Notes: This agaves for this tequila are grown in the lowlands around Tequila and are from 7 to 12 years of age (3 years is standard for the cheap stuff) so it has time to develop a better taste and sense of place (terroir) than a lot of tequilas and especially for a lowland tequila. A lot of cheap tequila comes from the lowlands and so the area does suffer a bit in reputation because of this. This tequila does however have several crucial differences from the mass produced dross that is endemic to the area.

Inocente (or, I should say the La Cofradia Distillery – NOM 1137) takes pains to stick to tradition, not only in the age of the agaves, but in the baking the pinas in hornitos (traditional stone ovens) before distillation in both copper and stainless steel stills. At the other end of the spectrum they use some new approaches such as triple distillation (most are only distilled twice) and micro oxygenation, to in some ways to simulate rapidly aging and mellowing characteristics

Appearance: Crystal clear, lovely body. On swirling, it leaves a very light coating on the glass which then forms some legs and a crenellated edge which then leave a constellation of droplets on the sides of the nosing glass.

First Impression: Brine, pepper, alkali notes. A nicely mellow bouquet for a lowland tequila.

Taste: Oily entry with wonderful body. Cinnamon or nutmeg, sweet vidalia onions, slight citrus (grapefruit?). Finish is medium long, quite smooth with a cinnamon and spice finish.

Drinks: Tasty margaritas, great palomas, and a much better sunrise that you get with most lowlanders.

Cigars: An Ashton, or Credo, Connecticut shade wrapper.

Bottle: Interesting design of recycled glass, hand blown and given a slight twist along its axis. Each bottle is slightly unique in shape and twist. Color goes from light to cobalt blue as you travel up the bottle. They thoughtfully have used plastic labels with silkscreening the practical upshot of which is you can very easily remove the labels and repurpose/reuse the bottle quite easily. Attractive glass topped stopper with a hefty natural cork finish the package.

Final Thoughts: Delicious, smooth, and bracing. Better than I had expected for a lowland tequila and absolutely trounces its’ lowland brothers in both quality and price.

Web site: http://www.inocentetequila.com/

A very graphics and media heavy site that at first is amusing then slightly annoying. Somewhat brief information after a beginning that alternates slow and frenetic. Really needs more substantive information and pictures- who cares about the past parties, repetitive press articles and photos of celebs ?
More photos of the making of the tequila and the distillation would be much more interesting and useful.