In order to become a TMM tequila Bad Ass I am going to have to taste a lot of tequilas I normally would not be interested in. This one has two big strikes against it. 1, it comes from Don Julio which quit making good tequila years ago. The nose maybe it’s biggest strength but isn’t great by any means. Very sweet nose almost like a vanilla cupcake. A bit of minerality but primarily conveys most things sweet. The taste is medicinal. It’s bitter and strong alcohol. I’m not getting agave. The finish isn’t good and it shall be interesting to see if your typical DJ tequila fan will like this. While I said I will not drink this again, even though I do not recommend it, under certain circumstances I might if I did not really have any other choices. While I love the TMM app I wish we had a little more granularity on the drink again and recommend.

Nose: very slight agave / mineral/ vanilla/ hint of citrus / anise / nutmeg/ butterscotch/ maple / cream soda / alcohol Taste: artificial vanilla/ agave/ pepper/ light artificial sweetener or sugar/ banana/ melon / anise / peppermint/ all spice / butterscotch/ molasses/ alcohol Finish: mildly viscous mouthfeel with lingering artificial vanilla, bitterness, pepper, earth, and alcohol. A light minty finish. This cristallino anejo is loaded with artificial vanilla and a sweetener that could be just sugar. The bitterness after the sweetness and artificial vanilla feels like a bad roller coaster ride.

A work friend made me try this at their retirement party knowing that I am a tequila fan. To not be rude, I sipped some of this with him. For sure not the best I’ve had and not even close, but surprisingly, I’ve had worse. Nose: cotton candy and vanilla with alcohol right on the nose, followed by black pepper citrus, and some oak. Very little cooked agave here. Palate: Very sweet and artificial sweetener and bitterness. Along with vanilla, caramel, black pepper, alcohol, and citrus. Not getting much cooked agave here if any. I don’t quite understand the purpose of a Cristalino. Why take the time of aging a tequila only to take away the characteristics of the aging process?

I found this tequila to be very subtle with very little going on. What I did find was sweet vanilla cake batter and no agave. This tequila came across as very artificial to me and not something I will go back to especially for the high price tag.

nose: cotton candy and vanilla palate: sweet like artificial sweetener/aspartame with bitterness. absolutely no agave detectable.

Sweet, easy to drink entry level for a beginner, additive taste on the dry down. The aroma is relatively pleasant.

It's not completely awful? It has Barrel notes and vanilla but very little agave. It's shippable if there's nothing else better but certainly not a go to.

Definitely can tell that it has additives. Smells like cake and taste like icing. Not bad if your into that, but I like to taste the agaves purity

Horrible as a Cristalino gimmick. Fake pine, vanilla, chocolate, fruit etc. An overly sugary finish... absolutely horrendous

Aroma of vanilla, cooked agave and a hint of oak. They filtered most of the oak out with the color filtration. Flavor of vanilla that almost tastes like it was added. Mild finish.

Agave is pretty much lost in this tequila. Really sweet and fake vanilla flavor. That said, this is a good option for people who don’t consider themselves tequila drinks. It’s approachable.

Not a fan of Cristalino’s, it has its place in our Tequila market. If I had to like one, this would be it. It’s definitely different, smooth but I feel they strip the true flavors of an Anejo besides the color. I’ll stick with DJ Anejo or 1942

Still the best Cristalino I’ve run across, I like that it still maintains some of the agave profile in the nose. Scary smooth, this is the kind of bottle that gets drained without even noticing. Really sweet milk chocolate ending.

Vanilla, caramel, but lacks in agave

Most purists don’t like cristalinos and while I do prefer a more traditional tequila, I’ve got a soft spot for cristalinos. This one is the best I’ve had, it’s got good flavor, you get vanilla and a bit of subtle sweetness. Unfortunately, most of the agave flavor has been filtered out of this one. Is it still tasty? Yes, very much so. Just some of the flavors I enjoy are gone with this one(and most cristalinos).

My first experience with Añejo clara. Aroma ok. Taste is good with some pepper. Smooth finish.

This XA Crystalino resembles a typical blanco. Clear in color with decent legs. Cooked agave on the nose with alcohol. Chocolate up front with agave and light pepper. Finish is clean, agave and pepper finish.

Nose: Citrus, pineapple and agave. Some cinnamon and licorice. Flavors: Vanilla, toasted hazelnuts, leather notes followed up with mellow black pepper. Borderline too sweet for me. I’m not generally a fan of cristalinos, but this might be the best of the genre.

Light, unremarkable aroma. Much stronger flavor and finish; oak, vanilla, caramel. Medium body with a smooth lingering finish.

Too much vanilla on the finish but not enough on the nose, not a big fan of the Clear añejos, no wood flavor on an añejo? The finish reminds me of Splenda aftertaste

Aroma is medicinal with hint of coconut.

Tastes very manipulated, odd, does not taste like you would expect a tequila to taste. I suppose that if you don't like the taste of tequila, that may be a good thing, but I'm not one of those people.

It's not the worst I've had but far from the best. Someone bought me a pour of this at a bar, and I wanted to be polite. I've given every cristilino a fair shake, although I am inherently against anything that undermines the delicate aging process. I still haven't found one that makes me happy. Besides the fact that this is a cristilino, I'm not historically fond of Don Julio. This has done nothing to change my mind.

Notes of vanilla and butterscotch on the nose. Similar taste. A little less sweet than some other additive tequilas. Definitely don’t get a lot of agave.

Best bang for the buck on the planet!