2022 El Nacimiento | Fruity, floral, and very fragrant. Unique flavor I’m having a hard time pinpointing, but I dig it. This one was picked up in Mexico but still 40%.

2022 El Nacimiento | Nose: Round barrel spice with a gentle oak note. A subtle marriage of citrus, cinnamon and agave. A hint of cooked pear. Flavor: Some pepper kick lurking behind the aromas. Sweet and silky. Pretty straight forward profile.

2021 La Mula | Nose: tropical fruit,pineapple, melon, orange zest, banana, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, and sweet cooked agave Flavor: cooked agave sweetness, tropical fruit, sweet cinnamon, and caramelized brown sugar Finish: medium starts with some fruitiness with some spiciness in the middle and ends with a touch of bitter chocolate This would pair well with a Jerk chicken or pork dinner

2021 La Mula | Nose: Fruity with a tropical flair: pineapple, apples, cantaloupe, lemon and orange zest. A warm Caribbean spice breeze gently wafts aromas of allspice, cinnamon, cloves, vanilla bean, nutmeg and powdered ginger. Just a pinch of caraway and jerk heat pepper. Although very light in color, there is an element of trace wood - perhaps a freshly milled oak stave? Flavors: Bursting tropical and fruity flavors, toasted nuts and punchy spices. “Cinnamon red hot” candy. Ambrosial, velvety sweetness with a kiss of butterscotch, balanced with salinity and penetrating pepper blows. Natural mature agave sweetness that only fully ripe agaves with 300g/kg of fermentable sugars could provide. A slight amargo/bitter dark chocolate/ expresó undertone emerges. Then mellows and fades out.

2022 El Nacimiento | Agave shines on nose, wow the amount of agave that comes through for the color. Palate is very subtle with slight barrel notes. it’s an easy sipper that opens after sitting. Pepper comes through on the finish after it opens.

2019 La Laja | Agave, vanilla, grapefruit, pepper, oak. Clean and light Reposado with a slight bitter twang.

2020 La Loma | Love the flavor on this one.

2021 El Tigre | Nose: fresh cut oak, strawberry, tangerine blossoms, citrus, and earthy Flavor: briny, agave sweetness, and light citrus Finish: short to medium with some bitterness and heat of black pepper

2021 El Tigre | Light and sweet on the nose refreshing … light bodied … pepper and rosemary taste… finish is not long

2021 El Tigre | I love that the field El Tigre is in Atotonilco and as far away from La Alteña as has ever been harvested with the exception of the recent Cerro Grande. The whole profile is different than what has been released recently as the agave have been grown closer to sea level than others at 1875-1900 meters. There have been several harvests from fields around 1600 meters but not for some time, last in 2014. Sugar levels were 33% when harvested and it all shows in aroma, flavor and finish. Aromas of sweet citrus as in Clementine oranges, roast agave, some light barrel notes of oak and caramel translate well on the palate with some pepper, creamy agave and natural agave sweetness.

2021 El Tigre | The first reposado produced from the new Los Alambiques Distillery. Nose: Aroma of a freshly milled oak plank. Light jackfruit, strawberry, green apple and tangerine/grapefruit. A gentle floral waft. Warm spices: sweet powdered ginger, a kiss of cinnamon. Moist earth and minerals. Flavor: First sip brings chewy viscosity, brininess and feisty pepper. Next, subtle salty licorice and caramel undertones. The warm barrel spices noted in the aromas, play nicely into the tasting profile. Bold agave sweetness is the central player on this stage. Just an inkling of bitterness on the finish. I normally prefer the Platas in Ocho expressions. But I think El Tigre benefited from a couple of months in the barrel.

2021 La Ladera. Really enjoyed this one. Agave comes through nicely on the nose and pallet. Beautiful nose. Very easy to sip

2021 La Ladera | Nose: Fruity (tropical) and fresh. Almonds, mint and thyme. Oranges and grapefruit rind aromas. A subtle marriage of barrel/baking spices. Petrichor. Very cohesive nose. Flavor: Round yet robust flavors. Mouth filling. Balanced pepper presence. Toffee and almond cream. Hints of cocoa and molasses.

2021 El Pastizal | Nose: Greeted with cinnamon spice and a warm agave embrace. Some mineral ‘snap’ to the nose. Dusty earthiness. Nearly ripe pineapple, citrus and orange peel. A hint of candle wax. Flavor: A soft vanilla backdrop to the prominent agave entrance. Baked pineapple. Silky with salt and pepper accents. Honey/butter/caramel opulence. Finish: A touch of molasses and vanilla. Leaves you with a warm and peppery glow.

2021 El Pastizal | Cooked agave, wet earth, brine, and caramel nose with a toasty caramel touch in the finish and slight lactic taste. Reminds me of early Ochos with its agave forward profile.

2020 La Loma Nose: Fruity and lightly spiced. Green peach, pear, pineapple, lemon, and lime pith. Light cinnamon and finely ground pepper. Ripe agave and a passing whiff of minerals, and peanuts. More of a dry aroma than sweet. A somewhat subdued aroma profile. Flavors: The spices bring more zing to the tasting experience: principally cinnamon, pepper and nutmeg. Semi oily vanilla and heat envelope the tongue and back palate. Creamy marzipan with a sprinkle of dark chocolate creep in. Citrus notes, perhaps oranges and grapefruit zest. Finish: Primary departing impressions are creaminess and heat.

2020 La Loma | Nose: Fruity and lightly spiced. Green peach, pear, pineapple, lemon, and lime pith. Light cinnamon and finely ground pepper. Ripe agave and a passing whiff of minerals, and peanuts. More of a dry aroma than sweet. A somewhat subdued aroma profile. Flavors: The spices bring more zing to the tasting experience: principally cinnamon, pepper and nutmeg. Semi oily vanilla and heat envelope the tongue and back palate. Creamy marzipan with a sprinkle of dark chocolate creep in. Citrus notes, perhaps oranges and grapefruit zest. Finish: Primary departing impressions are creaminess and heat.

2020 Cerro Grande | Bottle 6118. Recent releases have a stamp near Carlos' signature denoting the Ranch and it's altutude above sea level, in this case 2290 meters, making it the highest harvest to date. 7 year old agave grown at this height and stressed for that much time have a lot of character that is brought out by the master distiller and left intact by the 8 week 8 day aging typical of Ocho Reposado. Citrus peel, black pepper, wood spice from the aging and a ton of cooked agave. Long lasting mid tongue finish from ethanol and some lingering sweetness. Find some.

2019 La Laja | Nose: There was a surprising initial hit of bourbon barrel. It receded rather quickly, bringing on pear, pineapple and orange aromas. Followed up with celery seed, caraway seed, nutmeg and cinnamon. Vanilla and toffee for the wrap. Flavors: Pepper and cinnamon heat that fades. Sweet and oily on the palate. Some herbal nuances, and citrus. Buttered caramel corn dusted with cinnamon. Flavors are a tiny bit muddled.

2020 Cerro Grande | Nose: Lemon and lime zest. Orange sherbet. Tart green apple. Gentle mineral and earthy aromas. A hint of black pepper and cinnamon laced vanilla. A suggestion of flowers. Flavors: Quite a divergence from the citrus and fruity nosing experience. Upon tasting, mellow barrel spice heat and robust black pepper build in intensity. Heavier coffee, dark chocolate and caramel appear. Toasted hazelnuts. Round and velvety in the mouth. Finish: Salt and pepper and creamy desert qualities in a medley. A kiss of almonds as it fades out.

2018 El Vergel | Preferred it over La Laja and La Coruña but not by much.

2018 El Bajío | Love the Ocho. Citrusy nose, slight sweet undertones, light pepper. Over all a pleasant Reposado to sip

2018 El Bajío | Nose: Initial aroma of green olives that faded as I gave it a chance to open up. It doesn’t have the slight metallic sharpness that I found in the blanco. Green, grassy, herbal, pear?, a minty note and caramel. Some sweet spiciness teasing to come out. Flavors: Brown spices do emerge, fiery pepper, oily caramelized agave. More sweetness than the El Bahío blanco - but that is kept in check by the pepper and cinnamon. There is a touch of bitterness in the pepper. Finish: The green olives make a brief reappearance. This is a tiny bit strident, tummy warming tequila.

2018 Las Presas | Nose: Pineapple, mandarine/lime, light nuttiness, butterscotch and a spring-like floral aroma. Some earthiness. Molasses? Flavor: Almond paste, brine and pepper, filberts, creamy and silky toffee notes. Aromatic barrel spices. Anise emerges midway. Agave unabashedly holding its own in the mix.

2018 El Vergel | Nose: Some subtle spiciness, tart apple, green pineapple, cinnamon and a floral scent. An earthy mineral note. Flavors: Medium weight. Feisty pepper notes: hot white pepper and a jolt of jalapeño or serrano pepper fire. The heat dominates the show. Letting it breathe awhile, brought only minimal secondary notes to my attention. Trace citrus, vanilla, fennel and earth.