Tequila Ocho Single Estate Plata 2012
By Steve Coomes
Pouring just an ounce of Tequila Ocho Single Estate Plata 2012 from the bottle sends a rush of fruit into the air. Highly aromatic, but not busily so, this plata greets the nose with aromas of papaya, banana, grapefruit and cooked agave. Swirl it to yield some field grasses, a bit of butterscotch and even cooked bell pepper.
The taste is delightful: loads of agave, white pepper, some peppermint and after some time, a touch of salt. The distiller’s tasting notes mentioned pomegranate, but I didn’t get it. So I walked to my liquor cabinet for a whiff of Pama liqueur, the closest thing I had, and sniffed again.
Maybe, but not clearly.
His mention of green olive brine made sense to my sinuses, as did the his claim of “tutti-frutti.” For me, that came off a bit more like bubble gum, but not at all cloying as that might imply.
As expected, body is medium, and mouthfeel goes from zesty to soft. Some tingle up front, coolness at mid-palate and a modest finish. After a few minutes’ wait, you get that hint of salt.
Doubtless, a complex plata like this will shine in cocktails, but I’m just fine sipping it. Take your time with this and you’ll find some spice notes popping up within the rest. It’s certainly no sin to mix it in a cocktail, but I recommend something bold, such as replacing your rum of choice with it in a mojito. It’ll pair terrifically with the mint. Shaken with ice and poured neat—that’s a hot day treat!
Since Tequila Ocho’s products are single estate, each bottle is numbered in the event that collectors find it, well, collectible. For what it’s worth, the agave harvested for my bottle was from Rancho Refugio and the vessel numbered 8882. But truth be known, that does nothing to raise the odds of its collectability in my house. This tequila is a treat I’ll be drinking and sharing with friends over the holidays. At $44 per bottle, it’s worth getting another when this runs out.
Tequila Aficionado is proud to welcome rising star in tequila and travel journalism, Stephen Coomes, as a Contributing Writer and Reviewer. His steady gigs include roles as contributing editor for Nation’s Restaurant News (the U.S. restaurant industry’s largest publication), restaurant critic and feature writer for Louisville magazine, feature writer for Edible Louisville and Seafood Business magazines, Kentucky travel and dining contributor for Southern Living, and dining blogger for Insider Louisville. He also writes marketing, PR, web copy and ghostwrites for numerous private clients. You can visit Steve online at www.stevecoomes.com.
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