Not much to add to others comments except to say this Blanco smells just like El Pandillo...the porch for agave, the nearby ovens, milling and crushing, the juice pit for the mosto, yeast for fermentation. It's all here on the nose. Sipping brings a nice explosion of flavors carried by the ethanol, pepper, roast agave, a bit of earth and the minerals of the well water. Felipe has done it one more time.

Delicious, a great product from El Pandillo. Hits all the right notes that Terralta XA hits for me with the minerality blending so good with the vanilla, oak and cooked agave. The oxygenation is clearer on the finish making it dangerously easy to drink like Volans. Nevertheless it still keeps you thinking and wanting to taste more.

Don Vicente XA Right away I’m met with that fruity highland agave scent. It’s stone fruits (cherry, peaches, mangos and plums) and then the buttery cooked agave. There are hints of oak, caramel and vanilla. The nose is so juicy that it’s hard to let it rest. The buttery cooked agave and baking spices (nutmeg, anise & vanilla) hit right up front. There’s some light pepper notes and oak notes that follow. A nice alcohol tingle is present and the agave sweetness carries from beginning to end. There’s nothing dry about this excellent XA. This XA is NOM1579 goodness. Its mature estate grown agave that’s cooked in Felipe’s unique stone ovens before it’s shredded by Igor and then crushed by Felipestein. It’s then fermented in jacketed stainless steel tanks with before being double distilled in copper stills. After that the tequila is oxygenated to help unify the flavors and soften the mouthfeel. Currently this tequila is only in Texas but its worth seeking. Salud!

By production notes, this is similar to Terralta extra añejo, but with oxygenation. This is definitely a different product, though. The nose is different, and to me, has a very nice apple characteristic (may be perceived differently by others). I have found this apple like note common amongst aged products out of El Pandillo, which I really like, but it's much more vibrant in this one. The peppery notes present in the blanco and reposado are less pronounced as more oak characteristics take over from the long aging process; these oak characteristics are still quite subtle, likely due to the subsequent use of older barrels, which is common at El Pandillo. The finish is medium in length and the peppery notes come out for a bit.

Although the production notes are similar to Terralta, but with oxygenation, this reposado differs greatly. The aroma is amazing. Characteristics from the blanco are still present (vegetal and green notes, etc.), but with the reposado there is a nice kiss of oak characteristics, which aren't overpowering at all, but elevate the tequila. An great example of a reposado. On the palate, the tequila is quite viscous and flavorful. The peppery notes are more pronounced than in the blanco, but still well balanced. Each sip I take, I start to get more and more ripe, cooked agave, complemented by what the oak barrels bring. The finish is wonderful and long lasting.

By production notes, this would be similar to Terralta with oxygenation. There are noticeable differences though. The oxygenation helps refine the aroma, which I actually prefer to the Terralta blanco. On the palate, this tequila is very pleasing. There are a lot of vegetal and green notes, and they are subtle and well balanced. The minerality from the deep well water also adds to the aroma and flavor. The finish is nice and peppery, also quite long lasting.