Review 177
9/5/13
Lunazul
Reposado: 40% abv
Background: Well
before doing any research on this, I’d just like to make the statement that I
don’t plan on being able to find much information on Lunazul. And hey, I’m
right. At least we get a few facts to go off of. First fact: Lunazul is a
pretty young product, being introduced in 2002. They are made by the Tierra de
Agave distillery in Tequila, Mexico. This tequila is made from 100% pure blue agave,
resting in old bourbon barrels for 6 months. Their Anejo tequila sits in the
barrel for 12-18 months. Lunazul sits among some of the more reasonably priced
tequilas in the world, and do not take much effort in identifying themselves as
unique. But maybe the only thing they need to say is in the bottle. Let’s find
out.
Straight
Nose: The first thing to notice about the nose is
there is a distinctive note of fruitiness that comes through, with a hint of
vanilla complimenting it. There is some blueberry and strawberry present with a
small aroma of melon layered on top. Among some of the other fruit flavors,
banana and orange balance in the glass as subtle additions to the nose. There
is a very interesting note of tobacco coming through, with some moderate
brininess. There are intense notes of lemon and lime that come through fresh
and crisp, bringing liveliness to the nose. In addition, a mild since of white
wine comes to mind. There is clearly some agave that comes through, but it
isn’t over-dominant. There is a slightly solventy note to the end.
Arrival: This
is certainly dynamic, but I’ll reserve myself to the arrival for the arrival
section of the review. We noticed a mellow, dry, vanilla-like arrival, with
slight hints of fruit and agave creeping into the beginning. Lime shows up, not
much to our surprise, in the arrival. There is a bit of strawberry as a
lingering taste in the arrival, but almost like a strawberry yogurt.
Body: The
body, after letting the arrival set in, is explosive to say the least. A hot
sense of black pepper and spiciness come through in the body, still being very
dry and intense. There is a bitter, earthy flavor that becomes dominant in the
later part of the body. There is something of a pineapple flavor that sits in
this part of the tequila.
Finish: The
finish is surprising, like young, fresh grainy spirit, unaged. There is some
mint and herbal notes. The finish is peppery, with some creaminess and lime.
The finish is not particularly long when it comes to full flavor, but it
lingers for a while on just a suggestion of its former self. The finish seems
to be the least complex in the event.
With Water
Nose: The
nose reflects a lot more alcohol coming through the smell, but does smell a bit
sweeter as well. The prominence of the alcohol is blocking off some of the
other smells, which makes for not a whole lot of brilliant observations. There
is a bit of confectionary sugar and dry wood that becomes evident later in the
nose.
Arrival: There
is a sense of apple showing up in the arrival, followed by some bitterness and
earthiness.
Body: The
body is still relatively spicy, although shorter and not as intense. There is
some sense of cayenne that comes through, but builds more into the finish. The
agave in the body is still pretty intense, but fades off quickly.
Finish: The
finish is hotter than before, probably due to the taste of cayenne. It is not
to say that this is because of rough alcohol, it is simply a taste profile
that’s becoming prevalent. There is some graininess that resides within the
finish, but it tastes a little bit different than before.
Final Comments: This is
definitely a solid tequila, but it was by no means revolutionary. We liked the
fact that it offered some intense notes, a little bit of variety, but not a
whole lot of complexity or depth. So without much analysis, this is an easy one
to disposition. For not very much money, it’s drinkable. Going back to the
statement at the beginning of the review about if they’ve made a statement
about themselves in the bottle, I don’t really think they have. Like many
tequilas, this one just sits on the shelf next to the twenty five other brands
at the same price with the same advertising: “So smooth, you don’t even know
you aren’t drinking water”. It’s a shame we don’t do more to encourage
uniqueness and intensity of flavor.
Why you’d buy it: You
were looking for tequila
Why you wouldn’t: You
weren’t looking for tequila
Score: 7.75/10
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