If you happen to spend time in Mexican resort bars or browse round responsibility free outlets, you’ve most likely seen the Corralejo tequila within the tall, skinny bottle. It stands out for its design and form, however the firm that makes it has a number of different manufacturers which might be truly extra noteworthy in the event you’re an actual tequila fan, together with Los Arango with a leather-based label.
I’m not likely a fan of the signature Corralejo tequila although I dwell in Guanajuato. I discover it a bit too harsh for my tastes, however I’m an enormous fan of 99,000 Horas aged tequila (anejo), which I’ve reviewed right here earlier than. So after I noticed Los Arango reposado on sale at my native Mexican grocery store, I figured I’d see which aspect of the fence this one falls on. Happily it’s a keeper that I’ll be glad to share and purchase once more, so in the event you see this one for an excellent worth like I did, snatch it up.
This might even be an excellent tequila to present as a present, particularly in the event you get the prospect to go to the Corralejo distillery in Guanajuato state and might take a tour. The amenities there in Pénjamo, Mexico are attention-grabbing and enticing and it’s a pleasant tour from Guanajuato Metropolis or Leon that you are able to do in a day and mix with a go to to an archaeological web site. A part of the amenities are in a hacienda courting again to 1700.
What’s with that title although, with the plural “los” however no “s” on the top? Effectively it seems that it’s referring to a household title, however not some founder’s household title. It’s labeled in honor of Jose Doroteo Arango, higher often called Pancho Villa, hero of the Mexican revolution that overthrew dictator Porfirio Díaz. You’ll be able to learn extra on their About web page in English, however be suggested there’s a giant typo within the date: the revolution wasn’t in 1820 (they had been nonetheless preventing for independence from Spain then), however slightly 1920. Pancho Villa died in 1923.
Los Arango Tequila Bottle and Manufacturing
As tequila has gotten extra common and extra company, a whole lot of makers have let the accountants run the present as a substitute of concentrating on the shopper expertise. So to shave off just a few cents per bottle, they’ll cheapen the presentation with inferior bottles, labels, and stoppers. (I’m satisfied that’s half the rationale why Clase Azul, Don Julio 1942, and others that go the other way are so common.)
Fortunately that’s not the case with Los Arango tequila. The distilled liquor is available in a heavy blown glass bottle that feels critical, an impression that’s amplified by the stamped leather-based — sure actual leather-based — label on the entrance. Then a brand in metallic and a wooden stopper on prime. All three variations share the identical traits, however the reposado model is in a darkish coloured bottle, whereas the opposite two are clear.
All of those come from 100% blue weber agave that has been gradual roasted a day and a half in clay ovens the standard approach, then double-distilled. As I noticed throughout my go to just a few years in the past, they’re not reducing corners within the manufacturing like some huge industrial makers do, rushing up the method for the sake of effectivity.
That is additionally not an enormous quantity operation both. The tequila is made in small batches and the reposado tequila is aged in oak barrels for six months, giving it extra nuances than a whole lot of its rivals. What Sauza places out in a day, these guys most likely make in a month, slowly and thoroughly.
Los Arango Tasting Notes
This tequila from Corralejo hasn’t received a ton of tasting medals, most likely as a result of it’s flying beneath the radar greater than most and never paying to enter each competitors that comes alongside. It has pulled in just a few although and is well-respected by these with expertise attempting a whole lot of completely different manufacturers.
This isn’t a super-premium model both, however slightly an important tequila at an excellent worth. It has loads of complexity on the nostril and on the tongue, with the agave shining by strongly however mellowed out a bit with six months in oak barrels. There are parts you’d anticipate, like citrus and pepper, however nothing off that shouldn’t be there and no harsh hit of alcohol that overpowers something. So it’s a bit mellower than the lowland Jalisco tequilas, however not as natural or flowery because the highland ones.
It is a good sipping tequila that you might take pleasure in alone over a protracted stretch, however it’s not so costly that you just’d be afraid to combine it in a top quality cocktail. It’s form of a waste with one thing actually sugary since it could fade into the background, however good for a basic cocktail the place the agave can shine by.
In Mexico I purchased this for beneath $30, with the usual alcohol share of 35%. On the USA on-line shops, it appears to be going for $45 to $50, with that model being 40% alcohol, as is usually the case. I haven’t seen it usually in stateside retail shops, however it’s simple to search out in Mexico in giant supermarkets like La Comer or high quality liquor shops with a wide variety.
Take a look at the firm web site right here and see extra of our tequila evaluations right here.
