G4 5 Year Extra Anejo Tequila

El Pandillo, in the town of Jesus Maria, Jalisco, is one of Mexico's truly great distilleries.  Under the leadership of Felipe Camarena, the distillery has retained the traditional quality of their heritage by looking forward in terms of technology, rather than simply relying on the old methods. Too often, new methods simply mean more efficiency and a dip in quality, but Felipe's goal is to use these tools and methods to create a more authentic expression of agave, not less. His custom built stone ovens capture the complex flavor of highland Blue Weber aged 8-10 years and selected for peak maturity. The agave is then crushed on his mechanical tahona, nicknamed "Frankenstein," fermented with natural proprietary yeasts originally propagated by Felipe's grandfather 80 years ago and the distilled in small copper pot stills. El Pandillo is also the home of other beloved Tequila brands such as Pasote, Volans, and Terralta.

Fruity agave leaps out at you on first whiff, with just the faintest trace of bourbon oak. There are loads of spice and fruit notes: dark berries, ripe Rainier cherries, vanilla, citrus, white pepper and cedar shavings. Minerals and earth in the background. On the palate you'll find jerk seasoning, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, red pepper flakes, salted caramel, almonds and leather in an oily, mouth coating experience. This is thick and creamy and kissed with honey. The 5 years in the barrel has in no way obscured the rich agave that was clearly meant to be showcased. Bottled at 45% abv.