Real Minero Barril

Verdict

Real Minero's standalone barril is one of the genre's best expressions, unglamorous on the nose, generous on the palate, and priced at where it should be. Santa Catarina Minas clay-still production applied to a single-agave barril releases the karwinskii family's depth without the theater that sometimes dresses up lesser barrils. The Ángeles family's rigor shows as coherence: every element in the glass has a reason. Community

Tasting notes

Nose: Warm earth, cooked agave, dried herb, faint leather

Palate: Dense, slightly bitter at the edge, with the clay-still texture that defines the producer. 50% holds it

Finish: Warming, mineral – long

The bottom line

The bottle that taught us to take barril seriously

Where to buy online

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

• Old Town Tequila
• Caskers
• Astor Wines