This Lot 1 was from Felipe Camarena's last barrels, so if you have the 1st lot, treasure and savor it. Not as dark as his other XAs but still a worthy bottle to continue his legacy. Agave, fruity, herbaceous, buttery, butterscotch, caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, spices, not too oaky. Nicely balanced. Some lot 1s may still be out there and the price seems to be going up on these. I grabbed a case upon release at 69 and now I see them at up to 169...

Aroma: Light, clean aromas of honeyed cooked agave, minerality, and sweet vanilla. Taste: Naturally sweet agave and honey, with the same clean minerality. Finish: A tasty conclusion of flavorful agave notes combined with vanilla, light caramel, and cinnamon. The flavor lingers for a while and does not lose any of its pleasantness. Overall: A superb, well-crafted tequila.

Nose: Floral with tropical fruit. Ripe melons and bananas. A hint of tart apricot and minerals. Warming vanilla and almond aromas. Gentle white pepper and an herbal element trying to peek through. Flavors: Medium pepper heat initially crowds out some of my earlier floral and tropical impressions. As my palate acclimatizes, I pick up salty caramel, some nuttiness and a coffee note. Also some honey, licorice and delicate oaking. Lots of sweet agave still on center stage here. Some slight bitterness creeps in.

Nicely balanced xa, slight heat with light barrel notes. Prefer the Paradiso 5 yr over this expression

Incredible XA. A real joy. Vanilla notes while keeping the agave. Very easy to drink.

Another great one from 1139. First, the light color is just amazing for an XA. Then, the aroma is filled with vegetal and mineral notes and virtually no classic barrel. The agave is also clearly present in the aroma. The flavor opens with a nice pepper spice and flows to present the sweet agave and subtle mineral notes. The finish is medium length with a slight bitter almond taste. This is a great tequila. 12/24/2020 - 8th Annual Xmas XA tasting

Super clear for an extra Añejo. Really warm, inviting aroma. Agave, slight pepper, caramel, butterscotch, citrus and a little lactic on the nose. Agave carries through nicely on the pallet. Definitely get oak, mild cinnamon, vanilla and a little smoke. The finish has a little oaky bitterness with semisweet chocolate coming through and ends with a hint of almond and mint. Great expression but probably not what some would expect from a tequila that’s been aged 5 years. The agave still shines here and it’s complemented nicely by the barrel.

Aroma : Sweet cooked agave with dried fruit, oak, and caramel. There is also some earth and mineral tones as well. Taste : Light bodied with a notable agave presence for an XA. There is some fruit, oak, and caramel here from the nose, as well as some butter and hazelnut. Finish : Long with sweet barrel notes, as well as a certain grassy quality that melds well with the earth and minerality. Another great expression from El Tesoro. Now I just need to get my hands on one of their special edition XA's.

Used a jarrito glass for this expression and it was the right choice. An explosion of aromas that stay around for a good while. Impressed on how much cooked agave flavor I could taste accompanied of black pepper and oak towards the end. Very well done XA.

No nonsense clean-tasting tequila that still pulls the agave forward with layers of oak, vanilla, honey, cinnamon, and orange peel. For an XA the oak isn’t overpowering in flavor or color. This is a near perfect XA.

This is tied with Carlos other perfection, Tapatio XA for the greatest nose ever. Caramel, agave and sweet vanilla get chased off by butterscotch and cinnamon. The taste is perfectly similar. No burn no need for anything but enjoyment. This is excellence

Light in color for an Extra Añejo, though not as light as cousin Ocho, this has a very powerful aroma in a jarrito glass. Cedar wood, agave creme brule/burnt sugar, cinnamon all set up the first sip. Pepper, both agave and black were the first impression on sipping, followed by caramelized agave, stone fruit, and oak. The wood is well done and allows the agave to come through the layers of aging. A long satisfying finish that is all about flavor and those layers and less about alcohol, though there is some of that with some nice lip buzz. Very, very well done as you might expect from La Alteña. I like that the bottle label pays homage to Don Felipe Camarena Orozco the founder of what is NOM 1139 in 1937.

Batch No: EA005

Clean smell, citrus, honey, wild flower. bland taste, no oak, vanilla or chocolate notes. okay finish with hints of honey.

The quick heat and flavor coincide perfectly, and the finish is just perfection…flavor lingers and heat subsides for a mellow end.

Fruit jumps out

Just a fantastic agave forward XA. Quite rounded and complex. Delicious.

Aroma of cooked agave with strong cedar notes (I know it was aged in oak), then some oak, mint, spices. Flavor of agave, briwn sugar, light caramel, mint, cinnamon. For sure can taste the El Tesoro profile. Well balanced, not over woody. A gem.

Batch EA-002. Bottled on 04/04/2020. Color: very pale yellow. Nose: sweet cooked agave, camphor wood spiciness, menthol woody aromas like eucalyptus but it’s not. Palate: sweet cooked agave with good sweet and sour balance, fresh & crisp being an extra añejo. Finish is medium to long, the sweet cooked agave persists, although a slight bitterness emerges at the very end.

Sort of Mellow. Nice smell but doesn’t excite after that.

Batch 1

nose has strong agave, some floral. very nice. flavor is light for an xa. almost like a repo. very clean, agave, a mezcal hint. finish is agave dancing on your pallette.

nose - lots going on. Woody oak. sweet caramel. vanilla with a nice touch of agave. maybe a touch of alcohol. taste - nice woody oak again.goes to sweet vanilla. a little bit of pepper. lingers and lingers. agave comes through towards the end. real easy to drink.

Agave forward. Sweet caramel vanilla and wood from the barrel. No pepper here just smooth with some baking spices. A nice long sweet finish. One of my favorite and very similar to the fortaleza anejo. Just a bit pricey to get a similar taste. However more readily available.

Very light, crisp and clean. Awesome XA on the lighter side at a good price!