Review: Siempre Rebel Cask Northern Gold Series 85/100
A review by Chip Dykstra
Published June 02, 2023

Recently I received a new tequila sample from Siempre Tequila.  Its been about six years since I have tasted one of the Siempre offerings (See my review for Siempre Plata here).  At that time the Plata was the only expression  sold in Canada, and it was available in only two provinces and six U.S. states.  Now six years later, Siempre is a growing concern. Their tequila is sold throughout much of North America with full range that includes Plata, Reposado, and Anejo expressions. As well the company has created the exclusive, Siempre Exclusivo Vivo, as well as special Limited Edition Offerings called Rebel Casks.

Rebel Casks explore tequila flavours which result from maturation in specific types of oak barrels which are off the beaten path of the ex-bourbon barrel. These are small bottlings limited to only a few barrels produced each time. It is one of these special tequilas that I have will be reviewing today, Siempre Rebel Cask – Northern Gold Series, a Reposado Tequila. This Reposado spirit has a Canadian twist as it has been aged for 8 months in a bourbon barrel which had previously been used to age Canadian Maple Syrup.

The tequila was produced at La Cofradia, S.A. DE C.V. (Nom 1137 ) in the Jalisco (highlands) tequila producing region of Mexico. It is bottled at 42% alcohol by volume.

In The Bottle  4.5/5

Siempre Rebel Cask Northern Gold Series is pictured to the left. Apparently there is a small barrel like charm around the neck of each bottle which appears to have went missing during the shipping of my bottle. This charm is meant to remind the consumer of the special barrel treatment this tequila receives.

This reposado spirit arrives in a squat, long necked bottle, sealed with a wood topped cork with a clear plastic wrap seal. At first this seems to be a standard presentation. However, when one examines the lower label (offset from the top label) the special nature of the spirit is revealed. It has a lot of interesting information to disclose.

According to that lower label, this edition of the Northern Cask Series was distilled from supremo quality agave which was cooked in brick ovens allowing the pinas to have their juice extracted with a tahona wheel. The resulting juice was fermented with wild yeast as well as with the agave fibers added to the fermentation tanks. Two 113L maple syrup ex bourbon barrels were used to mature the spirit for 8 months. The bottle I am reviewing is bottle number 131 of 264 bottles produced. We also see that the spirit was bottled at 42 % alcohol by volume.

This information is hand written on each bottle giving the consumer a visual clue as to the limited nature of each Rebel Cask tequila.

In The Glass  8.5/10

When I pour the Northern Gold Series Tequila into my glass, my first observation is that the spirit shows us a pale shade of golden straw. The maple syrup cask does not seem to have imparted very much (if any) additional colour. I give the glass a little time, and then bring my nose over the top. I notice a light agave sweetness rising into the breezes followed by somewhat mild but peppery spice with hints of vanilla. The agave gains strength as I nose the glass; but it has been softened by the light sweetness of maple. There is a light build-up of heat  as the agave spice slowly releases itself from the light maple sweetness. This is not aggressive nor at this point does it seem overly complex; however it is soft and inviting me to sip.

In The Mouth  51/60

When I take my first sip, I notice that the fruity (and somewhat punky agave) is melded into the mild maple sweetness of the spirit. Its almost as if I taste a light agave syrup rather than maple and agave separately. Then a squeal of peppery spices and bright citrus begins to heat the mouth. This is a familiar aspect of the agave from  Jalisco (in the Mexican highlands) which is famous for its bright spicy character.

I am finding the Northern Gold Series is providing me an interesting journey through the delivery. The tequila initially plays it cool showing us its soft, fruity, lightly sweet agave, but then reveals its true identity as a Highland spirit with hot pepper and bright citrus becoming its dominant characteristic. That spicy highland character grows as we sip; however the mild maple sweetness keeps it in check allowing that squeal of hot pepper to be appreciated.

In The Throat  12.5/15

One of the aspects of the Northern Gold Series is that the maturation of the spirit in the maple syrup cask has served to give this reposado spirit a slightly heavier body. This means the tequila coats the tongue and throat just enough to provide a long agave finish (lightly sweetened by maple). The exit is punctuated with that swat of hot pepper. The light sweetness of maple soothes the palate after the swallow which makes the finish quite enjoyable.

The Afterburn  8.5/10

It is interesting that in the first thirteen years I have been reviewing distilled spirits, I never encountered a spirit which had seen the inside of a maple syrup barrel. Now in my fourteenth year of reviews, and within a span of three weeks, I encounter not one but two (see my review of Stillhead’s Maple Syrup Cask Whisky).  With both of these spirits, my feeling is that the impact of the maple syrup cask was milder and much more pleasant than I expected.

Siempre Rebel Cask – Northern Gold Series, is a little sweeter than a regular reposado spirit; but that sweetness does not become too firm or overpowering. This means that the agave remains the heart of the spirit. It is a soft, punky, fruity agave which brings us a hot squeal of peppery highland spice as its conclusion. The light sweetness of maple acts as a bridge between these two aspects of the spirit allowing them to coexist in balance with each other.

I think this exploration was well worth the effort!

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 Cocktail

After my tasting session, I mixed what I felt was an appropriate cocktail for the spirit, a Tequila Old Fashioned, modified just slightly to account for the impact of the maple syrup cask. Its a nice way to enjoy the Rebel Cask. (And as you can see I located the missing barrel charm.)

Northern Gold Old Fashioned

2 oz Siempre Rebel Cask – Northern Gold Series
1/4 oz Orange Curacao
1/8 oz Agave Syrup
dash Barrel Aged Whiskey Bitters (Fees Brothers)
ice
Orange Peel

Add a thin coil of Orange Peel to the bottom of a rocks glass
Add a few cubes of ice
Pour 2 oz Siempre Northern Gold Tequila over the ice
Add the Curacoa, the Bitters, and the Agave Syrup
Stir
Enjoy Responsibly!

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)