Revel Avila Reposado Review [Transcript]

ALEX: You’re watching Sipping off the Cuff on Tequila Aficionado.com. I’m Alex Perez in Southern California.

MIKE: I’m Mike Morales, I’m losing my mind here in San Antonio.

ALEX: Mike. You having agave problems?

MIKE: I´m having – These are agave problems. #agaveproblems

ALEX: Agave desmadres?

MIKE: Agave desmadres. We’re having Revel Avila. If you’ve been with us on the blanco situation, you know that this is …

ALEX: The blanco situation.

MIKE: The blanco situation that we just taped. That´s a desmadre, the situation, isn’t it? Anyway, we tasted the blanco. Very unusual flavor profile. It is an agave spirit technically. From Morelos, outside of the denomination of origin.

ALEX: So this is aged, the repo.

MIKE: Yeah. What did the website say, Alex, that it’s aged in what or for how long?

ALEX: It’s aged in … we don’t have a whole lot of information on that …

MIKE: No. It’s very, very …

ALEX: Aged 12 months in American oak barrels.

MIKE: Twelve months?

ALEX: Yeah, 12 months.

MIKE: And it’s considered a reposado.

ALEX: Yep. Well, they’re not tequila, so …

MIKE: Oh okay, so they can call it whatever the hell they want!

ALEX: They can call it whatever they want. So that’s …

MIKE: I feel better now.

ALEX: I’m so confused.

MIKE: I’ve gotta get out of that tequila mindset because this is an agave spirit, they can do whatever the hell they want!

ALEX: Right.

MIKE: Okay, so …

ALEX: Interesting nose, Mike.

MIKE: Wow, there’s that nose again, man!

ALEX: It’s earthy, it’s ..

MIKE: Yeah, it’s game-y.

ALEX: It’s game-y, yeah!

MIKE: It’s game-y tequila. I figured it out! It’s game-y.

ALEX: Yes! Hit it on the nose. Game-y meaning…?

MIKE: Well, you know when you have chicken, Alex?

ALEX: It’s unusual. It’s wild, it’s wild.

MIKE: But it’s not wild. Not even that. You know when you have chicken…(laughing) Let’s say you´ve had fried chicken…

ALEX: That tastes like wood?

MIKE: Yeah. But that’s – My dad, God bless him, he used to say “it’s not chicken, it’s rooster.” It’s rooster! So it’s game-y in a rooster kind of way, all right. That’s all I can tell you.

ALEX: It’s got an interesting nose. Almost a medicinal nose.

MIKE: Yeah. It’s almost a …

ALEX: Isn’t it?

MIKE: But it’s a triple-distilled, so it´s not – I don’t believe that it’s coming from the distillation. In other words, it’s not a mistake in distillation. It’s really the terroir that we’re getting out of Morelos.

ALEX: It’s the terroir and it’s the barrel.

MIKE: That’s really…

ALEX: I do get some wood notes. I get like a light vanilla. Interesting, huh?

MIKE: That is a really unusual nose, man.

ALEX: Wow, the mouth, the taste on this one is actually really interesting.

MIKE: Just breathing it in is interesting. Wow, that is just… What is that?

ALEX: It’s just a different spirit. It’s a completely different spirit. I guess this is what’s considered avila.

MIKE: Avila.

ALEX: It’s a nice …

MIKE: Mmm. On the retronasal, there’s more of the wood notes, more of the honey, more of the caramel. Yeah yeah.

ALEX: Really different from the blanco.

MIKE: But here’s what I’m getting, too, Alex, I got something familiar. Like a mezcal. I actually got some agave, like a – almost like a smoke. It’s almost like mezcal-like.

ALEX: I´m thinking – I think that’s coming from the wood, obviously.

MIKE: Well it might be enhancing the agave itself, because I didn’t get any kind of… You know, I didn’t get any of that in the blanco.

ALEX: I’m getting some vanilla, too, on the run- on the top end.

MIKE: The retronasal’s very pleasant. It’s very nice. And it kind of –  as much as they tried to tame the gameiness, the 12 -months didn’t do it, which is not a bad thing! You know, because then you want the flavor profile to shine through of the agave, right?

ALEX: Right.

MIKE: What are you getting in the Glen Cairnn? Are you getting anything special?

ALEX: It’s actually very good. No. Well, I’m getting more of the vanilla notes.

MIKE: See, right here I’m getting like smoke, Alex, and I’m not going very far. It’s almost like a smokiness …

ALEX: Right on the top end?

MIKE: Yeah! Right here. I don’t even have to go very far.

ALEX: Let´s try that. Yeah. Just a touch of smoke.

MIKE: And you’re right, it’s coming from the barrel, it’s not coming from – it´s not like this has been overcooked.

ALEX: No, or smoked.

MIKE: Or smoked. We don’t know what they’re baking and/or cooking the agave in. We don’t know if it’s adobe, brick, underground. We don’t know anything about this. We don´t – The only thing we know is it’s triple distilled, and even then we don’t know if it’s stainless steel or copper.

ALEX: Yeah. Revel, you need put your notes down there!

MIKE: Give us more!

ALEX: More information.

MIKE: You know, you can´t – we really can’t go on the nose alone. It’s interesting on the nose, but we need to have more. We need to know where this effect is coming from.

ALEX: I’m gonna say it’s American oak barrels.

MIKE: Well, okay.

ALEX: Different from the añejo, which we’re gonna try next.

MIKE: Well, the American oak is giving it a very pleasant retronasal. I love that retronasal. They´re using some – It smells like they’re using some decent barrels.

ALEX: Mmm! I actually got some brown sugar.

MIKE: Oh! Okay, okay. So the barrel is doing the majority of the work here is what we’re saying.

ALEX: Yeah.

MIKE: Ok.

ALEX: I like this, Mike.  I think the wood’s really complemented the spirit. It’s very good.

MIKE: It’s just so hard to pinpoint the blanco.

ALEX: Sure.

MIKE: That this tastes more like some mezcals that I’ve had. Resting in the wood, like it is, and now it gives the blanco a mezcal flavor, I don’t even want to say flavor profile so much as reminiscent of a mezcal. And I would say that starts at the reposado.

ALEX: Right.

MIKE: Because that blanco was so unusual. I don’t know what to do with it. I don’t!

ALEX: It’s just it´s another category.

MIKE: Yeah.

ALEX: Yeah. Very good.

MIKE: You know what else, too, Alex? When I do this, I’m getting like tobacco. A lot of tobacco. I’m getting a …

ALEX: I get you.

MIKE: Like, maybe even a bitter chocolate.

ALEX: It’s opening up, huh?

MIKE: Yeah. It doesn’t take much, either. You know, even in a Riedel glass, I’m right here. You don’t have to go very far.

ALEX: It’s opening up to ya. Hello.

MIKE: What was it that Marty from Glen Cairnn said? You know that one of his teachers said that he would hold the Glen Cairnn here, and if it came up to greet you, it was really a special spirit. This one doesn’t take a whole lot. I don’t have to go digging for it. It’s right here.

ALEX: Yeah, it’s very good actually.

MIKE: I will say, for lack of a better descriptor, it’s a little bit gamey. If, you know, tastes like rooster. Kinda of chewy, you know, like lamb versus sheep. You know what I mean? It’s beefy. It’s just sinewy.

ALEX: It’s got a lot of substance.

MIKE: Yes.

ALEX: It’s a big spirit. It’s something you need to graduate to.

MIKE: I think so. I think you need to get used to it, but I like the fact that the reposado is now giving it the reminiscence of a mezcal. So I like that. I think  I’d prefer the reposado to the blanco myself.

ALEX: It does stand on its own.

MIKE: Yeah, it does.

ALEX: Yeah, really good.

MIKE: I think so. I think, again …

ALEX: I think this one, without a doubt: Brand of Promise.

MIKE: Yeah, Brand of Promise in the agave spirit category from Morelos.

ALEX: Yeah, there’s a lot of stuff going on. It’s still opening up for me.

MIKE: It is, too! It’s like every time you go back to it. This is one of those that you’ve got to really pay attention to.

ALEX: Take your time.

MIKE: Yeah. That blanco was just completely confusing to me, but this one I can get behind because it´s – there are descriptors in my head, in my olfactory senses that I remember. But yeah, I think again, if you’ve had it and you’re in the Twin Cities area or wherever you can find this, give us your notes down below. Tell us what you think. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and …

ALEX: Revel, give us more info.

MIKE: Yes! Please, please more info! I’m Mike Morales here in San Antonio.

ALEX: I’m Alex Perez in Southern California. We’ve been watching Sipping off the Cuff with Revel. Try it! What an interesting agave spirit.

MIKE: Yep.

ALEX: As always, sip wisely.

 

For more details beyond the review, read:

Revel Avila Agave Spirit Facts

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