Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] What if I told you that this bottle right here is one of the reasons I'm standing in front of you reviewing tequila today? Seriously, if it wasn't for this distillery, NOM 1107, I'm not sure that I would even be a tequila drinker today. Back in 2003, the tequila that made me fall in love with this spirit wasn't El Vijito, it was Cabo Wabo, which was originally made right there at the same distillery. That tequila completely changed the way I looked at tequila, and honestly, it started me down a path that eventually leads to this YouTube channel. So today, more than 20 years later, we're going to come back to this distillery where it all started for me. This is the El Vijito Palata 50, bottled at 50% ABV. And I can't wait to see if this distillery is still making the tequila that reminds me of how I fell in love with it in the first place. And before we jump into this video, I want to say hey, this is brought to you by the Tequila Report. If you're serious about tequila and you're not subscribed, you're missing out. More than 62,000 tequila fans get their free newsletter filled with interviews, reviews, and industry news, and some of the best tequila content anywhere. Best of all, it's complet. Just head over to the Tequila Report and subscribe. And I also want to say thanks to Sean Miller and his team at the Package Group for sending this bottle over for me to review. Now, let's talk about Elvijito. One thing I think is really cool is that a lot of people are going to see this bottle and think, brand new tequila, but it's actually been around for years. This was the original Elvijito bottle. This one is actually the Mexican one. You'll see that it's only 35.5 ABV and the packaging has changed dramatically. But the name has been around for a long time and seeing these two bottles side by side is kind of cool back a lot of memories of seeing this bottle traveling to Mexico. Now, let's get into how the tequila is made, because I love production. Elvijito tequila is made with highland blue Weber agaves. They're cooked in a traditional stone oven and these are all crushed with a roller mill. Now, one thing that's different than a lot of distilleries in the highlands, this one is actually fermented enclosed stainless steel tanks. So they're not letting the environment affect the distillation. Then it's double distilled. In copper pot stills before being proofed with deep well water. But this one is a straightforward 50%, so there's probably not a lot of water to proof this one. So I'm sure the agave is going to be the star of the show. Now this one is a fresh pop. Let's get this one opened up and get it in the glass.
[00:02:14] Okay, let's dive under the nose of this one. Okay. Right away. Great cooked agave. It actually smells sweet and it smells fresh. It's like agave forward, but it has a fresh, clean type smell. There's a little bit of a citrus note, picking up a little bit of lime zest, Even maybe a little like lemon peel, just not, not like the whole lemon or the juice, but just like the peel of it. There's also a nice clean minerality note, maybe even a little bit of a floral note in there. All right, let's take a taste. First thing is cooked agave. It's really rich, it's sweet, it's a lot of flavor to it. There's that citrus comes through, followed by some really nice cracked pepper. There's a minerality note that's not quite wet stone, maybe a little bit more earthy. There's also a nice, like herbal character to this too. For a 50% ABV, it drinks exceptionally well. The higher proof doesn't like overblow the your palate and it just kind of enhances that agave flavor and it does give it a little bit more spice. The finish is long and it's really just cooked agave and pepper with a little citrus that just keeps hanging on there. I really like the way this finishes. One of the things that I think is really cool about what package group is doing as an importer is the tequilas they look for are just brands that they want to bring in, but they're actually producer owned. I am happy to say that tasting it, it did not disappoint to me. It's kind of cool how a single distillery number can bring back so many memories in my life. 23 plus years tasting, literally, I'm going to say thousands of tequilas at this point, visiting over 25 different distilleries and have not been to this one yet. And I can't wait to visit. I'm so excited to taste the rest of the tequilas that come out of 1107 and I'm excited about trying the other elitos that I have to taste. If you've had elito palata 50, let me know what you think. Down in the comments. I'd love to hear your thoughts. And if you want to learn more about tequila, make sure you subscribe because we've got a lot more reviews, interviews and educational videos coming your way. So until next time, sip some good tequila, tell your friends about it. See you on the next review. Cheers.
