I’m broadening this series to include highlights of not only newly acquired bottles but also newly opened bottles, either for the first time or new replacement bottles (including initial tasting notes thoughts and impressions on them).
The brand ArteNOM was founded by Jake Lustig, an American who grew up in Oaxaca. He partners with some of the most respected tequila master distillers & distilleries to produce unique expressions of blanco, reposado, & añejo (anejo) tequila.
ArteNOM 1146 is produced by master distiller Enrique Fonseca at his distillery in Tequila in Jalisco’s Valley and uses Blue Weber agave (26-27% brix) grown 4,600 feet above sea level at his estate in Atotonilco El Alto in the Highlands. The agave is autoclave cooked with no pressure for 30 hours including a 6-hour pre-roast to melt away the bitters and a 6-hour cooling down. The aguamiel is extracted using a screw mill, fermented using Mendoza wine yeasts in stainless steel tanks, and 2x-distilled to 53% ABV in copper pot stills and reduced using demineralized reverse-osmosis water.
The final añejo is a blend of tequilas aged 14 months in French Oak ex-Cabernet Franc wine casks from the Loire Valley then transferred for 14 months to American White Oak barrels formerly used for either bourbon, Tennessee rye, or Canadian whisky. The final blend includes 60% añejo aged two years and 40% aged 3 years in the French Oak casks before an additional year of aging in ex-whisky barrels.
A gorgeous dark amber in the glass with a creamy mouthfeel, this añejo blossoms with aeration revealing beautiful cooked agave and baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, light cloves), lemon and orange peel, butterscotch, dried fruit (raisins), toasted nuts, aromatic herbs, light anise, vanilla, dark chocolate, dark cherries, roasted coffee, oak, leather, candied ginger, toffee, and tobacco. The flavor profile washes across the palate and is out of this world.
Enrique Fonseca may have started out as an agavero (agave rancher) but he has more than earned his reputation as a master of barrel aging, experimentation with different types of wood barrels/casks, and blending. All should bow down.
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Agave Spirits+ Journey 