Caballito Cerrero Azul

Verdict

Not a gateway bottle so much as an argument bottle, the kind of release that makes drinkers reconsider what they assume blanco tequila has to taste like, and why. The heirloom project is reconstructing a pre-industrial Jalisco the tequila industry spent decades erasing. Buy it as the price-of-admission entry to the conversation; climb to the Unicorn Chato once the azul has recalibrated your palate.

Tasting notes

Nose: Cooked agave, then mineral damp, faint citrus, warm stone and a trace of dried herb

Palate: Clean at 46-50% – heirloom azul as the project's entry. The differences from commercial blanco tequila are legible: leaner, more flinty, less uniform

Finish: Drying, flinty, with a slow citrus fade, long

The bottom line

A category education bottle

Where to buy online

We found this bottle at 3 US retailers. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.

• Old Town Tequila – $74
• Total Wine
• Woodland Hills Wine Co. – $80