Agave Spirits+ Journey

On the initial pour, Olmeca Altos Plata has aromas of cooked agave, cinnamon and baking spices, alcohol, citrus (lime) fruitiness and zing; vegetal/grassy and herbal notes; minerality and earthiness; black pepper, and some vanilla (more similar to vanilla extract, perhaps due it mixing with the prominent waft of alcohol).

On the palate, flavors include cooked agave sweetness, cinnamon and baking spices, that lime citrus note, and fruitiness that is followed by a peppery bite and alcohol burn (strong but not overwhelming) and then an anise-like bitterness and a hit of the vegetal notes.  There is a hint of vanilla extract with some herbal and earthy notes.  The anise/vegetal bitterness stays around for a while after the swallow, hanging out on the back of the palate and under the tongue.  Indeed, this bitterness is quite prominent in the background without fully taking over the palate, though at times it comes close to doing so after swallowing a sip.  As it continues to open up on subsequent pours, the mix of agave and fruity sweetness, pepperiness, and anise/vegetal bitterness becomes more harmonious.

The plata has good viscosity and coats the palate and the glass nicely with legs/tears and pearls after a swirl.  It is a serviceable sipper that became better as it continued to open up, but it would not be my first or second choice.  It makes good margaritas and other cocktails, which makes sense because this is what it was designed to be – a bar well tequila.

UPDATE (SUBSEQUENT POURS): 

On the nose the aromas remain similar with cooked agave, citrus, earthiness and minerals, and some sweetness being the most prominent.  The aromas Olmeca Altos plata gives off are quite nice and work pretty harmoniously together, aside from an initial strong waft of alcohol.

On the palate, cooked agave and fruity sweetness continue to open up the sip initially followed by pepperiness/hotness and anise-like bitterness starting mid-sip and remaining on the tongue after the swallow.  You feel the pepperiness in your sinuses.  Though a bit jarring on the first (neck) pour, this mix of flavors on the palate somehow work together well and I found this blanco to be a much more satisfying sipper on later pours than it was on the first pour.  It still wouldn’t be my first choice as a sipping blanco if I had other preferred options available, like Lost Lore blanco or El Tesoro tahona blanco, but it is a great value at a very good price point.  It is a versatile option: an adequate sipper and a very good mixer.

Olmeca Altos plata coats the glass beautifully forming amazingly viscous tears and legs on the side of the glass and leaving dozens of pearls after the tequila runs down the sides of the glass after a swirl.

[Tasted using Riedel tequila flute glasses]

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