By
George Brozowski
A
while back I tried El
Jimador Silver, their un-aged tequila
and found it to be quite nice for the price. I can't wait
to try their Reposado and Anejo. The Reposado
is aged for 2 months in American oak barrels while their Anejo
is aged for 12 months, which goes a long way in explaining
the pale yellow color of the Reposado and
the darker more golden brown color of the Anejo.
I
guess that while I am explaining the meaning of the words
Reposado and Anejo I should go that extra mile and explain
that El Jimador is the name given to the master harvesters
of the Weber blue agave. And these guys must have the patience
of Job because it takes a blue agave 8 - 14 years to mature
before it can be used to make Tequila, and then, they have
to wait months and even years for it to age properly. I would
have died of thirst by that time.
Well,
let's see if all that skill and patience have paid off. The
El Jimador Reposado has a pale vegetative
aroma of agave, which complements its pale yellow color. There's
a bit of ethanol up front but that quickly evaporates away
leaving the agave, pineapple, and a touch of vanilla. On the
palate, a subtleness of flavors comes out, with the agave
leading the way, followed by the vanilla, a nuance of almond,
the pineapple, and finally the merest hint of oak leaving
me to wish the flavors were not quite so laid back. However,
I must admit this is one pretty smooth and straight forward
tequila. The finish is slightly spicy, but in a good way,
and again features the agave up front followed by a hint of
smoky, oaky vanilla that lasts a short time. This is a tasty
tequila, but its flavors are a bit too subtle for me, as I
really like a more complex taste. But hey, for less than $20.00
a bottle, it's a good deal.
OK,
so let's move on to the darker and older El Jimador
Anejo tequila. Again, the nose is subtle but more
complex than the Reposado. It features the agave up front
followed by warm oaky notes and a hint of scotch, and, of
course, the vanilla. On the palate, the flavors are indeed
more concentrated and not as subtle as the Reposado. The agave
leads, followed by the smoky oaky scotch like notes, then
the vanilla, and the pineapple. The finish is soft, yet peppery,
highlighting the oak and scotch then the vanilla and leaving
a layered after taste that lasts a medium amount of time.
This is a more complex and layered tequila than its sister
Reposado and a bit more flavorful as well. It too is soft
and sweet and could be a sipper, as well as a pretty good
mixer and the price ain't bad either.
Try
one and then the other and let me know what you think. I think
these are both spot on taste wise at their individual price
points.
El Jimador Anejo (750 ML) is $25.00 to $30.00
per bottle, while the Reposado comes in around
$16.00 - $20.00 per bottle (750 ML)
Other
Related Links:
El
Jimador Silver
For
more Rants & Raves click
here.
http://www.eljimador.com/