UNCHARRED Whiskey Barrels?! | Acre Largo Reposado Tequila Review

[00:00:00] Whiskey barrels with no char. This reposado really surprised me. This is Acri Lago repassado. And this bottle has one of the most interesting aging stories I've come across in a long time. I recently sat down with Seth and Zach Longacre and once you hear how this tequila came to be, the liquid in the glass makes a lot more sense. Let's start with talking about the barrels because I think it's really interesting. This reposado is rested eight months in 200 liter American oak barrels from Westward Whiskey in Portland, Oregon. But here's the twist. These barrels were uncharred and held the tequila for the very first time. So no heavy char, no aggressive whiskey influence, just a subtle balance and nuance. This decision tells you that this brand cares deeply about keeping and preserving the flavor of agave. You'll find out in the interview if you watch it. What started as a rooftop conversation in Mexico turned into a full blown pursuit of excellence in tequila. Acri Lago comes out of Los Altos, the highlands of Jalisco, right above the town of Jesus Maria. Produced at Hacienda La Esperanza, known now as Hacienda El Ovido. This is a 5th generation 3000 acre estate with agave history that goes back to the 1800s. High altitude, red soil, intense sun, exactly what you want to grow. Awesomely sweet agaves. It's not one of those over celebrated noms that we all talk about. This is NOM 1580 that does have some great tequila brands coming out of it right now. All estate grown blue Weber agave, all stone brick oven, cooked roller mill extracted completely open air, stainless steel fermentation, copper pot distillation. And this one is coming in at 40 ABV or 80 proof. Let's get it in the glass. As you can see, this is a fresh pop because I did that with the guys and I have been enjoying this tequila quite a bit. It is very good to me. Okay, let's dive into the nose. You immediately get cooked agave, you get this nice honey note. There's a little bit of spice, there's just a touch of citrus and just a soft amount of oak. Wouldn't I usually smell like that musty barrel smell that I talk about. In this case it just has this smell of wood, like the oak smell without that, that musty barrel smell and it's really faint. Let's dive into the palate now on the taste, just nice cooked agave and a nice sweetness. There's a little bit of vanilla. That oaky smell turns into like, oaky taste with just a subtle amount of, like, a kind of like a whiskey note. Not overpowering at all. Just. It's just barely there. Let's take another taste. Now, that time, I picked up a little bit of citrus in there, along with that wood and along with that agave. The finish, it's clean, it's warm. It's almost like a vegetal heat, though, not like a pepper heat. The spices just kind of hang out there a little bit. I do pick up a little bit of cinnamon in the finish. This is the. This is right up my alley and what I like and the flavors and finishes in tequila. Okay, now let's talk about this price point. 49.99. So a really well crafted, small brand coming in at 50 bucks for a repo man. This is. This is fantastic. This is one that definitely should be on your shelf. If you've tried Acri Lago, definitely drop a comment for me. Let me know what you thought of it. If you're looking for a reposado that tastes more like tequila than it does bourbon, but has some great influence, Acry Lago reposado. It deserves your attention. It's really good. If you didn't get a chance to watch the interview video, go check it out on my YouTube channel. And thanks for watching my videos, guys. Have a great night.