Tapatio Excelencia Gran Reserva is an extra añejo tequila from the Camarena family's La Alteña distillery (NOM 1139) in the highlands of Jalisco, bottled at 40% ABV. It is one of the most respected extra añejos in tequila, and a rare find on the shelf.
La Alteña was founded by Don Felipe Camarena in 1937 and is run today by his grandson, master distiller Carlos Camarena, one of the most admired figures in tequila. The family farms its own blue agave in the red soil around Arandas and still makes tequila the slow way.
The agave is hand-selected and slow-baked for four days. Fermentation uses the family's own yeast culture, kept for generations, and the tequila is double-distilled in small copper pot stills. For Excelencia, the spirit is then aged for four years in new American oak barrels with a #4 char, far longer than the one-year minimum for an extra añejo.
The result keeps the bright, cooked-agave heart that Tapatio is known for, wrapped in the richness of long barrel ageing. The bottle carries Tapatio's classic illustrated label, with the Gran Reserva designation, in an old-fashioned tall bottle that looks as traditional as the tequila inside.
Long maturation brings deep layers of caramel, dried fruit, vanilla and toasted oak, with cooked agave and black pepper still clearly present underneath. It drinks like a fine aged spirit and deserves a slow pour.
Tasting Notes
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Nose: Cooked agave, caramel, vanilla and toasted oak
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Palate: Dried fruit, butterscotch, baking spice and black pepper
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Finish: Long, warm and elegant
Specifications
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Brand: Tapatio
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Distillery: La Alteña, NOM 1139, Arandas, Jalisco
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Master distiller: Carlos Camarena
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Style: Extra añejo tequila, 100% blue agave
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Ageing: Four years in new American oak, #4 char
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Distillation: Double-distilled in small copper pot stills
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Proof / ABV: 80 proof (40% ABV)
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Origin: Mexico
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Size: 750ml
How to Enjoy It
Sip it neat from a copita or a tulip glass at room temperature, and let it open for a few minutes. It is a tequila to savour like a fine cognac, not to mix.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is it aged?
Four years in new American oak barrels with a #4 char.
Who makes it?
The Camarena family at La Alteña (NOM 1139), led by master distiller Carlos Camarena.
What proof is it?
40% ABV, or 80 proof.
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