Notes: While there are any number of celebrity ventures in the wine trade (such as the Coppola wines, Sopranos, David Matthews, etc.,), there seem to be much fewer in spirits (Ice T with OG Brandy, Dan Akroyd with Crystal Skull, etc.,). The only other Tequila that was a celebrity  sponsored (meaning they actually put money in it rather than just paid to endorse it) was Cabo Wabo Tequila, easily one of the most overpriced and vile tasting tequilas I have ever had. Thankfully this tequila breaks that  mold in several respects. This is the slightly older expression of Casamigos Tequila, the first being the Casamigos Blanco . A highland tequila made from agaves at least seven years old ( many cheaper or at least lower quality tequilas use much younger agaves around 3 years old). At 7 years old the agave develop a much more pronounced terrior from the volcanic and mineral rich soil of the highlands which makes a highland tequila such a wonderful and flavorful product easily distinguished from its lowland cousins. A few other points of note are the very long cooking of the pinas (more than 10 times the industry standard at 72 hours to fully cook and caramelize the sugars) in stone hornitos ovens rather than those steel boxes many use that look like wood drying kilns for lumber, a very slow and prolonged and quite cold fermentation  of 80 hours – double the industry standard, the use of the bagasse in part of the fermentation is also a unique process. Overall the entire process by the master distiller (who unlike some distillers only makes this one product) is a very slow, painstaking, and unique distillation process that yields and excellent tequila.

The main difference in this the Reposado, from the Blanco is the aging for 7 months in reconditioned (used) charred oak American whiskey barrels. Unfortunately they do not specify which type or company these barrels came from.

Appearance: Beautiful light straw in the bottle a very pale ginger in the glass. Swirling leads to a quick formation of a delicate edgeline with multiple tears forming followed by small tears at short intervals along the edge line forming legs after a short bit.

First Impression: Honeyed wood notes, with dried tropical and citrus fruits backed by a pleasing minerality .

Taste: Fruity notes with a good dose of woody oak notes and char with some agave,vegetal notes  without the waxy notes you get from lesser  tequilas. The char,tobacco and leather notes combine with the  mineral notes to give a robust structure of smoke and bones. Reminds me of a highland scotch in some ways with a lot more mineral and alkali notes. Throw in some dried tropical fruits into the mix and you start to get the picture.

Drinks: While like its younger sibling we like to sip the Casamigos Reposado, it makes for a very seductive mixer, with a nicely assertive complexity which makes it even a better mixer than the blanco if you want to add the complexity of the wood and smokiness to add addtional nuance to a tequila cocktail.

Bottle: A fairly no nonsense,minimalist type of bottle. Clear glass, fairly standard whiskey or spirit bottle with a label that draws the eye for what is not there – this looks like a lab sample label more than a brand label, with a type that looks like it was typed on a typewriter and signed by George Clooney and Rande Gerber ( facsimiles of their signatures actually), with a bottle number on the label also. Package is topped with a natural cork closure with a wooden top that is slightly darker than the one on the blanco bottle and a paper seal.A slightly charming retro minimalist approach to labeling and bottling that is in a way refreshing from the packaging arms race all the other producers seem to be engaging in.

Cigars: Rocky Patel vintage series, corona or smaller or a torpedo will compliment the spiciness of this tequila wonderfully.

Final Thoughts: Altogether a very nicely done and very well made tequila if a touch pricey.Lovely,complex, and multilayered.

Website: http://casamigostequila.com
Website starts off with a somewhat tongue in cheek movie/video of what could happen if you over indulged, but little beyond that. Seriously lacks much information about the distillation process details that many tequila aficionados crave.
While stylishly done it needs more real content to make it interesting.