Review 176
9/3/13
Milagro
Silver: 40% abv
Background: One of
the struggles I have with tequila is that it seems to lack any sort of
published information in a lot of cases. Brands are the only sources of
information, and we all know how reliable those are. Milagro doesn’t seem to be
much different. The story is about two college kids who love tequila and a
master distiller who is tired of being told to cut corners. That sounds pretty
good right off the bat; but it doesn’t have many facts for us. They talk about
traditional processing, but who knows what they mean by that. We do know that
Milagro Silver is produced at the Jalisco highlands and is 100% blue agave,
which we like. Milagro Silver is triple distilled and is not aged, and that’s
about all we care about. Among the rest of their range, they have a reposado,
an anejo, and a “select barrel” series of tequilas for each of their different
ages. Now, with no further ado, let’s work on some notes.
Straight
Nose: There is an initial sweetness that comes
through in the nose, with definite aromas of agave, fresh lime, and a little
lemon. There are some greens notes, as the tequila smells slightly grassy and
there is some fresh mint that comes through as well. A bit of vanilla comes
through on the nose, complimented by a mild cranberry scent and some light champagne.
There is a little bit of a star fruit and orange aroma that comes out, which I
can’t say is too common. Also, quite surprisingly, there is a little bit of
saltiness that comes through in the nose. Finally, there was a bit of floral
smell from the glass.
Arrival: The
arrival some strong vanilla and agave coming through. There was a slight
brininess in the beginning. There is a bit of cinnamon and clove that creep in.
There is a sense of youngness to the arrival, with a pretty prominent alcohol
flavor and burn. It is not to the fault of this tequila, and it shows promising
character for their aged spirits, but it becomes noticeable in the arrival. The
arrival is a little earthy, but it misses on complexity.
Body: The
agave and vanilla become so prominent in the body, making sure you know this is
a tequila. In our last review of Hornitos, you could have questioned what you
were drinking, but here you cannot mistake it, and that’s exactly what you’ll
find. There is a lime-like flavor that comes through in the body.
Finish: The
obvious happens in the finish. There is a lot of agave that carries over from
the body, but to mix things up, eccentric notes of pine and mint come through
as well. There is a shadow of green apple that can be found with some digging.
Somewhat of a metallic flavor, albeit not a strong one, but certainly a
noticeable one, comes forward in the finish. There is a floral, bitter note
that comes through in the finish with a bit of tea tree oil to boot. There is
an intense earthiness that comes through, with a green note to it. There is
also a slight bit of pineapple that comes through.
With Water
Nose: The
sweetness on the nose, after adding some water, really comes forward. The agave
becomes very prominent and sticks out, with some of the alcohol edginess coming
to the front.
Arrival: The
arrival feels very much the same, but it feels mellower than before. There is a
bit of pear that comes through in addition to the original flavors. This is not
a good start to the addition of water, which can be well expected with a 40%
liquor.
Body: In the
body, the addition of water actually kills off the sense of agave, with some
dry spice and vanilla sticking out, but it becomes almost drown in the water
addition. Granted, this is not very much water that’s being added.
Finish: The
finish is almost completely obliterated by the addition of water. Although a
bit of the vanilla sticks around, as well as a bit of bitterness and some
additional graininess, most of it goes away, and the finish dies away quickly.
Final Comments: This
starts off as a good, clean un-aged tequila. It is simple, which we expect from
something in this context. There is a little bit of a bite to it, aside from
the alcohol presence. It is crisp and light. This silver does not handle water
very well, which is not a surprise for the alcohol content and the lack of age.
What is this saying? Where does this fit in the tequila market? Well in my
opinion, if you are going to mix some margaritas but don’t want the thick,
woody taste profile of an anejo tequila, a silver tequila is your best bet, and
although I don’t think this is THE best for drinking straight, it would make a
good tequila for a solid mixed drink.
Why you’d buy it: It is
good value for money, plus the bottle is pretty sexy
Why you wouldn’t: You
don’t like the color blue, or you NEED to be drinking Patron to show your
class.
Score: 8.0/10
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