High Proof Blanco Tequila Tasting (February 28th, 2025)
This is our 6th Tequila Tasting. The Blanco bottles in question were;
| TT Label | Description | NOM | Proof | Rating | Price (CAD$) |
| A | Don Roberto 1924 High Proof | 1437 | 110 | 6.8 | $45 (USD) |
| B | El Cabalitto Cerrero 46 Azul | – | 92 | 7.1 | $110/$75 (USD) |
| C | Lalo Limited Edition, High Proof | 1468 | 108 | 7.9 | $75 (USD) |
| D | Lost Lore, Still Strength | 1414 | 110 | 5.5 | $135/$85 (USD) |
| E | Fortaleza, Still Strength | 1493 | 92 | 7.6 | $180/$130 (USD) |
| F | Wild Common, Still Strength | 1123 | 100 | 6.5 | $160/$80 (USD) |
| G | Tapatio 110 | 1139 | 110 | 6.6 | $83/$70 (USD) |
| H | Vespertino | 1124 | 30 | 8.7 | $20 (USD) |
We sold 20 racks, but unfortunately a few people couldn’t make it last minute, so, we had 17 people on the Zoom, and sadly one rack wasn’t delivered in time. We had 15 people voting on the Zoom polls. This was our 6th Tequila tasting, and our 1st “High Proof/Still Strength” Blanco Tasting. It won’t be our last one, since I bought 6 other High Proof/Still Strength Blanco Tequilas, of other brands.
For those who are unaware, rule of thumb about Tequila, there are 4 categories/types of Tequila;
- Blanco/Plata/Silver, (0-2 months aging)
- Resposado meaning ‘rested’, (2 mths – 11 months)
- Anejo meaning ‘aged’, (1 year to 3 years)
- Extra Anejo (> 3yrs)
Some may argue for 2 more ‘types’ of Tequila, Joven (young/gold), and Cristalino (charcoal filtered to remove the tannins, and therefore the color, of the Resposado or Anejo Tequilas).
The other 5 tequila tastings are referenced here, for those who are curious. The 5th Tequila Tasting was on November 30th, 2023, the 4th Tequila Tasting was Jan 2023, the 3rd Tequila Tasting was Jan 2021, the 2nd Tequila Tasting was July 2020, and the 1st Tequila Tasting was in Sept 2019.
I am impressed that Stephanie and Tim have both come to 4 of the 6 Tequila Tastings, that means Stephanie and Tim have both tasted 26 different tequilas, with Neil’s Natterings! Thank you for your interest and loyalty, to Neil’s Natterings Spirits Tastings!
We had 4 new participants to the group, one from Maine/Montreal, 3 from Montreal. Welcome, Jessica, Roxwel, Jamie and Kellan. I hope you had fun! I hope you will continue to participate.
The tasting went well, the tequilas were varied, almost all additive free, it was my mistake to include one with additives, it placed in the middle of the pack, with 6.8.
In terms of identifying the Tequilas based on the tasting notes, the highest was 5 out of 7 ‘correct’, this is impressive, Martin only switched Lalo and Fortaleza, all the others were correct. David J got 3 out of 7 correct, a few others got 2 out of 7 correct. We used the tasting notes, from Tequila Matchmaker and a few from Distiller.com, and some personal tasting notes, from myself, Daniel, and Teneille, from our pre-tasting.
The Winners!
The winner was Lalo, Limited Edition, High Proof, with an average of 7.9 . The next closest was Fortaleza, Still Strength, with 7.6. In 3rd was El Cabalitto Cerrero 46 Azul, with 7.1, this one I had for a year or so, after having a neck pour. I was told it’s better tasting, after letting it sit for awhile on the shelf, I would agree with that opinion. The other two, were fresh bottles. I know it’s going to be hard to get another Lalo High Proof, given the limited quantities, and how good it is, especially for the price.
So $$ for $$, the Lalo is the best deal, at $75 USD. El Cabalitto Cerrero 46 Azul is also $75 USD. Both are hard to find. Fortaleza Still Strength, is MSRP $67 USD, but you can’t find it for less than $130 USD, due to popularity.
1st Place (7.9) $75 USD
2nd Place (7.6) $180 CAD/$130 USD
3rd Place (7.1) $110 CAD/$75 USD
The next Tasting is scheduled for Friday, March 21st, 2025, and will be Irish Whisky, in honour of St. Patrick’s Day.
The Survey Results (# in cells, represents their vote, a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the best)
| A – Don R | B – CC | C – Lalo | D – L Lore | E – Fort | F – WC | G – Tapatio | H – Cream | |
| Ken W | 8 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 10 |
| Jessica C | 8 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 8 |
| David J | 7 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 8 |
| Martin D | 9 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 9 |
| Roxwel | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| Stephanie A | 5 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| Collin M | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 8 |
| Mary W | 8 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 8 | – |
| Tim O | 5 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| Stephane M | 6 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 9 |
| Frank M | 7 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Kellan/Jamie | 7 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 9 |
| Marco | 7 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 10 |
| Ryan J | 6 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 9 |
| Alison R | 6 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | – |
| Total | 102 | 106 | 119 | 83 | 114 | 98 | 99 | 113 |
| Average | 6.8 | 7.1 | 7.9 | 5.5 | 7.6 | 6.5 | 6.6 | 8.7 |
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