Review: Herencia de Plata (Reposado) Tequila 85.5/100
a review by Chip Dykstra (Aka Arctic Wolf)
May 28, 2018

Herencia Tequila is a 100% Blue Weber Agave Tequila produced by TEQUILAS DEL SEÑOR, S. A. DE C. V.,  a mid-sized, fourth generation family company located in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. The company was founded in 1943 and currently produces a number of tequila brands which include, Reserva del Señor, Sombrero, Tekali, Herencia Histórico, and of course Herencia de Plata.

The word ‘Herencia’ is apparently related to the english word ‘heritage’, and indeed, the Herencia de Plata has an impressive heritage. The tequila has been served by Mexican President, Vicente Fox to Queen Elizabeth II; it has won awards internationally, and it was originally produced to commemorate wedding of Juan Garcia, the son of the of the company founder, Manuel Garcia.

Herencia De Plata Reposado has been rested in oak prior to being bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume for the Canadian Market (38% abv for the local market).

Note: I identified the NOM on the back label of the bottle as 1124. This 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 verify the distillery of origin. In this case it is TEQUILAS DEL SEÑOR, S. A. DE C. V. who also produce a number of other tequila brands including the Don Lunas and Sombrero.

In the Bottle 4.5/5

Herencia de Plata Blanco Tequila arrives in a squat round  bottle complete with a solid wood topped cork. The neck is just long enough to make pouring without spilling easy  although perhaps the bottle is just a little cumbersome to hold easily. Although it is not shown, the tequila arrives in an attractive turquoise box which elevates the presentation.

In the Glass 8.5/10

I poured out a small sample of the Herencia de Plata Reposado into my glencairn and began with a good look at the spirit before I began to nose it. It is pale straw coloured liquid. Swirling the glass leaves traces of film on the inside of the glass, but no coalescing of legs was observed.

The breezes above the glass bring me impressions of a light sweetness in the air joined by peppery lime, hints of orange citrus, and passion fruit. Herbaceaous agave is melded nicely into the citrus. I also detect a faint touch of vanilla, and very light hints of wood spice which may be more closely related to fantasy than reality. All of my observations are consistent with my expectations, and I am quite content nosing the glass. The spirit seems to be a good representation of somewhat peppery highland tequila.

In my Mouth 51/60

The agave spirit is rather clean and crisp. The typical flavours one expects in tequila, a somewhat earthy herbaceous agave, orange zest and lime citrus, and a squeal of white pepper are all combined in a crisp, sharp, but pleasing combination. There are hints of almond and perhaps a touch of marzipan lying under the spicier pepper and citrus. My imagination may be playing tricks on me, but I believe I also taste ripples of pineapple and spearmint playfully hiding in the back of the palate as well.

I mixed a Margarita, and then one of my cocktails, the Lonely Silver Rain, and I was pleased with both. The tequila pushes its flavour through the cocktails nicely. Although I probably wouldn’t be sipping the reposado spirit, it works great in mixed drinks.

In the Throat  13/15

Highland Tequila, in my understanding, is supposed to bring lots of spice and indeed a squeal of hot pepper is one of the hallmarks of the exit. Fortunately a light sweetness, soothing menthol, and citrus flavours all linger just a little while to give the throat a clean refreshing feeling similar to that of fresh squeezed lemonade. The finale is a peppery afterglow which stays in the throat well after the tequila is consumed.

The Aftermath 8.5/10

My score of 85.5/100 reflects a Reposado Tequila which although not a sipper, is very easy to mix into classic tequila cocktails. Below is a nice recipe combining this Herencia Tequila with lemon and grapefruit in a cocktail which is truly delicious.

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)

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