10/2024 tasted blind in the TMM high-proof blinds rated 83 pts TMM ss blinds tasting Oct 2024 SS-04 i let this sit and open 40+ min nose = at first I got grass, hay, earth, alcohol, heat. as it opened,  I got some mint and black licorice palate = sweet agave bomb, pepper, citrus finish = sweet with some pepper at the end

• Visual: Clear w/ clear medium edge and very slow forming legs, great viscosity • Initial Nasal Impact: Prickle • Aroma: Cooked agave, black pepper, lime, grapefruit • Mouthfeel: Buttery w/ sufficient alcohol • Flavor: Cooked agave, brine, cinnamon, black pepper, honey, wintergreen, lime, • Finish: Long with big black pepper, wintergreen and lime

Blind: Surprised how good this is for such a value! Agave, citrus, lemongrass aroma, with some agave, vegetal, grassy taste. Long finish.

Nose - Agave, honey, vegetal, orange zest, pepper, grass, and mint Taste - agave, pepper, grass, grapefruit, minerals, and pepper Light hot finish

Nose: agave cooked / vanilla/ vegetal / olive / pear / lime / lemongrass / salt Taste: sweet agave/ vanilla/ anise / peppermint / earth / pear / apple / lime / tea / bell pepper / orange peel / salt / cream soda/ alcohol Finish: low viscosity mouthfeel that holds some of the alcohol/ for 110 proof the alcohol isn’t overwhelming and seems to be a benefit to this tequila having more bold tastes….some that linger like the pepper, vanilla, agave, and anise notes. This high proof blanco definitely has some alcohol notes, but that’s to be expected at 55%. You do get big bold flavor. There’s some contrast to the sweet and pepper….not very unified, but the contrasting flavor going back and forth until the end is enjoyable.

Vegetal nose. Palate is alright, don’t love it

There is a lot of agave in this, though the alcohol at this proof is strong and takes away from some of the flavors. Solid choice though.

Tasted this blind as part of Fuerte Friday. Nice agave smell up front. A little flat on the nose. Some alcohol and a touch of brine. Taste is pleasant enough with agave as the primary taste but alcohol is a little too prevalent. Plenty of black pepper and a little citrus

This overproof blanco brings the Fieri heat. No doubt, it took me to flavor town too. Cooked agave, warm pepper, and a hearty amount of citrus. The only celebrity agave spirit I have enjoyed, and for a bargain!

A really nice 110 proof. Mint, lemon zest, grass. Very robust and full of flavor.

Greatest valued high proof

Peppery, strong agave, herbal and sweet. Not the burn of other similar high proofs. Easy sipping and the low price would be great in a paloma.

Aroma and finish are fantastic! Taste is a little one sided with agave and not much else. So still pretty good. Finish is long and warm and leaves you wanting another sip. Nice.

Santo Fino Blanco 110 - I know quite a bit about high proof blanco tequilas but what did I know about Santo Fino? Almost nothing. I knew it was a celebrity brand that involved Sammy Hagar and Guy Fieri. I knew that Sammy Hagar created Cabo Wabo tequila in the late 90s but eventually sold it. So why try Santo Fino now? I recently watched Guy Fieri speak about Santo Fino Tequila with knowledge and passion with a trusted tequila connoisseur. I then found the high proof blanco on a local shelf so now I’m going to give it a review. - On the nose I get some vegetal and cooked agave notes that’s carried by some alcohol vapors. There’s a skosh of sweetness but the vegetal essence appears again and the scents continue to rotate. - On the first sip I can feel the alcohol tingle on my lips and then my palate. There’s some natural agave sweetness that hits up front and then it turns into black pepper and alcohol but not overly so. It’s not bitter and I didn’t detect any tastes of solvents. It was a strong first sip but with how strong it was it was equally clean of defects. After that sip I then detected some additional scents of citrus, green olive brine and some white almonds. The second sip is sweeter and the buttery cooked agave is more pronounced. The black pepper is still very present but it was more mid-palate. The pepper continues into the finish but it subsides into a tingle on the tongue with lingering sweetness. - Overall this is a strong agave blanco that’s slightly alcohol forward with a nice punchy finish. This tequila isn’t smooth but that’s a good thing. It’s a quality high proof blanco.

Some pearls in the glass. The nose is nicely balanced with roast agave, some earth and a bit of ethanol. Good viscosity with natural sweetness and a lingering finish centered around that sweetness.

Aroma: Agave, Alcohol, Citrus, & black pepper Taste: Well balanced taste of the Aroma. Finish nice lingering finish of agave, citrus, & black pepper $58 from old town this is the flavor profile I prefer from a HP Blanco. A top 5 HP Blanco for me

The nose is very fresh, celery, lemon, lime. Sweet. Pallete is heat forward, and then the notes of anise, pepper, brine,salty. Not overly complex. Clean finish . It’s sharp overall. For a 110 you can tell the proof is there. If they made this in 96. It would be stunning. Not knocking the 110 at all. Good stuff. Sammy has the right team producing quality. Cheers

Nose and Taste was cooked agave, pepper and alcohol with some lingering heat. The glass was a Chisholm High Proof Jarrito

Subtle aroma. Strong alcohol and spice flavor. Good long finish.

Love this high proof blanco. Alcohol and agave! Delicious.

Wow- this is very enjoyable. The agave takes the lead over any alcohol even though it’s a high proof. Aroma- wet agave- anise- pepper- caramel- wood- and olive. On the palate it is agave forward- pepper- white pepper- anise with Olive and wet earth. Finish is very nice- medium long peppery agave with a nice heat.

First High proof tequila. I like it! Nose is floral-Palette is pepper and some alcohol. Finish is long and warm. Love it!!!!

2 oz pour with this being my first experience with Santo. Pleasantly surprised by this one. The nose is dominated by cooked agave, but also includes some minerality and pepper. These notes follow through on the palate, with the pepper being more pronounced. There was also a “minty”, almost vegetative note on the mid palate. The finish was moderately long and overall enjoyable. Loved it and will go back to Santo in the future!

Feel the heat but don’t taste. Smooth

This high proof blanco from Sammy Hagar is a quality tequila. It has an intensely aromatic nose that serves up cooked agave with lemon citrus and baked spices. The palate is concentrated and complex, with some subtle floral notes and briny green olives on the finish. In my opinion Sammy has a real home run with this on as a sipping tequila or great for mixing a tasty cocktail Saludos