I got to try quite a few new tequilas in 2011. A few of them were genuinely new offerings on the market, most were simply new to me. And of course there were some old favorites. In many cases I had so go to some pretty significant lengths to get these tequilas.
El Maestro de Tequila: Germán Gonzales with T1
Let's lay them out by expression, shall we?
BLANCOS:
The best blanco I got to try (again) this year was T1 Blanco Ultra Fino by Germán Gonzales. It's silky smooth with a great mouth feel, and bears the full essence of big agave. If it isn't the holy grail of blancos, T1 U.F. is close to it. Five Pencas!
Right behind that came Arette Blanco Suave, an oldie but one I've been wanting to try for years. Finally scored a bottle and was lucky to get one of the last of the now-discontinued "hewn" bottles with the paper label. Arette is bold rich and complex, with a great balance of earth, agave and sweetness. Not bad for a lowland tequila! I'll be sad when this one's gone, and it's gettin' frighteningly low. Four Pencas!
In November I was pleasantly surprised by a new kid on the block, Peligroso Silver tequila. As I said in my review, I was not expecting greatness, and wow, these guys got it right. It's a bang zoom of a Highland blanco. Can't wait to try the the aged expressions. 3.8 Pencas!
One of the new blancos that did not get a high grade from me in 2011 was Avión Silver, as seen on TV's Entourage.It's flavor-profile has been de-agave-ized, and generally designed for hipsters who might also like Grey Goose Vodka. What can be said is that it's hot and peppery, but other than that has not much going for it. Like the TV show it was featured on, or maybe like Hollywood itself, Avión is all surface, with no soul. At $39 it's too expensive to use in a margarita, so why bother? Two Pencas!
Speaking of mixers, one of tequila's old highland families, The Camarenas, introduced a down-priced 100% agave line bearing their own name. The blanco, for $21.00 is not a sipper (although a couple of my Patrón-loving young friends like shooting it straight), but it makes a dandy mixer, with enough Highland sweetness flavor to stand up pretty nicely in a 'rita or other cocktail. It's pretty harmless. 2.5 Pencas!
I also enjoyed many of my old favorite blancos in 2011; among them were El Tesoro, Partida, 7 Leguas, Milagro (now in many local bars) and Don Julio, which I always disliked in the past. I gave it one last chance, thanks to a free gift bottle from a friend, and this time it stuck.
