Mijenta Añejo Tequila Review: 4 Woods, Rich Flavor & Incredible Agave

[00:00:00] Hey, guys, welcome back to tasting tequila with Brad. Today we're going to take a look at the Mi genta anejo, a tequila that's earned a lot of respect among additive free tequila drinkers. And after spending some time with this brand, I'm definitely excited to dive into tasting this anejo. Most people think anejo, heavy oaks, lots of caramel, vanilla, sometimes something that's trying to be a bourbon. And there's nothing wrong with that style. But what's interesting to me about mijenta is that they approach this tequila differently. Instead of using a barrel to hide the agave, they've used a barrel to enhance it. So if you've watched my channel very long, you know that's what I like to see. Mi Gente is produced at NOM 1499 using Blue Weber agave grown in the highlands of Jalisco. Those higher elevations have a mineral rich red soil, and they're known for producing sweeter agave, brighter citrus, and some floral characters. The agaves are slow cooked in a low pressure autoclave. And I want to point something out because as soon as people hear autoclave, sometimes they automatically think negative thoughts. Not all autoclaves are the same. Slow, low pressure cooking is a completely different process than fast high pressure industrial cooking. The slower approach is designed to preserve more of agave's natural character while giving the distillery some consistency batch to batch. And I have to say, some of the best cooked agave I've had has been out of a low pressure autoclave. After cooking, these agaves are crushed through a roller mill and they're fermented in open top stainless steel tanks, allowing for natural fruit and floral notes to develop. From there, the tequila is double distilled in copper pot stills, which helps create a rich flavorful spirit while maintaining plenty of character before it even touches the barrel. So there we have a great base for a great tequila. Now comes the part that separates this tequila from most anejos. Mi Genta isn't just aging in one type of barrel for 18 months and then bottling it. Instead, they built an aging program around four different woods, each chosen to contribute something specific to the final blend. American white oak provides classic not of vanilla, caramel and baking spices. French oak is the second barrel. Adds structure, elegance, and a little more spice. Then they bring in acacia wood, which is incredibly uncommon in tequila, adding floral notes, brightness and texture. And finally they use cherry wood, which contributes subtle fruit character and another layer of complexity. Now, these are barrels used one after the other, different lots mature in different casts before they're blended together in the final tequila. It's almost like blending a fine whiskey, except the goal isn't to cover up agave. It's to build around these layers. And when you think about tequila sitting in all these barrels, one of the thing that's most important after the master distiller makes an amazing tequila is knowing how to blend these together. So I can't wait to taste how Anna and her crew have blended this anejo together with these four different barrels. Another thing I love about mi genta, they don't just age their tequila to a certain number of months. They taste it throughout the maturation process, and then they bottle when they believe the barrel is complimenting the agave instead of overpowering it. That's exactly how an aging program should be done. All right, enough talking about it. Let's put this in the glass. [00:03:00] Look at that color. That's fantastic. All right. You knew it was going to be in an ano when you seen this fancy glass. Fin glass. But this is one thing different about a lot of the tequilas I've been reviewing lately. This is one you can get anywhere. It's not some special release or something they have to hunt for. It' only in a few states. Mijenta is found everywhere. So go find this bottle, grab it, try it, and tell me what you think about it. Let's dive into the nose of this one. Nice cooked agave. There's some caramel, some vanilla bean. There's some honey. There's an interesting, like, soft minerality there. And some fruit. There's some apricot. I want to say orange, but it's really not the orange. It's like the rind of the orange. There is a little bit of cinnamon, too. All right, let's take a sip of this one. Great mouth feel. Opens up with a light cool. Kabi rolls into caramel, vanilla and toasted oak. There's like a dried apricot. I'm going to say raisin or fig. That honey's there. Some cinnamon there. And the orange rind turned into really some zest as it starts to go into the finish. There's like a honey baking spice sweetness that I like with a little bit of pepper. There's a little bit of a floral note that almost reminds me of, like, an orange blossom. Like the smell, if you've ever smelled like an orange blossom. And then I really like how the oak kind of fades into agave with, like, just a little spicy pepperness in the finish. There's a nice like vanilla caramel note, butterscotch blend of all of those flavors together too. And I really can't get over how the mouth feel is. The mouth feel is really creamy. It's a very rich, complex anejo with so many flavors. I was looking for cherry knowing that it was in cherry wood and I I, I haven't found the cherry that I was looking for. I do like it though. There's a it kind of reminds me of the French oak that you find that that rich like orchard fruit. There's maybe a little pear with that apricot. The dried apricot's really strong, but the cooked agave is there and that honey is there too. So where do I land on this one? I think Mahinta absolutely nailed it with what they're trying to accomplish, blending so many different, rich, complex flavor notes from different barrels without it overrunning the agave. I have to tell you, I'm really excited about the interview that we have coming up with Ana to really hear how she came up with this idea and really her story about being such a fantastic, such a legend in the tequila world and creating so many things that us tequila nerds nerd out about all the time. If you're a bourbon drinker and you're thinking about getting into tequila, I'm going to say this is going to be an easy bottle and I would recommend it for you. If you're already an agave lover, this one's not going to disappoint. Especially if you like like a dessert anejo, this is one for you. If you're trying to find where you are in your tequila journey, one of the place find out is at the Tequila Report the Tequila Report is a newsletter. It's like the Rolling Stone of Tequila information coming to your email for free every week. Go check out the Tequila Report.com subscribe and sign up today. It's absolutely free. If you've had me hint on Yeho, let me know the tasty notes you pick up because everyone's palate's a little different. If you enjoyed this review don't forget to hit the like subscribe button if you haven't already and always pour yourself something good. Drink responsibly and we'll see you on the next review. Cheers.