No, this is not the smooth, womanizing, tall, dark, and handsome man of whom you all may be thinking.  Look again; it’s Don Julio not Don Juan.  Although there are some similarities between this tequila and the fictional person, one should not be confused for the other.  Let me see if I can make this absolutely clear for everyone.

    Don Julio tequila is produced at “La Primavera” distillery in Los Altos de Jalisco in Mexico.  Don Juan is a character of Spanish legend dating back as far as the 17th century.  A quick look at a map will show you that Mexico and Spain are not the same country.  No contest there.

    Don Julio started his tequila journey in 1942 as a young man.  Don Julio only uses fully-matured, ripened agave plants that can take between 7 and 10 years to ripen!  Of course, this can only be accomplished in the highlands of the Jalisco region.  Don Julio even has a special process for cultivating the agave that leaves only the body of the plant.  Don Julio slowly cooks the agave in masonry ovens to obtain the juice used for fermentation and then double distilled.  His passion for the growth, cultivation, and distillation of the agave plant has lead to a hand-crafted tequila that is well-known throughout Mexico.  The distillery has been using the same processes for over 60 years.

    Don Julio Blanco has a fresh, crisp tequila scent with hints of citrus.  I can only imagine that, if he were real, Don Juan would smell like a musty, sweaty man (they did not have deodorant in the 17th century).  This one is a no-brainer, with the tequila a clear winner.  So now we arrive at the best part of any liquor review, the drinking.  It is here that we finally come to one similarity, smooth.  Don Julio Blanco and Don Juan are both very smooth.  Blanco goes down nice and easy.  The fresh citrus notes really shine through for me.  There is a slight spiciness on your tongue and at the back of your throat that finishes clean.  The aftertaste tastes green.  I know a color does not describe a taste, but I guess you could say that it tastes like fresh agave would, but it’s not overwhelming.

    When mixing Blanco with Sprite, I must say that I was a little disappointed.  The Sprite covers up the clean tequila taste and adds an unpleasant artificial flavor to the agave aftertaste.  Not everyone agreed with my assessment, but they’re not writing the review.  I must say that I rather enjoyed Don Julio Blanco with a simple margarita mixer.  I felt that the flavor of the tequila worked quite well with the sour and citrus flavors of the mixer.  This is definitely the way to go and  I thoroughly enjoyed my drinks in this fashion.

    We now arrive at our second similarity, drunkenness.  While Don Juan may get you love-drunk with his devilish good looks and charm, Don Julio Blanco will get you nice and liquored up with it’s 80-proof muscle.  Here at BoozeBasher, we prefer the liquor drunk route.  So this means that Don Julio wins again!  The next morning, though, Don Julio will not be treating you as well as Don Juan might.  You will encounter the same problem that all tequilas have, the hangover.  I was not completely worthless the next day, but I was no spring chicken either.  In this case, the choice is yours as to which Don is victorious, but there is still a very clear difference between the two.

    So, to recap, Don Julio does not equal Don Juan.  You can pick up a bottle of Blanco for $50.  While you’ll never be able to buy a Don Juan, you can pick up a book about him for $13.  Overall, Don Julio Blanco was an enjoyable experience, and it even did well with the seasoned tequila drinkers (Wade and myself) in the blind tasting last month.  You can read more about here.  Salud!

Shootability- 7.0

Mixability - 7.0

Drunkability - 7.5

Hangover-ability - 7.0

Bang for the Buck - 4.0

Overall - 7.0 

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    When Trago first contacted us about sending some of their tequila to review I had some mixed emotions.  The first was obviously “woohoo, we are getting some free ultra-premium tequila for BoozeBasher staff consumption!”  Then I began to think about all of the possible issues involved in tasting this newcomer to the tequila world.  If it tastes really horrible, will I feel obligated to review it “gently” because I know they will be reading the review?  What if the Trago folks disagree with our review, call me names during recess, and then pick me last for kickball?  Fortunately, all of my fears were put to rest when we received our first samples because we discovered that Trago makes some damn tasty tequila. 

    If you checked out our feature article on Trago’s tequilas, then you probably know a bit of the company history.  If you haven’t read the article, shame on you, but I will get you a quick overview anyway.  Trago is an ultra-premium tequila distiller with their headquarters in Las Vegas, NV.  The distillery is located in central Mexico and is operated by Felipe Camarena, who happens to be the son of Don Felipe, also know as the father of tequila.  So the Trago name might be new, but the guys producing it are definitely not rookies.

    The Añejo is the big daddy of the Trago family.  Rested for 18 months in used American bourbon barrels, it is the darkest of the three.  At first glance, you might wonder why your liquor store has started stocking giant bottles of cologne, however, please do not attempt to dab this liquor on yourself.  Though the aroma of this Añejo is possibly as intoxicating as the actual tequila and might be effective in attracting members of the opposite sex with drinking habits, it would be a horrible waste of this precious liquid.  The moment you crack open a bottle of Trago Anejo, you know that it’s different from those other tequilas you have consumed in the past.  The sweet aroma of the blue agave is still present, however, it is intricately interwoven with a mix of peperry spice, a hint of vanilla, and a dash of brown sugar.  The nose of this tequila is so amazing that you might end up spending a large portion of your evening just wafting its aroma, that is, until you remember that you bought this tequila to drink.

    When I say drink, I really mean savor.  The folks at Trago recommend this Añejo be consumed neat and from a snifter.  The BoozeBasher staff wholeheartedly agrees with this suggestion.  When sipped, the first flavor on your pallet is the peppery spice that was also present in the Silver.  That spice remains on your tongue from start to finish, but it mingles with a hint of smokey oak, maple syrup, and a large dose of sweet blue agave.  The finish is impossibly long for a tequila, with the smokey spice flavors dominating when you inhale and the sweet agave dancing back across you tongue when you exhale.  Honestly, this tequila blows past the “Best Tequila I Have Consumed” category and lands into the “Best Liquor I Have Consumed” category.  Really, I enjoyed it that much.  Unfortunately, not all of the BoozeBasher staff agreed.  While everyone agreed that it was quite good and a couple even agreed that it was one of the tastiest liquors they have consumed, others felt that the spice was a little overpowering and diverged too far from a traditional tequila flavor.  Oddly, my suggestion of CAT scans to determine the dissenters cranial anomalies was not well received.

    Unfortunately, there are some aspects of tequila that cannot be distilled aways.  Yup, the bane of all tequila drinkers, the hangover.  A night of drinking Trago Añejo will leave you with a nice little reminder, in the form of a headache that will last a large part of the following day.  Fortunately, this 80-proof elixir will provide you with a night of fun before the misery the next day.  Consuming it neat expedites the night’s festivities and before you know it, you will be dancing on the tables with the best of them.

   The Trago brand might be a newcomer to the tequila world, but it is backed up by a family with over ten decades of distilling experience, and that expertise shows in the very first sip.  You might not have had the opportunity to get your hands on a bottle yet.  It is slowly making its way across the U.S from the West Coast, and I have heard of a few sightings on the eastern seaboard.  If you do happen upon a bottle, I suggest you grab it before anyone else has the opportunity.  Trago Añejo is not cheap, as it will cost you about $67 for a fifth of this unique tequila.  However, I think it is definitely worth the price, and I know I will be snatching up the first bottle I see on the shelves.

Sipability - 9.0

Mixability - N/A

Drunkability - 7.5

Hangover-ability - 6.5

Bang for the Buck - 4.0

Overall - 8.0  

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     The Liquor Gods must be smiling down on us because they have bestowed upon us, Trago Silver.  Actually, the wonderful people that produce Trago tequila were kind enough to provide us with a bottle of their Silver ultra-premium tequila for reviewing.  I was lucky enough to have the honor of reviewing it.  The members of the Boozebasher crew were all impressed with the samples they provided and were instant fans.  Trago tequila is produced by the Los Alambiques Distillery located in central Mexico.  Trago Silver is produced using 100% blue agave that is grown in the high-altitudes of the Jalisco mountains.  The rich soil and higher elevation produces an agave plant this has a higher sugar content which imparts a richer flavor to the tequila.

    Trago Silver comes in a very distinct bottle, that is quite catchy and allows you to admire yourself in its shiny, silver cap.  Removing the cap gives the bottle a whole new character.  While it may look awkward, it’s actually an ideal shape for pouring.  Pour it with the sloping side down and you’ll have a nice even pour every time.  Esthetically pleasing and functional!  Always a plus in my book.  Enough with the looks, let’s get to the taste.

     I always take a good sniff of my liquor before I enjoy it.  What I get from Trago Silver is a sweet citrus aroma with a hint of pepper.  Everyone is different, but I like to enjoy my tequila neat; no ice to get in the way of me and my tequila.  The first sip is extremely smooth.  It goes down so easy, with a slight bite at the back of your throat and warm burn on the way down.  You immediately get the full flavor of the tequila enhanced by wonderful pepper notes.  The spice lingers just long enough on your tongue and the roof of your mouth and then has a light, fresh agave finish.

     My tequila mixed drink of choice is a traditional margarita.  The citrus and pepper flavors of Trago Silver mix well and make for a very tasty margarita.  There is just something about lime and pepper that goes so well together.  I was able to down four of them rather easily with each one tasting better than the previous.  That might have been the alcohol playing tricks on me because this tequila managed to be me drunk in a hurry.  Trago Silver is no slouch weighing in at 80 proof and it flexed every bit of it’s alcoholic muscle.  The only downside to the whole experience is the same that plagues any tequila… the hangover.  The next morning I was in pretty rough shape.  It was nothing that the three S’s couldn’t help to make me feel better.  The upset stomach that accompanied the hangover killed my appetite for a while, but I got over it soon enough.

     So, you may ask, how do I go about getting a hold of this magic elixir?  Well, you can pick up a bottle for around $55 at an increasing number of liquor stores.  Trago tequila is fairly new to the market, but it’s certainly making big strides in the world of ultra-premium tequilas.

Sipability - 7.5

Mixability - 8.0

Drunkability - 9.0

Hangover-ability - 7.0

Bang for the Buck - 3.5

Overall - 8.0 

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