Código 1530 (Codigo), a brand originally affiliated with country music legend George Strait and bought by French wine and spirits company Pernod Ricard in 2022, produces its tequilas at distillery Varo Destileria (NOM 1616) located in Amatitán (Amatitan) in Jalisco’s Valley (Los Valles) region. The brand, which is priced at a premium level, uses mature Blue Weber agaves and is produced using a low-pressure autoclave, roller-mill, and stainless steel tanks for fermentation using local bakery yeast before being 2x-distilled using stainless steel pot stills. The brand’s reposado is aged for six months in Napa Valley Cabernet wine casks made from French White Oak instead of the usual ex-bourbon American White Oak barrels used by most brands. The finished tequilas are brought to bottling proof of 80 (40% ABV) using local freshwater pools and rainwater.
The lote (lot/batch) under review is LN049REP40 bottled on March 4, 2020.
COLOR: Extremely light straw yellow.
AROMA PROFILE: Rich in sweet cooked agave & baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, & cloves), caramel & butterscotch, vanilla, dried fruits, oak/barrel notes, & hints of black pepper & citrus (both light on the nose).
PALATE: Like the nose, the flavors are led by rich & sweet cooked agave with baking spices, caramel & butterscotch with vanilla followed by strong black pepper, oak/barrel notes, anise & herbal notes, and ethanol (though the ethanol punch lessens the longer the bottle is open). The finish ends with a quick note of sweetness followed by oak tannins & anise bitterness.
MOUTHFEEL: Viscous & full; Creamy/Oily/Buttery coating the palate well.
FINISH: Fairly short (3-5 seconds); Shorter than the viscosity in the glass suggests it will be.
VALUE: Earthy reposado with a lot of cooked agave notes, but on the pricy side in many markets.
ALWAYS ON SHELF/BUY AGAIN? Maybe, if found for a good price.
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