I first tasted this excellent tequila with the house’s owner, Stephanie Valencia. (Her father, Salvador Valencia, founded it.) Take note of her name--I have a feeling she’ll become a major player in the spirits world in the coming years: Her family’s tequila is fantastic, and she has the charm and savvy to turn it into a go-to tequila in the high-end market.
This 11-and-a-half-month-aged tequila shows lots of tropical fruit on the nose, all of it limned with a hint of peppercorn spice. The agave itself comes out too, in an almost roasted corn and almond paste note that lends it all real depth. The palate shows sweet, evocative fruit like grilled pineapple, a gently smoky character, and a black-peppercorn-flecked finish that lingers beautifully. It’s a silky fabric of spirit that glides over the tongue with elegance, restraint, and complexity. This is a marvelous sipping tequila that, very quickly, has become my house pour.