375ml version without the display box.) The Roca Patron bottle has a comfortable squat rectangular shape and features a decorative chocolate-brown lace tied around its neck in a style which reminds me of the western dress ties I used to wear when I was boy. The overall look is similar to other premium Tequila bottles I have seen. The labeling is simple but not unattractive, and I like that the bottle is sealed with a nice cork which gives me that nice satisfying ‘pop’ when I open it.

The bottle is housed in a very nice beige box which serves to elevate the presentation. On the back of this box is a description of the ‘500-year-old Tahona Process’ and the production method used to make the tequila.

In The Glass 9/10

Colour: Light straw colour consistent with a 14 month stay in used American Oak.

Legs: Slender

Nose: Fruity, punky, aggressive agave with a light sweetness combines with vanilla and more oak than I would have thought for a spirit rested for only 14 months. The agave sort of hangs in the air giving us notes of banana, grilled plantain, and baked squash. There is also a larger amount of black and white pepper apparent than I found in the blanco and reposado versions of the Roca Patron. This combined with the oak and agave gives the breezes above the glass a sort of leathery thickness which I haven’t quite decided if I like or not. (Stay tuned.)

In The Glass 54.5/60

The leathery thickness I noted in the breezes comes across the palate as a wave of firm agave which carries more oak (and vanilla) than any anejo tequila I have tasted in the past. The dram is unapologetic in its aim to bring you a full flavoured earthy tequila that belongs in a sipping or old fashioned glass and not a in a fruity cocktail. (I bumped my score on the nose as I have decided that the leathery thickness I commented on was definitely much more positive than negative.)

The fruity agave is punky and earthy, the oak brings both black pepper and baking spice, and the vanilla has combined with the light agave sweetness and bits of almond to give us a light impression of marzipan. Tea leaves and bits of bitter chocolate ride in the flavour profile as well.

In The Throat 14/15

The exit features the spiciness of oak with a more than a light ping of white pepper from the agave. There is a buttery quality which lengthens the finish allowing you to enjoy the firm fruity agave.

The Afterburn 9/10

Roca Patron Anejo Tequila is not a tequila meant for Margaritas or for shooting down after licking some salt and lime. This is more of a connoisseurs spirit meant for slow enjoyment of the agave and the oak.  My score of 91.5/100 indicates my appreciation.

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

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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)