Over the last year or so there have been some excellent blanco tequilas released into the market, so we thought it was high time to put together a blind tasting event to see how these newer products would measure against some popular contenders.
We selected four new tequilas in our Confirmed Additive-Free program that we feel are of excellent quality and put them up against 2 well-known products to see how they would compare when tasted blind.
In addition, we thought this blind tasting would be a great opportunity to test a couple of myths about tequila preferences. For instance, how much does experience and education affect tasters’ preferences? And is it true that women prefer a different style of tequila than men?
To harvest this data we set out to balance our group of 36 tasters according to gender and experience: we identified half of the tasters as aficionados based on their knowledge (trained tasters and/or members of our Tasting Panel), and half as fans. We also split the group 50-50 between men and women. This yielded some compelling results, but first, let’s get into the top-line numbers!
The Lineup:
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Nueveuno Tequila Blanco
Teremana Tequila Blanco
Inspiro Tequila Luna Blanco
Casamigos Tequila Blanco
Los Dos Tequila Blanco
Wild Common Tequila Blanco (Lot 01)
The Overall Scores:
1) Wild Common Blanco (Lot 01)
— 88.4 points/average
This bold and bright tequila was first released last year, amid much praise from aficionados. It’s made at the Cascahuín distillery in Arenal, Jalisco, which is known for its excellent additive-free blancos, including Cascahuín Tahona, ArteNOM 1123, and Siembra Valles.
The production process here is a combination of tahona and roller mill; fermentation with and without fibers in both cement and stainless steel tanks. It clocks in at 42% abv, slightly higher than the others in the lineup.
It is commonly heard that tequila cannot please both aficionados and regular drinkers, but in this blind tasting Wild Common did just that. It scored the most points in both groups. It also scored the most points among both men and women.
Tasters commented:
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“Spices, mint, and dry earth, this is definitely a proper tequila! Easy on the palate but with enough pop to let you know it’s legit.”
“The nose on this was beautiful. Cooked agave, kiwi fruit, pineapple, and black pepper. The taste didn’t disappoint.”
2) Los Dos Blanco
— 85 points/average
The second-highest scoring was Los Dos, made at the Vivancos Distillery (NOM 1414) in Arandas, Jalisco. It is one of a stable of noteworthy products crafted by Master Distiller Sergio Cruz, who also makes Gran Dovejo, De-Nada, Yeyo, and Tau tequilas (all confirmed additive-free!)
Agaves from Los Altos are cooked in brick ovens, and extraction is via roller mill. They used a slow (8 days) open-air fermentation process using champagne yeast. This tequila was then rested in stainless steel for 6 months, and then oxygenated before bottling.
The sweetness found in the finish was possible due to some innovative distillation cuts and blending done by Sergio Cruz. The extended resting period is also a key component that brings everything together. This is more proof that good things are possible when a producer isn’t in a rush.
Tasters commented:
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“Big and creamy texture on the palate, this blanco explodes with flavors that are definitely found in the nose, so definitely no additives being used here. I love the big robust finish. Would buy and drink again as well as recommend this to everyone as a proper and traditional tequila!”
“Nose has subtle baked agave along with some fruit. Flavor has a little baked agave but not much. The finish has a lingering sweetness with overripe fruit, maybe pears.”
3) Inspiro Tequila Luna Blanco
— 84.8 points/average
In at a very close third was Inspiro Luna Blanco, a new product that markets itself as produced by women, for women. It is rested for less than a month in used oak barrels, and then in stainless steel before bottling. This gives it a smoother profile with faint vanilla barrel notes without having to use additives.
The production process also involves the use of 2 different yeast strains, which are distilled separately and then blended according to taste to achieve a more complex profile.
In fact, it was produced at NOM 1614 (Tequilera TAP) in Amatitan, Jalisco which is a 100% additive-free distillery. The master distiller is the highly respected Ana María Romero Mena, and the brand is the idea of Mara Smith, a former attorney.
Resting a blanco in oak is not a common practice because it requires more time, but Inspiro wasn’t in a hurry. Resting a blanco tequila in oak for less than 60 days is legally permitted according to the rules. The touch of vanilla imparted by the barrels caused some of our raters to wonder if additives were used, but we can confirm that none were.
Tasters commented:
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“The agave is sweet and zesty here. Full texture with medium oils. Finish is decently long, prolonging some agave and fruit.”
“Aroma has small hints of baked agave, some citrus, and floral notes. Taste has agave with lots of pepper and spiciness.”
4) Nueveuno Tequila Blanco
— 84.7 points/average
This certified organic and Kosher tequila is made at the Rancho Miravalle distillery (NOM 1426) in Amatitan, Jalisco, and overseen by a master distiller Nohemi Partida of the famed Partida family, long known for tequila making.
Agaves are cooked in brick ovens and extraction is via a roller mill. Since the Partida family are also agave growers they were able to select mature Tequila Valley-grown agaves for Nueveuno. The result is a high quality, traditional product. Once again, the scores were very close, with Nueveuno coming in just 0.1 points behind Inspiro, and 0.3 points behind Los Dos.
Tasters commented:
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“Solid, bold, old school agave aroma. Really nice flavor — the most consistent by far across two tastings. Good balanced mix of sweet agave, earth, mint. Decent finish.”
“Somewhat muted nose initially but it opened up after sitting a few minutes. Nice balance of sweetness, agave, pepper notes and ethanol.”
5) Teremana Blanco
— 84.6 points/average
This tequila took the spirits world by storm in 2020, selling a record amount of cases (around 300,000) for a new product. This was largely due to the high profile of its celebrity backer, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who did an impressive job marketing it to his followers. It also benefited from a traditional process of brick oven cooking, and distillation in copper pot stills.
We haven’t put Teremana in any blind tastings until now, and we were eager to get responses. The tequila has its own distillery (NOM 1613), which sits on the property of Productos Finos de Agave (NOM 1416). Although the later distillery has a modern diffuser and column still on-site, neither are used in the production of Teremana.
Although Teremana is not (yet) on our Confirmed Additive-Free list, our raters did not suspect it of containing any additives.
Tasters commented:
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“There is a big punch of agave on the nose! It is very agave forward on the flavor with a floral hint. The finish has a long finish of agave.”
“Caramel, funky, overripe fruit and black pepper on the taste. Finish is a little bitter.”
6) Casamigos Blanco
— 80.9 points/average
No tequila has as much celebrity swag as Casamigos, even though founders George Clooney and Randy Gerber sold out in 2017. It has also been a huge seller, prompting other celebrities to jump into the tequila arena, dreaming of a $1 billion exit. However, this product has not been as much of a hit with the aficionados who use our app. It has been called out as being overly sweet with heavy vanilla notes.
Not much is known about the production processes involved in Casamigos. When they switched distilleries to NOM 1609 (away from NOM 1416) we lost the ability to say with first-hand knowledge which type of production processes are in use. (Hey, Diageo, we would love to tour your newest facility.)
However, the aficionados in our blind tasting overwhelmingly expressed their opinion that this product contained additives.
Tasters commented:
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“Aroma is overwhelmingly vanilla, with perhaps a little bit of plastic/rubber like scent. The texture is a bit watery. The flavor is sweet with loads of vanilla, a little woody. Peppery finish.”
“This blanco didn’t smell like tequila at all. The nose was cotton candy and vanilla. (They) are prevalent with no agave whatsoever.”
“Bubblegum and toasted marshmallow on the nose. Not expecting a lot after nosing this.”
Now let’s look a little deeper, because this is where it gets really interesting.
When we look at preferences according to aficionados vs. fans the scores are pretty close on each product, except for Casamigos. For this product the gap between educated tasters and casual drinkers was a whopping 7.6 points. (Aficionados gave it 77.7 point average, while fans gave it an average score of 85.3.)
The lower rating by Aficionados for Casamigos was consistent, whether the taster was male or female.
Speaking of females, let’s see how the different genders rated Inspiro blanco, since it’s targeted at women. As it turns out, men rated this product 0.8 points higher than women on average, at 85.2 versus 84.4 among women. So, perhaps having a cleaner, slightly vanilla profile attracts sippers of all stripes!
Another interesting takeaway was the perception of value (or bang for the buck) among the different groups. The biggest point spread was, again, for Casamigos: Fans rated it an average of 7 out of 10 in terms of value, while Aficionados scored it lower at 5 out of 10.
So, what should we make of all this? First off, blind rating is difficult (you have no bottle, marketing, or recommendations to go off of), but it also levels the playing field. The big-name blancos came out last, while the newcomers won over tasters with their aromas, flavors, and mouthfeel.
And, although this was a small sample of 36 tasters it appears that experience makes more of a difference when it comes to shaping preferences, compared to gender.
We sent a follow-up questionnaire to the participants after we closed down the rating period. Several of the tequila fans were surprised that they rated Casamigos high. They mentioned that the overall experience was valuable because it taught them how to sharpen their palate to better identify products that stray away from a natural profile.
So, keep practicing your tasting skills, friends. Make use of our Confirmed Additive-Free list and train your palate! Eventually, the additive-filled products will become obvious. Salud!
Another fine article, with interesting results!
I think the results from these blind tastings are always telling. Although I’ve not yet had Inspiro or Nueveuno, I believe that Teremana and Casamigos are deserving of their spots. I think many consumers would pick something backed by a celebrity or in a pretty bottle over other unknown brands, especially new to market ones and ones that are relatively difficult to obtain (Wild Common and Los Dos are only available through an extremely limited amount of sources). But given the opportunity to try such nice tequilas, like Wild Common and Los Dos, before they buy, consumers may make different choices.
I feel like the wine market is similar, in that the average customer looking for a nice bottle doesn’t necessarily know what to look for and would probably settle for something with a cool label and/or interesting name (e.g. Skinnygirl). I think that marketing helps to get people to buy a particular product, but it could also be a hindrance: the Inspiro is marketed towards women, but men scored it higher in the blind tasting. At the store, I wonder if, on average, men would reach for Inspiro at a similar rate given it’s marketed towards women; I feel like it’s probable that products marketed specifically to one gender could dissuade the other gender from trying or buying.
I liked Casamigos blano in 2014 when I first had it. I have had it more recently and it was much worse than what I remember, so either the profile changed or my preferences did, or both. Teremana was a bit below average for me when I tried it, but I wouldn’t say it was as bad as some other aficionados said.
Thanks for sharing the results!
Thanks for your hard work on this! Very interesting results
One of my favorite articles to date! Great work guys!
,Great info! Now how do I sign up to be a taster for the next one??!
The best way is to get onto our Tasting Panel. Info here: https://ttblog1.wpenginepowered.com/2015/heres-how-to-join-the-tequila-matchmaker-tasting-panel/
Keep up the good work! I really find these articles of interest. They confirm some my own thoughts…while exposing me to new brands/products to try. Please don’t stop!
Excellent article and agree with the results. Los Dos is definitely a stand out tequila
Just curious… Why blanco? When we sip tequila, it’s always reposado. With Casamigo being our go-to tequila. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed straight blanco. Never was impressed.
It’s more difficult to create a good sipping blanco than it is to make an age product. You can take an average blanco and throw it into a barrel and the wood will bring something to make it less than average. We like to use blancos in taste tests because it’s the purest form of tequila and the best indication of overall brand quality. Plus, we sip blanco tequilas over aged products most of the time.
My understanding is that in Mexico blancos dominate the market, as it presents the most authentic representation of the agave spirit. Repos and anejos were essentially intended for the whisky-drinking American consumer…
Although lately it’s been añejo cristalinos that Mexicans have been going wild over. Go figure!
You guys rock! I am in line with your findings. I have tasted almost all of the celebrity backed tequilas and I only needed one bottle of each to know I would not be coming back for another. In my opinion, both Casamigos and Teremana are too sweet for my taste buds and are nowhere near the more traditional choices like Fortaleza. Thanks for this article and keep it coming. I always look forward to the products of your hard work and tell other tequila drinkers about your website.
Thanks Bob!
Thanks for this information and the Reminder to pay attention to your palate
Darn! Should I feel bad now that I like Casa Amigos?….I’m such a luddite!
No, drink what you like. But also know what you’re drinking!
Not at all! Just make sure to share with those of us that matter 💯
U should go to your local 711 tomorrow and share the wealth lol
Len to each their own!!
See you tomorrow!!! Merry Christmas!!
Nice work and and interesting read. Thanks.
Love seeing the results of this. Great read! Thank you!
An excellent article, thank you. We drink Tequila neat and Blancos for sipping are the most difficult to make and find.
Very informative video, Thank you. I am an avid Blanco sipper so the newer Additive-free brands certainly intrigue me. One thing to note is that Nueveuno is priced around $65-$70, which in my opinion is priced too high for a Blanco. My ceiling for a Blanco is around $50. There are plenty of premium non- additive brands such as EL Tesoro (My Go-to), Forteleza, Pasote, G4, El tequileno, Patron that range between $35-$45. Happy Sipping!
Excellent article. It is high time the tequileras begin detailing how the agave is cooked, for how long and where the agave are specifically grown. The terroir is far more complex and has far more of an impact than simply stating “lowlands” and “highlands”. Soil types, elevation, microclimates all have a role to play. It is a shame the mass produced “celebrity” brands shy away from detailing if there products are cooked in an autoclave, diffused or horno. Probably a reason why they don’t share that information. Also, I call BS on the use of a Tahona, it is archaic and inefficient and is primarily used for American Tourism.
I’m a bartender and liquor sales reps are always trying to find placements for new products. We usually resist new products and try to carry mostly the hot licks as there are shelf space limits and we don’t want to become a warehouse. We are not a tequila bar but we carry about 50 different tequilas. Some brands we may carry several varietals and others just one, blanco tequilas being the most popular. I have not tried the first three on your list but will definitely try them should I have the opportunity, however we do carry Casamigos, not my favorite, but a very popular seller. I’m not surprised taste testers said it had a watery flavor. We keep many of our “shooter” blanco tequilas in the freezer and the Casamigos gets tiny ice flakes in it while no other tequilas do not. Hmmmm.
We recently purchased the Tremonia under GREAT pressure from the sales rep and I must say it is one of my least favorite tequilas! We will not be purchasing it again. It is WAY too smoky for a silver tequila and not smooth going down. In my opinion and others who are not impressed by a celebrity name, give this one a hard pass.
Thank you for the great article.
Thanks for this great article and video. We live in Jalisco (Lake Chapala area) and have visited Tequila trying to learn more. We toured and fell in love with La Fortaleza (Los Abuelos). I will definitely look for these Blancos in your taste test. Let me know if you ever do any events we can attend in Jalisco. Muchas gracias! Jim
Very good review. Some truth has finally come through.
Great article! Give Tequila With Friends (TWF) a try. We’re a brand based in Texas started by myself and 3 childhood friends. Smooth taste with a blend between highland and lowland agave that gives the sweet and vegetal tones. Check us out.
Teremana is a good tequila and it’s not expensive at $28 for the blanco and $32 for the reposado which I like better 😜