2022 Cerro Del Gallo | Nose: Both fresh green agave aromas and the bouquet of Las Alambiques horno cooked agave in its cooling stages. Sweet cinnamon. Minty Mediterranean oregano. Freshly sliced sweet green apple. Taste: Medium pepper and sweetness in tandem. Light oils and salinity. Pepper heat does accumulate while sipping. Medium long finish. This is a refreshing, light blanco.

2022 La Estancia | This Rancho is atypical, having a grey soil rich in calcium and containing limestone. Nose: Crisp entrance. Fragrant lime oils and orange peel. A tease of cinnamon, nutmeg, mint and thyme. Tart apples. A grind or two of black pepper. Flavor: Buttery and slightly oily. Ratcheting pepper heat. Vanilla, allspice and salinity making peekaboo appearances. The citrus notes hold their ground, marrying nicely with the agave and baking spice. Finish: A sweet and round, mouth filling finish. La Estancia is a departure from other recent Ocho Plata releases. Another classic study in terroir.

2017 Las Aguilas | Agave and mineral nose, adding earth, sweetness, and red hots on the flavor. Very nice.

2022 El Nacimiento | What a beautiful tequila. I am partial to blancos and Ocho quickly became one of my favorite on the first sip. It’s soft aroma delicately takes you to Tequila, MX, with the smell of agave in the air. It’s followed by white pepper and slight citrus. Nothing is over represented. It’s incredibly well balanced. I might make my wife wear this behind her ear as a perfume. Tasting is agave forward, as I would expect from a finely produced tequila. It’s subtle pepper rests gently on a bed of earthy herbs, citrus, and flowers. I don’t need to buy a ticket or GDL. Mexico is delivered in this gorgeous juice.

2022 El Nacimiento | 2022 El Nacimiento / Nose: heavy pepper, green apple, mineral, roasted agave, cloves, rosemary. Palate: white and black pepper, sweet roasted agave, bitter orange, lime peel, spring water, celery and cloves, green agave. Finish: peppery , bitter orange, cloves, medium mild, some heat.

2022 El Nacimiento | Even the synthetic cork smells of agave...tasting this I feel I'm tasting the new distillery and it 's location nearer to Arandas. Talk about terrior!! Air, water and equipment (still, fermentation tanks in particular) all new and not impregnated with the years of production and history at La Alteña is both a great and not so great experience. Fortunately the not so great part isn't degrading the quality of the product at all. Palate is all sweet roast agave, a touch of tip of tongue numbing ethanol and a nice citrus finish...lime zest with slight acidity and some orange tang on the fade.

2022 La Cañada | While La Mula was probably my favorite Ocho, this La Cañada is veeryy good. So much agave and fresh pepper, the finish is short for me though but it is nice to sip. A great lote.

2022 El Nacimiento | Wow what a beautiful nose. So bright. Agave, alcohol and citrus? The palate is nice with agave coming through and some earth? The finish was long and left my tongue a little buzzed and left me wanting more. Very curious to see how this one opens up.

2022 El Nacimiento | The 2nd Harvest of 2022 Nose: Bright citrus and apple notes. Earthy minerals. Gobs of agave. Cinnamon, cloves and hints of creamy vanilla. Slightly floral. A pinch of rosemary, thyme and celery. A crisp, clean profile. Flavor: Intensely sweet agave with an undertone of marzipan. The citrus, cinnamon and clove follow from the nosing - plus a measure of vibrant pepper. An oily opulent mouth feel. Finish: Pretty impressive package. Fruit and spice hang on a long while, with incredible natural sweetness.

2022 La Cañada | 2022 La Cañada | Nose: agave, cedar wood, Smokey ash, green guava, green banana, citrus, and hints of pepper. Palate: orange peel, peppermint, mineral, green guava. Finish: slightly hot, medium, light pepper, green tropical fruits, citric

2022 La Cañada | Nose: lots of sweet cooked agave, tropical flowers, ripe tropical fruit , pineapple, orange peel, mango, and spearmint Flavor: nice oily mouth feel, cooked agave, fruity, some spice and black pepper Finish: medium finish with spice and fruit and lingering pepper

2022 La Cañada | Lot BLA-043 28/04/2022 bottle 9795 Sooo much agave, on the nose, in the mouth, on the finish. Some citrus, cooked agave on the nose, and a heavy dose of minerals along with a bit of viscosity in the mouth makes this linger on the palate for a while fading to a nice warming peppery finish. 2022 looks to be another outstanding year for Ocho releases. It seems that Carlos has figured out some of the nuances of the new facility as I think this is more rounded than the El Tigre and earlier releases from NOM 1474.

2022 La Cañada | Cooked agave and citrus in the nose and fresh tropical green fruit, light on the nose like minerals or creek, spring water. Orange peel on the mouth with slight burn like black pepper or a mint

2022 La Cañada | This is the first Ocho Rancho to be harvested in 2022. Nose: A big slap of sweet caramelized agave. A floral bouquet - citrus blossoms, nasturtiums and a muted whisper of mint. Green peppercorns in brine. Fruity - pineapple, ripe berries, and mature guavas fallen from the tree, just beginning to over-ripen and ferment. A fusion of caramel and toffee anchors the lighter fruit and floral elements. Followed up with minerals and a faint damp cellar note. Flavor: Nutty, spicy honeyed agave. A kick of pepper riding its tail. Hints of earthy toasted almonds. Round and oily on the palate. Finish: A very pleasant ‘Goldilocks’ sipper that would appeal to a broad spectrum of tequila drinkers.

2020 La Loma | La Loma. Quite possibly the best blanco Ocho has ever made IMHO.

2021 El Tigre | 2021 El Tigre Aroma: floral, citrus and agave. I get a really faint hint of brown sugar or molasses. Flavor: I definitely get agave up front but it’s not quite a prominent as other Ocho’s I’ve had. I get a pretty strong pop of alcohol which I’m not used to with this brand. It fades but is a strong initial flavor for me. I get a good amount of citrus, orange peel or maybe grapefruit… it’s got a bitter presence, like lemon grass. Finish: agave and citrus finish. Bitterness. It fades quickly without much tingle. Overal: I love this brand and while 2021 El Tigre isn’t one of my favorite vintages, I love how each has such unique and prominent characteristics. This particular bottle gets big points for value. $60 for a liter at the Cabo airport.

2021 La Mula | Floral on the nose, turns into agave …. Some kind of fruitiness … light in the nose, flighty …. Slight burn, heat burn…. Black pepper … complex

2021 La Mula | MX release Bottle 10090. The agaves used for this release are from Jesus Maria. Six and a half years old and grown at 2,085 meters these were extremely ripe when harvested with sugar levels of 300g/kg or as it says on the label (30% de su peso). This is very fruity with citrus notes and heavy roast agave. A bit soft on the finish, mid palate this has a bit of pepper like I would expect to see from G4 and El Pandillo which is close by this fields location. 2nd release from the new distillery Los Alambiques.

2021 La Mula | Nose: cooked agave, tropical fruit and flowers, grapefruit, lime zest, earthy, and light clove Flavor: big cooked agave, tropical fruit, cinnamon, and light anise Finish: short to medium nice agave sweetness and ends with some anise bitterness

2020 Cerro Grande | A 1L bottle is interesting. Not sure of the reasoning, other than I believe I will thoroughly want and enjoy that extra 250ml. I've had quite a few Ocho blancos now and this one seems to be a bit unique. It's a bit fruitier and has different flavor characteristics.

2021 El Tigre | Simple and sweet. Nose: sweet cooked agave, hay, fresh air, mineral, green pineapple, parsley, black pepper, wheat, sweet yam. Palate: slight smokie, mineral, light white pepper, rosemary, dry chile, sesame seed and grapefruit. I need to get me some more bottles of this one before they are gone !.. I recommend !

2021 La Mula | This is probably the best Ocho blanco I’ve had. The cooked agave punches you in the face and then all the nuances of a balanced blanco follow. At 500 pesos in Mexico this is IMO one of the best blancos (if not the best) for the money so it wins some points for value.

2021 La Mula | The agave sweetness on this is off the charts! ART was around 32. Conammim, earth, vegetal, major caramelized cooked agave.

2021 El Pastizal | One of the last Ocho made at La Alteña this is earthy, peppery, briny with a nicely layered balance between those elements and the huge amount of roast agave sweetness on the palate. Harvested from a field at 2000 meters above sea level that had previously only been used as pasture land and is surrounded by oak and cedar trees this is exceptionally rich and viscous for an Ocho Blanco. It reflects, I think where it's from. Entirely the point of the brand philosophy. Adios La Alteña

2021 La Mula | This is the second run out of the new Los Alambiques distillery. Nose: Lightly spiced; albeit complex agave/amalgam entrance. A delicate touch of clove, nutmeg, powdered ginger and cinnamon clinging to the mango, green apple and cantaloupe fruitiness. A spritz of citrus and minerals. A splash of vanilla adds a comforting roundness to the aromas. An incredibly balanced nose - no individual notes crying out for special attention. Flavor: Robust cinnamon and pepper punch. Weighty and substantial in the mouth. Knock you out agave sweetness. Vanilla and almond paste, and a salinity that makes your mouth water. Some nuttiness as it fades. La Mula is much more than the sum of its individual notes. It’s a package deal that pleases in a gestaltist sort of way. La Mula is perhaps the best Ocho Plata in recent memory. It’s a winner.