After first inhaling the aromas of CDL, I immediately went down and grabbed a pour of Siempre Vivo. While CDL gets its smoke note from earthen pit cooking, Vivo does it through fermentation (my guess). These don’t have the exact nose but they do remind me of each other. The CDL has a nice agave nose with a touch of smoke that follows. It is earthy with minerals coming out. It smell vegetal aromas with a touch of citrus and brine. A slight alcohol presence. On the tongue this is beautiful. Nice cooked agave and the flavors from the earthen pit. A bit of black pepper and minerals it is even a touch fruity. I get pineapple and citrus fruits like lemon peel. The viscosity is good and the finish lingers. It is unfortunate that this is such a unicorn and so bloody expensive. It loses points for price. The Vivo I compared it with is a much better value.

Clean agave. Classic Cascahuin profile on the nose and palate. Slight bitterness mid palate that switches to pepper and follows through on the finish. It’s nice

Nose: agave raw / earth / mineral / pepper and vegetal / smoke / pineapple/ grapefruit/ lime / bell pepper/ sage / lavender/ alcohol Taste: pepper/ vanilla/ sweet agave /cinnamon Bomb! /pineapple/ grapefruit / lime / anise / spearmint/ tobacco/ cream soda Finish: very low viscosity mouthfeel that coats the palate in a gentle way / lingering sweet agave, cinnamon, vanilla, and pepper combine into a highly unified flavor that still allows individual notes to pop out / gentle and delicate cessation of the sip is in stark contrast to bold flavors that start the sip This blanco is something special. It has a balanced, harmonious set of tasting notes that create a singular unified taste. To my palate, that is one of the signs of mastery of the art of tequila; a memorable singular taste that is a combination of the many flavors, yet the trained palate can detect each note if they wish too, or just decide to taste Cerro de Luz, as though the expression itself IS an actual singular flavor. Thoroughly enjoyable and delicious, though I feel the nose is a bit weak.

Aug 2024 i got to try Cerro de luz again from a sample Pepe sent me. I had tried a sample a few months ago, compliments of my friend Tom Hendry. I'm fortunate to have good friends who share! Tasting Profile: I got mint, pineapple, bubble gum, banana, smoke, cooked agave. Very complex. Nice finish, a little dry with some pepper on the end. Overall, I appreciate this expression. It's not my favorite profile (smoke) nor is it my favorite cascahuin expression. But it's quality tequila made the artisinal way.

Initial aroma has a distinct mineralogy along with sweet fruit. Over time, a smokiness begins to emerge along with black pepper. Flavor has a more raw agave sweetness that smoothly moves to slight smokiness and then a peppery heat. Medium finish. Compared to the Aniversario, the Cerro seems more integrated/cohesive. Rather than blocky/chunky flavor jumps (Aniversario) the Cerro moves smoothly from one point to another. Side-by-side Aniversario-Cerro-Brix 4-4-2023

Very very nice. Love the cooked agave on front some fruitiness like grilled pineapple or melon on the front end, little smoke from the burn put but not over powering, minerality, and pepper. Well done every good

Absolutely stunning, agave forward with lovely nutty & citrus notes, very unique. This loses points on this rating format because it’s absurdly expensive. Too bad this is out of reach for most consumers.

I'm glad that I waited a week to review, on my second night enjoying the ultra-rare Cerro de Luz. Popping the top on night one was a bit of a shock, given the craze and excitement surrounding this limited release. However, my patience was rewarded by the juice opening up and revealing a balance between cooked agave, smoke (hit me harder than other reviewers that described the smoke as "subtle"), pepper, strong minerality, a hint of citrus, wet earth, cinnamon. It's certainly worthy of the hype. It's a shame that it's such a limited release (points deducted on price).

Just can't give more than 5 on value. I really, really, REALLY like it but cost is prohibitive.

Amazing from nose to finish. Top 3 blancos I’ve ever tasted.

The nose is very much agave, minerals, and a saline note that is very nice. There’s an earthiness that I’m used to in Cascahuin but this is interesting. It’s not a dull earth, it’s more of a wet soil smell. Some citrus and then when it opens up, it gets more floral. The palate is definitely agave, a light smoke, and I’m getting those minerals. A little sweeter and less rounded earthiness. Some citrus and a fruity note that I find very nice. Overall, fantastic. This is the best I’ve had from Cascahuin. I’m going to give it a 5 on value because I’ve seen it from 79.99 all the way to 199.99. Super grateful to have tried this, very delicious.

Earthy mineral goodness! Smells earthy and grassy with notes of petricore, and longer tears. I’m tasting earth, agave, minerals, white pepper, anise, and orange rind, with a creamy mouth and a medium-long finish. The earthen pit cooking comes through, though not as smoky as Aniversario. Knocked off some points for price, but I really enjoy this one.

Cascahuín Cerro De Luz NOM1123 Cascahuín makes excellent tequila and this special offering was made with such intentionality and purpose. It’s mature agave that’s roasted in an earthy pit and then crushed by a tahona before it ferments in open air wooden vats with fibers. Deep well water is used along with copper pot stills. It’s distilled at or near proof. The final product is 49% ABV - 98 proof. There’s an earthy minerality with rustic qualities. Slight petrichor with hints of lemon and lime zest. The agave is buttery and sweet with a faint vegetal note. The nose is soft and clean. You’d never know it’s just shy of 100 proof. The rustic minerality appears on the palate. The agave is dense and buttery. It’s viscous which leads to a nice long finish. There’s lemon and lime zest with a spicy capsaicin tingle. There a sweet and tangy mixture of bell peppers, smoked jalapeños and raw honey. The smoke appears on the mid palate and lingers into the finish. There’s hints of cloves, peppercorn, anise and sweet peppers. It’s a delicious full flavored high proof Blanco that full of flavors. It’s complex without being confusing. Only 2,250 bottles are available worldwide so it’ll be hard to get one but if you have the chance get it.

This is an amazing example of an incredibly well made Blanco, with pepper, citrus, sweet cooked agave, fantastic finish and mouth feel

Nose: smoke, big mineral presents, celery leaves, ripe pear, and sweet agave Flavor: smoke, caramelized agave, dried cherries, mineral, and has a creamy mouth feel Finish: starts sweet with caramelized agave and goes to white pepper at the end

Amazing, this is to me more similar to the Tahona Blanco but with new layers of complexity. In a side by side with the previous Aniversario this new version is less smoky and has more fruit going on. Very very good but I think I liked more the previous iteration. Still would highly recommend to anyone looking for near perfection in a blanco.

Nose: Boom, agave. Light smoke, almost like when you blow a candle out. Licorice, anise, root beer, then hints of floral and mineral. Taste: A little up front burn mellowed by just the right amount of smoke, agave, cucumber, mint, and pleasant peppery burn on the finish. I've been on a kick where I've been putting a few drops of mezcal into in my Blanco a glass at a time so this it pushing all the right buttons for me.

Lord Almighty...this stuff is absolutely amazing, especially if you're a blanco purist, like me. I put it at the same rating as the previous Anniversario, also earthen pit cooked, but with a little less smoke and some more levels of diversity I would prefer this by a hair. This is phenomenal!!

Cascahuin Cerro de Luz offers a very balanced and inviting smoked agave soul, with dancing layers of citrusy and fruity notes. A pure, tropical nose with appearances of guava, yellow pear, pineapple and also sweet citrus aromas like blood orange. (It reminded me being at a campfire in Puerto Vallarta) Once you dive in, you're received by a subtle smoky and crisp entrance that doesn’t overpower it, rather complements the complexity of the aromas described above. This time it adds more character by showcasing notes from its unique process, such as minerals and sprinkles of slight clove, anise and sweet mint. It finishes on the back of your throat with that enjoyable bittersweetness from a blood orange. Every layer complements each other, there's no flavor clashes at all, but beware since you won't stop sipping it. It can be extremely elevated by a great mixologist, it just possesses great profile to be enjoyed sipped or mixed. Using both a Riedel and Glencairn glass, and letting it breathe for 5 mins. Great job Cascahuin team!

Nose: Green pear, cherry, ripe strawberry/guava, grilled pineapple and crisp lemon/lime. Bright minerals. An earthy orange/ginger/turmeric aroma. Faint mint and a note of celery. Sweet and musty, smoky anise. Flavors: Cinnamon, pepper, vanilla, anise, creamy leather and salinity. A delicate nuance of sweet yeast dough rising. Crazy rich agave - both caramelized and greenish notes. Melted butter luxuriousness on the palate. The tiniest bit of grapefruit pith taste on the back of the palate. Finish and Impressions: Seamless transitions between each element in the nosing and tasting. Near perfect harmony and balance: the boldest tones and meekest inflections lounge around leisurely in symphony.

en Naríz: cacahuate cocido, barro, adobe, pimientas, cítricos más cercano a la mandarina, frutal pera, piña, ciruela amarilla suavemente picante, con matices a te de limón. En boca: mucho agave, Terroso, picante pimienta y canela, levemente a anís, frutal guayaba madura, piña asada, el ahumado es sumamente tenue, que a diferencia del aniversario resulta mucho más placentero pues no opaca los demás sabores, tremendamente fresco pero peligroso, pues es difícil no querer seguir tomando

Light smoke, Earthy and complex with rich cooked agave, herbal undertones, and subtle minerality. The finish is smooth, with lingering notes of citrus and a hint of pepper.

Nose: Agave, Chamomile, Walnut, Jasmine, Vanilla, Minerals, Pineapple, Berries, Petrochor Mouthfeel: Light To medium Bidied Palate: Minerality, Floral, Grass, Berries, Cement, Brine Finish: Berries, Smoke, Tropical Fruit, Hint of Lactic, Sweet Bubblegum This was graciously given to me by Keith Bogart in a swap. I got a very complex palate and aroma from this one. To me, I see a lot of similarities between this and the Siempre Vivo from 1414. Maybe more minerality, less smoke and some suble differences in florala and fruity notes. Overall, this was such a treat to try amd I feel very lucky for being given the opportunity.

Nose: vegetal, cement, wet stone, minerality, wet earth, alcohol, pepper, citrus, floral, flowers, fruity Palate: floral, cement, pepper, light smoke, minerality, slight butter finish, citrus, cooked agave, brine, herbal, licorice, anise Cooked agave, briny cement stone long finish, minerality, light minimal hints of smoke barely there, I get a bitterness finish that I am not a fan of, for 49 does not drink like it very balanced and not burning overpowering note. More Alcohol on the aroma, vegetal lingering taste, warm finish. I get some some slight cocoa at the end a bit The finish was at first a bitterness then transitioned into anise and licorice. It’s ok not a favorite definitely not worth what people are paying on the secondary market.

Fantastic with loads of Mexican hot chocolate, smoky, spicy, berries, and tropical fruit tasting notes. Nose: Cooked Agave, Smoke, Pineapples, Guava, Bananas, Jalapeños, Maple Glazed Bacon, Strawberries, Bubble Gum, White Chocolate, Toasted Marshmallows Palate: Smoke, Strawberries, Raspberries, Luxardo Cherries, Milk Chocolate, Honey, Jalapeños, Cinnamon, Anise, Cooked Agave Finish: Cooked Agave, Chocolate Covered Strawberries, Honey, Date Syrup, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Bananas, Toffee