Don Julio Gonzales, the Mexican tequila legend, untiring on the search for new, revolutionary ways to the production and improvement of its tequilas. How the taste of this noble drops proves with success. Since 1942 Don Julio has cultivated agave that requires seven to ten years to reach full maturity under the brilliant sun of Los Altos de Jalisco. Beautifully smooth, luxuriant anejo from one of the most respected producers in Mexico. Rich, distinctive and wonderfully complex, this is a tequila to savour. Here’s where the Don Julio line takes a dramatic turn. While most anejo tequilas show off more of the barrel than the reposado, the Don Julio Anejo actually reflects less. This is because the barrels used to age the Don Julio Anejo are the same second-use bourbon barrels that were previously used to age the reposado. The result of using these barrels is that there’s less of the bourbon influence and barrel flavor, and more pronounced notes from the oxidization from the air inside. Aged for 18 months, the Don Julio Anejo Tequila is remarkably light in color. You wouldn’t ever guess this was an anejo tequila by looking at it. The nose of the Don Julio Anejo Tequila is very soft; instead of caramel and cinnamon, you get much more butterscotch, honey and vanilla. The entry is very smooth and less heavy than most anejos. The opening is big butterscotch and caramel with some light chocolate undertones. The sweet aspect of this tequila picks up in the mid palate with a subtle note of dried fruit. As it moves towards the finish it picks up a slight spicy note which carries through a very nice peppery and cinnamon finish.
