Nose: Heavy on the oak and vanilla, with caramel and a touch of spice. Agave presence is minimal, maybe it’s there if you squint, but it’s buried way under the wood influence. Feels more like nosing a light bourbon than an añejo. Palate and Mouthfeel: Drinks much more like a bourbon. You get sweet oak, some dried fruit, and a little cinnamon, but the agave is barely hanging on. Mouthfeel is smooth and slightly oily, but not enough to carry much depth. It leans sweet, without the balance you’d expect. Finish: Medium length with lingering oak and a bit of tannin. Agave is still MIA. Not harsh, just forgettable. Final Thoughts: This one didn’t land for me. The barrel aging seems to have overpowered the agave, which should be the core of any good tequila. If you like sweeter, bourbon style spirits, it might appeal.

Nose: agave cooked / vanilla/ caramel/ oak / pepper / banana / hint of melon / hint of grapefruit/ mint / nutmeg/ bourbon/ chocolate/ Taste: agave / vanilla/ caramel / pepper / cinnamon/ banana/ lime / peppermint/ lemongrass/ tea / herbal / nutmeg/ chocolate / molasses Finish: very clean watery finish that has a lingering bitterness that seems to arrive out if nowhere. Like there’s a nice party going on and then Mr. Bitter shows up late and everyone is like ‘where’d he come from’??? An overall good budget sipper with lots of good aroma and taste notes until the ‘bitter’ end.

I get a bit of oak, vanilla and burnt carmel on the nose and still some cooked agave. I get rich carmel, vanilla and cardamom on the taste with a bit of black pepper on the finish. This is a very nice offering from Arette here, and one that doesn't break the bank!

tasted small sample at NW liquors Monroe. it was good, just a little mild on nose and palate

Really solid Anejo from Arette. Nothing too over powering here but hints of chocolate, cherry, natural vanilla and spices. A very easy drinking, high quality Anejo at a good price!

Another great Arette product. Reminds me so much of the old ETWLs...

Sweetness from aging is a bit too sweet for my liking. Aroma is very pleasant.

Had this on the big rock at a bar, after having a pour of Fortaleza Still Strength. I think the fact that I had it after a high proof blanco made it taste way smoother but I’m typically a Blanco guy, so well made Añejos are much more subtle and easier to drink if you drink mainly blancos, at least for me. With that being said, this was delicious. Aroma was great, very flavorful with a nice hint of agave. You can taste the quality on this artisanal tequila. It’s one that I would probably purchase for my home bar. I’m all about agave forward tequilas, which is why I usually stray away from oak-heavy or sweet Añejos and XA’s, but there’s definitely some agave to this one which I really enjoyed.

Simple and smooth. Oak and caramel with a bit of spice. Nothing to write home about and nothing to object to.

This really surprised me, after being disappointed in the reposado I thought that further barrel treatment would be a bad thing.....clearly I know nothing! Tons of earth & peppery notes balance nicely with the caramel from the oak, reminds me of a sweeter Fortaleza. An excellent tequila, I’m going to share this one with anyone who will listen.

Nose: Fruity, spicy: vanilla, cinnamon, licorice. A cellar note/ minerals. Flavor: Aforementioned spice, warming pepper, and butterscotch. This is revised from my original rating. It is far better than remembered.

Nose: I get a lot of cherry notes and a bit of cooked agave. Flavor: Definitely lots of complexity from the barrel. Hints of fruit, vanilla, and oak, but I can still pick up a bit of cooked agave. Finish: The cherry notes linger on the finish and then black pepper slowly starts to take over. Overall: It's quite good, but reminds me a bit of the square bottle Reposado in the sense that it's a bit hard to pick up much agave over the cherry notes. I'd say this is much more enjoyable overall, but I pick up a lot of similarities.

burnt caramel with light agave flavor

Arette Distillery- Tequila Jal 5/27/25

This review is for Arette Anejo single barrel from Hi-Time Liquor in Costa Mesa, CA. Significantly better than the base Anejo with agave forward on the palette and caramel/butterscotch for days… The finish lingers seemingly forever. Fantastic pour, my new favorite brand. 8/10

Aroma- strong on alcohol with a hint of agave and anise. Doesn’t taste how it smells. Agave, vanilla, Carmel. Slight heat on the finish in the best way. Would def drink again.

LG032418 08-01-24

Nose is cooked agave, caramel and vanilla. Taste is cooked agave, oak, caramel and vanilla. The glass was a Chisholm Standard Proof Jarrito.

Vanilla, cinnamon and caramel.

Great first taste. Perfect amount of oak. Nice buttery caramel start. Picked up some pepper on the finish. The finish was nice.

Aroma is wonderful- crisp wet cooked agave- light oak- barrel spice and a intriguing minerality. On the palate this tequila delivers- cooked agave leads the flavors- light pepper that mellows fairly quickly to unveil a complexity that is satisfying. A minerality with barrel notes- caramel- hint of vanilla- and some delicious earthiness. The finish is medium long. Agave lingers in a velvety coating with a caramel oak barrel caramel with a light spiciness that is perfect. Incredible Anejo and one I will ensure stays in my selection at home.

Arona: cooked agave, carmel Taste: pepper, agave, slight vanilla, hint of licorice in finish

Had the single barrel and it was awesome also snagged it for 55 bucks steal !!

You get the barrel on the nose - oak, caramel vanilla, agave, eucalyptus, melon Taste is similar, some agave, honey, lemongrass, straw, almond, cedar and of course vanilla oak caramel