Produced by distillery Grupo Industrial Tequilero de Los Altos de Jalisco (NOM 1443) located in San Ignacio Cerro Gordo in the Highlands (Los Altos) region of Jalisco by master distiller Carlos Jurado, Dulce Vida is a solid budget-friendly tequila brand suitable for both “everyday” sipping and mixing into cocktails.
The brand uses fully mature Blue Weber agaves around eight years old with their sugar (brix) levels being tested before harvesting. The agaves are cooked in an autoclave for 20 hours before the aguamiel is extracted with a roller mill. The aguamiel is fermented in the open air before being 2x-distilled using stainless steel pot stills. The reposado is aged for 11 months in ex-bourbon American White Oak barrels before being blended together for consistent flavor. It is aerated before bottling (it’s exposed to oxygen to release harsher aromas such as tannins) at 80 proof (40% ABV).
The batch (lote) under review is L759DVR1123.
COLOR: Light straw yellow
AROMA PROFILE: Cooked & raw agave forward – There are also prominent aromas of oak/barrel, baking spices (cinnamon & cloves), vanilla, caramel, herbal/vegetal notes reminiscent of green Bell Pepper & jalapeño (the mesocarp & not the skin or seeds), light black pepper, light citrus & other fruits, & tobacco. There is some ethanol on the nose and the vanilla and caramel becomes more prominent as it aerates.
PALATE: Largely mirrors the nose – Cooked & raw (musky) agave forward, baking spices from the nose, black pepper, oak/barrel notes, herbal/vegetal notes (green Bell Pepper & jalapeño), citrus peel, light fruity notes, vanilla & caramel, salinity, and minerality. The flavor profile is very earthy, like the nose, and leans to the drier rather than the sweeter side, though it gets sweeter the longer it aerates, though without losing its peppery spiciness. Balanced ethanol on the palate.
MOUTHFEEL: Medium viscosity
FINISH: Fairly short (4-5 seconds)
VALUE: Very good, budget-friendly sipping and mixing reposado
ALWAYS ON THE SHELF? Yes
____________________
1792 Bourbon Agave Spirits American Single Malts American Whisky ArteNOM Añejo Tequila Blanco Tequila Blended Whisky Bourbon Whisky Bruichladdich Buffalo Trace Cocktails Código 1530 (Codigo 1530) Dulce Vida E.H. Taylor Elijah Craig El Tesoro Extra Añejo Tequila Four Roses Gin Glassware Glenlivet Irish Whisky Limestone Branch Distillery Liqueurs Lost Lore Maker's Mark Mezcal Mijenta Mt. Defiance Distillery Patrón Penelope Reposado Tequila Reviews Rye Whisky Scotch Whisky Siempre Single Malt Whisky Spirits Tequila Tequila Ocho Tequila Partida Virginia Virginia Distillery Company Whisky
Agave Spirits+ Journey 