El Tequileno Tequila Reposado Rare – Limited Edition

El Tequileno Reposado Rare is a limited single barrel release from La Guarrena, the single brand distillery founded by the Salles family in the town of Tequila, in the lowland Valles. It is made from Blue Weber agave with no additives, and its distinction is time. Mexican rules let a reposado rest in oak vessels of up to 25,000 litres, the vast wooden tanks known as pipones, and this one was matured in exactly such a cask.
Where most reposados leave the pipon before a year, this spirit stayed a full six years. By time it would qualify as an extra anejo, but the cask size keeps it labelled reposado, since extra anejo must age in barrels of 200 litres or less. The result reads of cooked agave, vanilla, caramel, oak, honey and butterscotch, with citrus, a little cinnamon, cherry, earth and pepper, and a finish that holds surprising agave brightness and a light sweetness for its age.