Pura Vida Añejo: How Sweet She Is!

Of course I want to like PuraVida, with it's Texican Rock 'n' Roll mystique and my guitar-hero Billy Gibbons as its figurehead. But there's hype and there's taste. Let's get down to the reality of this juice and see if it's a Lone Star Legend or a Tall Texas Tale. 

Tejana Mama!

I've always been leary of triple-distilled tequila. It's never been my favorite. Why? Because to me 3D often tastes overly sanitized; smoothed-out; homogenized. I feel - and I am by no means alone - it removes some of the agave color and character from the juice. After all, what are we making here? Vodka? So when I saw that the Pura Vida "Silver"/blanco, and "Gold"/reposado, are triple distilled, I have to admit it gave me pause. As it turns out, in only one case did this prove to be any issue at all. 

Pura Vida Tequila's line-up of the three expressions is the story of "Good, Better, Best."

The Good - Gold: This one pretty much validates why I'm not a huge fan of triple-distilled. It's a very nice mixing tequila, and even as a sipper I'm sure many will find it quite pleasing. With the blanco's bold punch of agave (see below) I expected more from the reposado. Here are my tasting notes: Smooth and lightly sweet but somewhat meek. Cinamon, pear, a bit of vanilla, hint of wood, light mouth feel, not enough agave. Mellow. Three Pencas. 

The Better - Silver: My triple-distilled worries dissolved when I tasted PV's blanco tequila. After a week or so of decanting, I determined that the PV Silver is great on rocks, with it's clean, peppery profile. Here are my tasting notes: Herbs, white and black pepper, agave, anise seed, mint, licorice, lemon-zest, green-pepper chili-pepper, medium heat, a little bite. Overall medium bodied with warm finish. Good pop of agave. (One wonders how good this blanco would be if twice-distilled) Four Pencas. 

The BEST! - Añejo:

And what do you know, the DOUBLE DISTILLED añejo is hands-down my favorite of the three, and one of the best añejos I've tried in recent memory. Aged in spent bourbon barrels, PuraVida añejo brings to fruition the promise of an artisan-crafted highland tequila. I'm not a big añejo guy, as most people know, but I could sip this juice all night long. Here are my notes:  Coffee, molasses, caramel, vanilla, cola-nut, toasted almonds, burnt sugar, wood, smoke, and bourbon - but thankfully not overly bourbon-y. Plenty of agave left to please a guy like me. Great balance. Borders on being too sweet, but does not cross that border (pun intended). The  añejo is la crema de PuraVida, with a TASTE AS BIG AS TEXAS! Five Pencas.

Pale Rider's buddy, The Tequila Whisperer, concurs! Here's his review:

The anejo was where this brand (and NOM 1414) really shines.  There is a lush and wonderfully balanced essence in the anejo which brings forth baskets of fruit, herbs, vanilla and even traces of coffee!  This fruity and grassy herbaceous mix is a complete satisfaction event, and the price (around $40) makes this anejo a must-have in your collection.  Nice work, Pura Vida!


** He said, "lush!"

Pura Vida Power Ballad - Big Tejano Tequila is Ready to Rock!

Pearly and Purely - The Reverend Willie G with a bottle of the "good life." Have Mercy!

Anybody who knows me knows I love three things: Twang, Texas, and Tequila. They know that I have been looking for a boutique tequila brand to get behind; to sing the praises of; to evangelize; to totally rock out for! Well, along comes a new brand that brings together all my favorite things: Pura Vida (NOM 1414) 100% agave tequila - Born in Los Altos, Raised in South Texas, and Infused with the Spirit of Rock and Roll.

"Pura Vida" loosely translated, means "The Good Life." If there was ever a brand-image that hits a big power-chord with me, this is it. For starters, the label is partly owned by my all-time Texas guitar-hero, Billy Gibbons. I grew up idolizing his playing, digging his baddass style, and trying to steal every one of his licks! (You can still hear his influence in my playing). For me, ZZ Top didn't just play low-down Texas boogie, they exuded Texas cool. They WERE Texas! It's about big hats, big beards, loud guitars, loud clothes, hot girls and hot-rods. Few Power Trios have amped-up the Texican blues more mightily than that Little Ol' Band From Texas.

Tequila Pura Vida launched in 2011, not surprisingly with a handful of big fiestas and rock-shows. Manufactured at Highland NOM 1414, PV is a partnership between Texas businessman Stewart "El Guapo" Skloss, and Mexico's Viviano famly, who are fourth-generation agaveros. It is well-known that Feliciano Viviano serenades the distilling juice with music from a concert-hall sound-system. Appropriatey, Pura Vida is the first and only liquor company with its own radio station, Radio Pura Vida. Señor Gibbons himself has been the Blues-Man Ambassador of the label, front and center. The Rev has been workin' the room!

So the buzz has been full-throttle. Is this really "The World's Best Damn Tequila?" There have been some heavily hyped-tequilas that do not live up to the noise. Naturally, I am praying that I love this juice! Stay tuned to Radio Rancho Tequila for my review!