REVIEW – La Gritona Reposado Tequila

NOM 1533 – I let it open up in the glass for 20-25 minutes. The aromas below, particularly of cooked agave, cinnamon, & baking spices, became more evident and stronger during that time. Initially, the aromas were quite subdued, even muted. The reposado is very, very light in color, looking at first like a blanco. The tequila coats the glass with a decent viscosity.

On the initial nose there is a strong hit of alcohol, vanilla (more like an alcoholic vanilla cream soda), some cooked agave sweetness, strong vegetal notes with some earthiness and minerals, some caramel, and a funkiness that may be a bit lactic (though not “cheesy”).

On the palate initially what stands out are the strong vegetal notes, some cooked agave sweetness, a prominent anise-like/vegetal bitterness that passes into a “puckering” astringency on the swallow, a hint of caramel that is weaker than it is on the nose, and some vanilla (more like vanilla extract with a prominent alcohol aroma alongside it). The earthiness and minerals also make themselves known as does some light oak influence (though much lighter than other reposados). The vanilla aroma & flavor seem a bit strong (and it gets stronger on subsequent pours) for a reposado that seemingly was aged in very, very used barrels, judging from the extremely light yellow color. The finish is short and is marked by that astringent bitterness.

The trick to opening the mini bottle so that the metal cap can still be used is to very gently use a bottle cap opener without bending the cap much. A screw-top would have been more convenient and a better choice.

This reposado is overhyped, which worked against it because it built up a high level of expectation that just wasn’t met. In my area it is just shy of $60, which is the same price as Tequila Ocho Reposado and Siete Leguas Reposado and not far from El Tesoro Reposado. It is $15 more than El Tequileño Reposado Gran Reserva and nearly $20 more than Siempre NOM 1414 Reposado. All of these are much better reposados than La Gritona.

Much of the hype seems to come from the brand’s story and confusion about the brand’s ownership (versus the ownership and employees of the distillery that produces it). The fact that the distillery is woman-owned and run is laudable, but it doesn’t inherently impact the quality of the reposado.

UPDATE (1 DAY LATER):

The vanilla/vanilla cream soda aroma has gotten stronger on the nose, mixing with some caramel with a hint of the vegetal from the first pour. The pepperiness has gone down, though there is still a hint of the alcohol. The initial lactic aroma seems to have receded a bit. There is some cooked agave, but the vanilla-caramel aromas come across more prominently.

On sipping, it still has a strong pepperiness and alcohol hotness as well as a puckering anise and vegetal bitterness and astringency that hits the back of the palate and tongue. There is a sweetness too, but it is overwhelmed by the astringency and pepperiness. The mix of flavors isn’t harmonious.

UPDATE (21 SEPTEMBER 2024; 10 DAYS LATER):

I revisited La Gritona using a Glencairn glass. The strong vanilla and vanilla soda aromas have dissipated significantly, to the point, in fact, that all of the previous aromas are very light on the nose initially, though they get slightly stronger the longer it sat in the glass and after the glass was empty. There was a slight vestige of vanilla and caramel. The alcohol was now quite weak on the nose, though there is a slight tingle from it in the nostrils.

On the palate, the strong pepperiness, alcohol heat, and vegetal bitterness & astringency remained. At the beginning of the sip, the vanilla and caramel was discernible with some light, short-lived sweetness (or hint of sweetness) before it was overpowered by the pepper, alcohol, and bitter astringency. The flavors are still not harmonious and don’t mesh well together. I still found La Gritona to have an unbalanced flavor profile.

I’ll revisit a final time in the near future, finishing up the mini bottle. Unless something major changes, I can’t justify spending $9-10 on another mini bottle or nearly $50-60 on a full bottle in my area.

UPDATE #2 (24 NOVEMBER 2024): The strong vanilla/vanilla soda aromas of the earlier pours are no longer there. What is there on the nose is alcohol, a light vanilla, some cooked agave (but not much), and maybe a hint of citrus – that’s it.

On the palate, there is still a strong vanilla extract taste mixed with some cooked agave (more than on the nose), prominent pepper, & a vegetal astringency and bitterness, though the latter is less unpleasant than it was on earlier pours. The sweetness is more pronounced now. The alcohol taste is still prominent.

This pour was more balanced in terms of its flavor and aroma profiles than earlier ones, but it’s still not something I’d pay $59-60 pre-tax for in my area when I can grab a bottle of Tequila Ocho reposado and El Tequileño Reposado Gran Reserva for either the same price or less.