Reposado Review - Arette, Volans, and Fortaleza Winter Blend 2021
Arette Suave Reposado Single Barrel | Double Pot Distilled | NOM 1109 | 46% | Selected by Seelbach’s
Volans Reposado | Double Pot Distilled | American Oak | NOM 1579 | 40%
Fortaleza Reposado Winter Blend 2021 | Copper Pot Distilled | American Oak & Sicilian Marsala | NOM 1493 | 46.3%
Arette:
Nose - The nose is creaaaammmmyyy. Sweet vanilla bean ice cream. Also present are citrus and toasty oak. Nosing for longer leads into some graham cracker crumble and faint peppercorn. It’s definitely complex, but everything sort of plays together really nicely.
Palate - The palate here is definitely also creamy and sweet. It has a full body with great mouth feel. The predominant note is vanilla and the palate is less complex than the nose.
Finish - The finish has more vanilla, citrus, and it ends with some lingering peppercorn just like the nose.
Score: 8 - This Tequila really nicely brings together barrel influence and agave fruitiness. The nose is wonderful and the palate doesn’t quite live up.
Volans:
Nose - Wow. This nose is berries and olives at the same time - it’s fruity and briny. There are strawberry and bubblegum notes that remind me of the 5 Sentidos Pizzora mezcal. This has the strongest nose of these 3 by a long shot. Behind the initial 1-2 punch of fruit and brine, there’s vanilla and agave are layered in as well.
Palate - The palate is comparatively tame. This is very fruity and you start to get some of the barrel notes if you can get past the fruitiness.
Finish - The finish has more berry, but vanilla and oak are more present than early on in the sip.
Score: 6 - This Tequila is super unique and bold. It’s an interesting pour, but maybe not for the Tequila novice and I suspect it won’t be disappearing out of the bottle quickly.
Fortaleza:
Nose - This is a special oaky, cinnamon vanilla treat. So much cinnamon. Agave somewhere around in the background.
Palate - The palate is delicious. It’s just so balanced and sweet. It’s like having a cinnamon pop tart in the form of tequila.
Finish - The finish has agave, some drying oak, and more cinnamon.
Score: 8.5 - This truly is a delicious pour and I wish I could have found and bought another. What makes this tequila so great to me is how sweet and balanced it is. To me it’s like a really nicely done Añejo where the barrel imparts sweet baking spices, vanilla, and oak, but the sweet cooked agave remains present. It’s not the most interesting tequila but it is very good.
Note on how I enjoy spirits - I will let a pour rest for a considerable amount of time, and spend 15+ minutes nosing before I will take a sip. To me, the nose influences the palate and I find that I get the must nuance in the nose.
Glassware - Glencairn
Rested - 20+ minutes
Bottle opened - months ago
Setting - Dimly lit home bar
Playing Rummy
