Cazcanes Unveils 37-Month Extra Añejo Tequila Designed With Whiskey Lovers in Mind

(Photo: Cazcanes)

On Monday, Cazcanes expanded its range of lowland-grown, additive-free tequilas with a bottling that pushes the brand’s age statement to previously unseen heights.

Matured for an average of 37 months, Cazcanes No. 7 Extra Añejo recruited help from a bevy of heavy hitters to make the dream a reality. The brand says it sourced charred American oak barrels from the likes of Jack Daniel’s, Jim Beam, Clermont and Four Roses, with a small portion finished in French oak. It’s an uncommon approach. Though tequila brands regularly utilize ex-whiskey barrels in their process, the quantity of name-brand casks on display inside Cazcanes’ Extra Añejo is something of a novelty. It’s easy to imagine how this bottling was designed to convert agave skeptics with a taste for dark liquor.

In its finer details, the release sticks by the Cazcanes basics: 100% Blue Weber agave, natural volcanic spring water and double distillation in stainless steel pots with copper stills. Like all “No. 7” offerings in the brand’s portfolio, the Extra Añejo is bottled at 40% ABV.

The brand says to expect aromas of roasted agave, vanilla, orange zest and toasted almond, followed by flavors of honey, apple pie, coconut and toffee. The release is now available for preorder at $199, with orders scheduled to ship on June 30th.

“Our Extra Añejo is aged to taste, not time, ensuring that each batch is a carefully curated blend of barrels selected to create the most flavorful and balanced expression possible,” the brand said in a statement. “While the minimum aging requirement for an Extra Añejo is 36 months, we go beyond simply meeting this standard. Instead, we meticulously sample and blend barrels that have reached their peak character, allowing the interplay between agave and oak to dictate the final profile.”

It’s the latest in a string of releases from a brand comfortable in the headlines. Earlier this year, Cazcanes made its first foray into the uncertified distillate category with the launch of Nuestras Raices, an unabashedly funky spirit chock full of lime, cracked pepper, black tea and sea salt notes. Though it doesn’t technically qualify as a tequila or mezcal, Nuestras Raices is hands down one of our favorite agave spirits we’ve tasted all year — find our full review here.