NOM 1474
Tequila Ocho
44.4%
NAS
1 year
In August, Tequila Ocho expanded its Barrel Select series with an añejo aged for one year in seasoned French oak casks from Ferrand Cognac. The tequila is now available in "extremely limited" allocation, hosts a suggested retail price of $125 and is bottled at 88.8 proof (Ocho translates to "eight" in Spanish, and the brand has never been able to resist these kinds of numbered puns).
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Bounces back and forth between caramelized sugar and a potent spiced note that smells like winter holidays. Opens with a blast of raw ginger, followed by hints of cloves, slightly over sour pineapple, baked plum, pie crust and bergamot. At first whiff, it reminds me a whole lot more of a typical Japanese whisky (I'm thinking Yamazaki) than either a tequila or a cognac.
Crumbled brown sugar, toasted almond, apple, fig jam and a lean serving of roasted agave. Once again, the profile leans more toward caramel than oak, with a light-on-its-feet quality that could easily be mistaken for a reposado. Bittersweet pangs of minerality, angelica root and gentian add some interesting depth that's fun to explore on third or fourth sip.
A little more sour, a little more spicy, giving way to papaya, nutmeg, mace, faint cheesiness and a tickle of ginger.
I've had this bottle cracked open for about a week now and I enjoy it more and more each time I revisit it. The cognac influence really turns this into a beast of its own, adding a sweet, sour and almost funky edge that pairs excellently with those softer agave notes. Honestly, it's not at all what I expected — and it's all the better for it! A clear sign that tequila distillers should experiment with cognac casks more often, because this one makes the ex-bourbon status quo look downright boring by comparison.
93
Disclosure: The producer provided this sample to review free of charge, and without expectation of review or rating.
