El Diamante Del Cielo Tequila Anejo

This añejo from El Diamante del Cielo is my first expression from the brand, not not anything close to my first from NOM 1472 (Fabrica de Tequilas Finos, S.A. De C.V.). With that said, 1472 does as good a job as any in making their brands (Kirland, KAH, Tonala, Don Camilo, Dos Manos, etc) different. I've often heard good things about this one, but never got around to trying it. Until tonight...

Price: $40-50/bottle

Aroma: A fruity aged agave nose with plenty of spice and a hint of smoke.

Initial Taste: Cooked agave and light fruit. Not too sweet or syrupy at all.

Body: Fairly thin bodied, but full of oak and spice. The smoke comes forward a bit as well. Tastes natural.

Finish: The finish lasts for a medium length of time the wood flavors are most prominent. There's a nice brown spice (nutmeg, cloves & a bit of cinnamon) mix and a hint of wood bitterness that works well together.

All in all, this is a solid and interesting añejo. If you are tired of aged tequilas that get overly sweet and syrupy, you will be pleasantly surprised by this one. This is about light agave and big wood and spice notes. A good value for what you pay and a good looking bottle.

There is a nice fruitiness on the nose of this anejo, although not very strong; luckily the aging seems to have eliminated the chemical note that exists in the blanco and reposado offerings of this line. Nothing remarkable in the taste, but again, it has lost the offensive chemical taste that I personally detect in the younger siblings; a faint fruit and oak is all I get from this one. It has a decent body of medium-to-light weight - not oily, and doesn't provide an extensive coating, but it's nice. The finish in the anejo from this line sadly seems to have lost the luster that the blanco and repo showed. The taste lingering in the finish is actually decent, but the duration is not there anymore. I will say this bottle has been open for quite awhile, so that *may* contribute to the muted finish, although the blanco and repo have also been open for the same amount of time, and have not suffered the same fate.

There's nothing offensive in the anejo (unlike the younger versions of Cielo), so it is the best of the line in my opinion and for others with whom I have shared it. The price varies widely from $45-$60 for the anejo, which is pretty steep in comparison to a LOT of other brands that I would rather spend that kind of money on, so yes, I have penalized this in the price rating. Again, a very attractive bottle made of heavy glass with a good cork and stopper.

Given to me as a gift... you should all have as good a friend, sampled from a 6oz. shot glass. Slithers down the glass if you continue to roll it around this tequila will leave a leg or two, gathers after a bit. Color is caramel. Nose is sweet agave/vanilla/caramel. Sets in the mouth ok, it is a bit thin and not too complex, mostly alcohol on the tongue. The finish is heated and leaves a heavy oak mouth and alcohol tinge. Presentation is average, overall an 89.