Notes: This tequila is a bit of an odd one. It is a blend of Highland and Lowland tequilas. Most tequilas, especially the more commercial ones, stick to one or the other as that is where their major cultivation fields are located. They do support sustainable cultivation and genetic diversity of agave. Also, they are certified additive-free—which I know is a rather, shall we say, fraught or contentious subject in the tequila world but may be of interest to those who believe such things.

Appearance: Clear, slightly/light/muted gold yellow from the barrels. On swirling, it leaves a light coat on the glass, and when the spirit retreats, it forms neither legs nor tears or a slow retreat of the edgline. It forms sort of columns from the edgline ( rather than legs). something I have never seen before in a spirit after judging and observing thousands. Honestly, I don’t know what to make of that.

First Impression: Caramel, barrel wood, clove(?), waxy agave, some hints of agave but somewhat buried by the wood influence.

Taste: Heavy cinnamon/white pepper, toasted caramel, wood char, and sap notes. The bitter wax byproduct from the agave is somewhat off-putting. Some say Jalapeno, but to me, it comes off as more of a fault from the cooking.

Drinks: I’m having a bit of a conundrum here. It seems like an expensive mixer, but it’s not a sipper, either.

Bottle: No expense seems to be spared in the packaging for this tequila. It comes in a long, tall, fitted box with a magnetic closure, and the bottle itself is fairly remarkable for a tequila these days. I am dating myself ( and my enthusiasm for tequila ) to reminisce about the earlier days of tequila when we saw some remarkable designs and glassblowing in better tequila. While this bottle does not rise to that level, it was a better effort than most of these days. Tall, tapered, and beautiful with the name and an agave design etched and gold ( paint) lettered with an interesting stopper that uses at least a composite cok rather than a plastic stopper over the glass.

Other: Emyla gets style points for trying. Their commitment to sustainable farming and the genetic diversity of agave is laudable. As a side note, I am wondering about their barrels. They are very distinctive—maybe Four Rosses or something similar? Not the usual barrels.

Final Thoughts: This is an interesting attempt, but they need to clean up the roasting/cooking process and distillation. Also, I am not a fan of the barrels they selected for aging. Overall, I find this a somewhat overproduced/packaged attempt at a premium tequila. I’m sorry, but it just falls flat for the market category they are shooting for. But on the other side of the scales, another point in their favor is unlike some other recent reviews; this is an 80-proof tequila ( not a legal minimum 70 proof) that has not been sweetened by agave nectar

Website: www.emylatequila.com
A mix of detailed information ( The Deck) to sparse bits on a number of points that should be covered in better detail for the sake of marketing, if not clarity. The website needs some work to be truly informative and engaging.