Slightly disappointed as I expected better. I find other Ocho XAs have the edge over this 888 at a lower price point.

Bottle 142 Barrel 03 Nose: Tropical Floral and Fruit, ripe peach, sweet agave, vanilla, hint of coffee, and light oak Flavor: creamy mouth feel, sweet agave comes through, honey, and butterscotch Finish: Long finish with light spice, agave, and some cedar. This is a very nice XA. I would serve this with desserts and would pair nicely with regular and chocolate creme brûlée, salted caramel butterscotch pudding, or chocolate mousse

bottle #5, barrel 03

Plenty of cooked agave in the aroma along with light caramel, fruit and a little citrus. The cooked agave is also present in the flavor but somewhat overwhelmed with baking spices and heat. There is also just a hint of caramel sweetness at the open before the spicy heat takes over. Long, warm finish. The 48.8 ABV on this one seems more hot than the 50.0 on the Alquimia and may be just a bit much for my taste. 12-24-2019 7th Annual Xmas XA tasting

Bottle #5, Barrel 01 Nose: The aroma is special: round and comforting, but punchy. Tropical fruit, pineapple, peach and a floral note. Vanilla, cardamom, coffee and light butterscotch. There is oak here and subtle cedar notes - but restraint has been given to respect the agave that still shines through. Flavor: Silky, buttery smooth texture, but carries a potent spice zing. Citrus, green peppercorns, butterscotch. There is a dessert quality to this XA. Similar to a rich Mexican flan? At 48.8% ABV, this does not present “too hot”. But be warned, as easy as it is to sip, it will sneak up on you. Finish has staying power, with pepper and spice zip and offsetting creamy agave mouth feel.

Pitted fruit, raisin, and licorice oak aromas with slightly sweet agave, burnt caramel and honey flavors and a bright, pungent finish brought by the high proof (48.8%). A dry extra añejo that is not over-oaked, despite 8 years in the barrel. (I’ve always appreciated Ocho’s light touch when it comes to aging.) A tightly packed XA with a high-proof kick.

The color of this Extra Añejo is very light, which is a visual clue that it may still contain agave, not just oak. In this case, it does. Cooked agave, hay, dried fruit, tobacco and slight peach aromas. At 48.8% abv, the alcohol is also in the nose but isn’t overly aggressive. Alcohol doesn’t dominate the flavor at all, as I find this easy to drink. Cooked agave, molasses, and vanilla flavor. Really long cooked agave on the finish. Nicely done, not over-done.

Re-reviewed on 4-2-24 for my 888th rating. I had rated the Mexican release barrel #8 roughly 7 months ago, meanwhile I have been fortunate enough to acquire bottles of Mexican release barrels #1, #2, #3, #6 and U.S. release barrel #2. The Mexican release has an orange color number 8 inside an orange color shield on the lower part of the front label, while the U.S. release has an image of a tree and 2 lions standing on the trunk on each side inside the shield in golden color. The Mexican release has black wax sealing the cork and the U.S. release has a brown wooden cork. My review 7 months ago: Barrel No. 8. LOT 8EAS88A-B082008. Bottled 30/11/2018. Color is dark yellow. (Updated to yellow to slightly dark yellow) Nose: citrus, wood spiciness, earthiness, wet cement, menthol, light vanilla, cooked agave. Very light camphor wood notes. Palate: ethanol is present, vivid, slightly hot but when it dissipates, buttery wood spiciness, vanilla, earthiness, astringent from wood, cooked agave. Finish is medium long, menthol/ethanol and wood spiciness dominates, cooked agave is lightly perceived. Wood notes are slightly too impregnating… I did a blind tasting of all 6 bottles of the different barrels mentioned all together and my highest rated is barrel #8, the points mentioned are for this barrel. I had initially given barrel #8 85 points, but after comparing them all, I gave it 2 more points. Differences comparing to barrel #8: Barrel #1 is the most similar to barrel #8 of all the bottles compared, it is slightly higher in alcohol sensation, has more agave fiber aroma and slightly sweeter on the palate. 86 points. Barrel #3 has a slightly higher alcohol sensation and this is probably the reason that the agave notes feel a tad less sweet. 85 points. Barrel #2 both Mexican & U.S. is slightly darker, alcohol sensation is slightly higher therefore agave sweetness is lower but it has a minty sensation, wood note is more evident both on the nose and palate. 84 points. Barrel #6 is slightly darker in color, spicier and wood notes more evident both on the nose and palate. 84 points.

Subtle aroma and refined taste. I feel a little tangy alcohol feeling. It might not be the Ocho that I imagine.

Stone fruit, perhaps dried peach or apricot on nose with vanilla hints… Slight Cognac on tongue… Terrific finish, layers of vanilla. A few minutes after swallow leaves a fantastic toast on tongue… velvety mouthfeel

Bottle 143, Barrel 6 The aroma of this tequila is probably the best I’ve experienced. Potent vanilla, agave, oak, and a sweet smell of either fruit or floral (I’m not that good at identifying aromas). Very spicy on the palate with some pleasant and expected heat. Some oak bitterness that fades to a sweet vanilla, and agave that carries through to the finish. This is a very generous gift from a really good friend, so I can’t rate the value. I do realize this limited edition release is expensive.

A little hot and overpriced.

The 8/8/8 will go down as a collector’s bottle. The Camarena and Estes family planned this expression perfectly. Oak and cooked agave provide the first notes and this is followed closely with caramel and citrus. The balance of this tequila is exceptional and nothing short of what you would expect from NOM 1474.

Bottle 123, barrel 03. Very agave forward for an XA. A bit hot at 48.8%. Very long finish. Peppery. Quality juice, but overpriced due to limited production.

This is an amazing Tequila and would be worthy of a mid 90s if it wasn’t so pricey. I can’t believe that it’s been aged 8 yrs 8 mo and continues to retain significant roasted agave flavor.