José Cuervo 1800 Essential Artists Series 2 2009

This is the José Cuervo 1800 blanco, the silver expression of the house's 100% agave fine line, released in a limited Essential Artists series in which twelve artists each designed a bottle. The 1800 range is produced at La Rojeña in the town of Tequila in Jalisco, the oldest active distillery in the category, run by the Beckmann family behind the Cuervo name.
As a blanco it is bottled at or near distillation strength with no time in wood, showing the agave and the distillery's hand rather than oak. The profile is rounded with agreeable peppery aromas and a long finish, the white pepper and cooked agave that mark an unaged Jalisco tequila. Bottled at 40%, the artist labels are the point of this release, while the liquid is the familiar 1800 silver beneath.