This post is the first in an ongoing new series on budget-friendly tequilas that will focus on bottles under $50 (before tax) in my market, Virginia (primarily) and the DMV.
Olmeca Altos as a brand is the result of a partnership between its producers and a team of mixologists who sought to create a no-additive, versatile, and budget-friendly mixing tequila. In my market, the brand’s reposado runs between $25-$30 for a regular 750 ml and is $40 or less for a 1-liter bottle.
The reposado is a 100% agave tequila and uses a combination of both a roller mill and a volcanic tahona stone wheel to extract the agave sugars for fermentation. The fermentation process uses steel tanks before the liquid is then 2x-distilled in copper pot stills. The blanco tequila is then aged for an unspecified amount of time (2-12 months) in American White Oak ex-bourbon barrels and is then cut to the bottling proof of 80 (40% ABV) using mineral rich deep well water.
The finished reposado initially has a strong ethanol aroma and flavor note, though these dissipate as the bottle opens up and aerates. Once this happens, it has lovely aromas of cooked agave and baking spices (cinnamon and nutmeg), fruity and honeyed citrus (orange and grapefruit), herbal/vegetal notes, black pepper, oak/barrel notes, and a mix of caramel and vanilla. The flavor profile mirrors the nose with a more muscular punch of black pepper, anise, and barrel spice with a finishing of oak tannins mixing with the cooked agave, caramel, vanilla, and citrus fruit sweetness.
With a medium mouthfeel and level of viscosity in the glass, the reposado is a respectable daily sipping tequila as well as a great mixer that won’t break the bank.
The brand recently launched a complete bottle and label redesign to make their tequilas standout more clearly on shelves.
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1792 Bourbon Agave Spirits American Single Malts American Whisky ArteNOM Añejo Tequila Blanco Tequila Blended Whisky Bourbon Whisky Bruichladdich Buffalo Trace Buffalo Trace Distillery Cocktails Código 1530 (Codigo 1530) E.H. Taylor Elijah Craig El Tesoro Extra Añejo Tequila Gin Glassware Irish Whisky Jack Daniel's Liqueurs Lost Lore Maker's Mark Mezcal Mijenta Mt. Defiance Distillery Olmeca Altos Patrón Penelope Reposado Tequila Reviews Rye Whisky Scotch Whisky Scotland Siempre Single Malt Whisky Spirits Tequila Tequila Mi Campo Tequila Ocho Virginia Virginia Distillery Company Whisky
Agave Spirits+ Journey 