Are Fuenteseca's aged tequilas great? Absolutely, yes. Are they worth $700-plus? Well...
Welcome back to FTW's Beverage of the Week series. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage that pairs well with sports. Yes, even cookie dough whiskey.
Despite my recent turn toward agave, I remain a relative tequila neophyte. A decade-plus of avoiding the spirit thanks to the same kind of bad experience most of us have with it (thanks, Pepe Lopez!) left me to play catch-up while churning through beer and whiskey and developing my palate there.
That's changed thanks to my role as FTW's resident drinks expert, but despite expanding my horizons I'd never had anything like Fuenteseca before. While the añejos I'd tried had the spirit's standard one-to-three years of aging, I hadn't seen a tequila maker who leaned into long, Scotch-esque barrel times like the Jalisco-based distiller.
Fuenteseca sent airplane bottles of its seven, 18 and 21-year expressions for sampling. I was excited to dig in. Here's how it turned out.
Extra Añejo Reserva 7 years: A
I typically drink tequila with ice. But I typically don't drink tequila that's spent more than a couple years aging, let alone the long-enough-to-develop-back-pain stretch Fuenteseca has made its identity. I'm expecting the same effects you get from whiskeys, where there will be nice oak influences -- a little caramel and vanilla with a little sweetness -- and a mellow spirit.
It smells like a typical añejo. A very nice añejo with warm agave and those sweet notes you'd expect from a tequila that got all the way to second grade inside a barrel. But there's also a minor spice; a little cinnamon and clove that gets me pretty excited about the whole deal.
The first sip is extremely mellow up front. You're left wondering where the flavor went when, whoosh, it all clocks in toward the end. This is a *dense* finish, one that rushes through cinnamon and sugar and vanilla and maybe even a little wintergreen. That all works against a backdrop of agave and oak -- that's the low-key start and the foundation that carries everything along.
It's a great sipper and undoubtedly unlike anything I've had before. The flavors are familiar, but the sudden rush at the end is not. At $300ish (I saw it as low as $177 online) it's not cheap by a long shot. But it brings an extra layer to your anejo that makes it more than a conversation piece. Is that worth the price? Man, I dunno, probably not for me -- but if you've got the cash and you love tequila, absolutely go for it.
Extra Añejo Reserva 18 years: A-
So on we move to an $800-ish bottle. Cool, cool. Totally normal stuff.
It pours maybe a smidge lighter than the seven year, which wasn't what I'd expected but also, I'm colorblind. It's possible I'm wrong. The smell has a little more dessert flavor to it, with some cherry and chocolate with that agave and oak. There's also a little bit of boozy warmth toward the end.
The opening impression is sweet up front but tame. That vanilla is more pronounced up front before a brief agave and oak interlude. Then we get the tempest; swirling cinnamon and spice and a little bit of that chocolate sweetness.
It's a little more intense than the seven year. Probably not worth tripling the price for, but the result is another exceptionally smooth tequila with some wild and complex bursts of flavor. As you'd expect, there's a little warmth but nothing that approaches burning. Dig in and you get some interesting herbal notes -- clove, anise and more -- but the general vibe is a soothing hard candy through and through.
Extra Añejo Reserva 21 years: A-
$1,200 for 750 milliliters of this one. Good lord.
My first impression here is a bit unique. I didn't seal the bottle tightly enough and spilled some on my hands. Because I was born with terminal poor brain my first instinct was to lick it up and... dang. No harshness, no burn, nothing but the agave to let you know you're dealing with something boozy.
To which, hell yeah. This pours similarly light as the 18 year but smells lighter. The soft agave and sweet oak are there. There's a little bit of the cinnamon and some spice that gives off a mild apple pie vibe. Without the apples, obviously, but that's an interesting place to start. Despite two decades in a barrel, there isn't an overwhelming oak influence here. It's noticeable, but it doesn't dominate the spirit underneath.
The first sip opens with a little cinnamon and carries more spice throughout the gulp. That cinnamon is the headliner this time around; spicy and a little fruity. Then the vanilla and oak come into play, giving you a well rounded but immensely drinkable dram that ranges back toward the "fancy hard candy" that came into play with the 18-year. It all gives the vibe of a weekend at grandma's house except, whoops, grandma not only loves the sauce but is capable of spending tons of money on it.
This is a lovely drink. Not one I would pay $80 per glass for just to drink at home, but that's me. The vanilla, cinnamon, oak and agave weave a braid other tequilas can barely turn into a knot.
Would I drink it instead of a Hamm's?
This a pass/fail mechanism where I compare whatever I'm drinking to my baseline cheap beer. That's the standby from the land of sky-blue waters, Hamm's. So the question to answer is: on a typical day, would I drink Fuenteseca's specially aged tequilas over a cold can of Hamm's?
Let's start with the conversion rate. The cheapest I can find the Fuenteseca seven-year online is $177. That puts it at about $12 per 50-millililer pour. For that same $12 I can go to Woodman's and buy at least 24 cans of Hamm's. So the math is not in Fuenteseca's favor.
But it was never supposed to be. It's a luxury; a unicorn that applies Scotch scarcity to the minimally aged arena of tequila. The end result is a unique, satisfying expression that brings big complex flavors that hit my tongue in a way unlike any tequila I've ever had.
The quality and novelty of the seven-year carried over to the older, more expensive expressions. Those were great, but there's a sliding scale of diminishing returns on that flavor. The 21-year is better than the seven-year. It's not four to six times better, as the price would indicate.
The Fuentesecas old enough to fight for their country are more conversation starter than must-have spirit. That's totally fine! There's room for that! But that recommended seven-year is still a bottle that approaches $200 at your local, fancy, liquor store.
So, it's not for everyone. I wouldn't have sought it out other than to review it. I probably won't be buying it because, you know, poor brain. But I'm glad I tried it. If you're the kind of person who likes impressing your friends with fancy stuff, each bottle is an opportunity. It's very good tequila. Whether that's worth the price is entirely up to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
an hour ago
- CNBC
Psychologist: It's 'necessary' for parents to make mistakes—your kids are more likely to grow up successful
It's easy to want to be the perfect parent when you have kids, but making mistakes as a parent is pretty natural. In fact, it's part of the equation for raising successful kids, developmental psychologist Aliza Pressman told "The Mel Robbins Podcast" in an episode that published on July 28. When your kids see you making mistakes, they learn that messing up doesn't mean there's something inherently wrong with them — lessening the pressure they may feel to be completely mistake-free, said Pressman. Giving your kids permission to mess up can help them become happier and more successful as adults. "If our kids didn't see [our mistakes], they would not have much hope that they get to make mistakes and grow and still be loved and be worthy," Pressman said. Your parenting mistakes will be unavoidable, she said — from forgetting to pack your kid's favorite snack one day to accidentally saying the wrong thing in front of them. "We are born as parents when our children are born," said Pressman, adding: "Of course we're messing up all of the time, because we're babies. We're baby parents ... [It's] a necessary part of this gig to keep making mistakes."What matters is how you respond to those mistakes, she said. She recommended apologizing directly to your children, a process that she called "repair." Some other psychologists offer similar advice: Be "honest and direct" when apologizing to your child, child psychologist Tovah Klein told CNBC Make It in October 2024. Kids can mistake a parent's outburst as something more serious and long-lasting than you likely intended, she noted. Try simple phrases like "I'm sorry I yelled," or, "I apologize, I shouldn't have done that," said Klein, the director of the Barnard College Center for Toddler Development. Parenting experts often stress the importance of modeling the kind of behavior you want your kids to learn. "Want your kids to not be addicted to their screens? Don't be on your phone all the time in front of them. Want them to be active? Let them see you exercise," Theo Wolf, an educator at Spike Lab, wrote on March 27. Your children learn from a variety of your behaviors, from traits and values — like mental resilience or self-awareness — to your day-to-day actions and the language you use when you think they're not listening, added Wolf, a coach at New York-based Spike Lab, an entrepreneurship program for teenagers. "Be mindful of the examples you set for them," he wrote. "If you want them to grow up to be responsible, purposeful, hard-working, and above all, happy, embody those traits yourself."
Los Angeles Times
3 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Adrian Forte's Fried Plantains With Pickled Scotch Bonnet Aioli
This simple starter of fried plantains quickly became the star of the menu at Adrian Forte's modern Caribbean restaurant Lucia, which opened on Fairfax Avenue in the spring. The caramelized, crispy plantains are heightened with a pickled Scotch bonnet aioli that's based on a recipe from Forte's 'Yawd' cookbook and served on the side. Forte calls the pickled Scotch bonnet aioli his 'utility paste' and always has some on hand to add to chili, lasagna, rice, a marinade, dressing or any number of dishes. Think of it as a condiment like sambal oelek; you can use it everywhere. Note that pickling Scotch bonnets reduces the heat. The longer they are pickled, the less heat they have, but watch out — the heat that leaves the peppers is absorbed by the vinegar so the longer they stay in there, the hotter the vinegar liquid gets.
New York Post
4 hours ago
- New York Post
Is it ‘rude' to box up leftovers when someone else pays? Father-son argument over to-go food sparks debate
A 28-year-old man got into a dispute with his father after asking for a to-go box at a restaurant — dividing diners on Reddit and prompting a larger discussion about etiquette. In a post, the man wrote that the dispute began after his family went out to eat at a diner, on his father's dime. 'I ordered a main course but also felt like I was in the mood for a side dish, so I ordered it as well,' the Reddit user wrote. 'My eyes were bigger than my stomach, because I was unable to finish my food. I asked for a to-go box.' But his dad was peeved by the move, the Redditor said. Soon thereafter, his father told him what he had done was 'rude' and 'that when someone else is paying for your meal, you shouldn't order extra stuff if you won't be able to finish,' the man wrote. The man added that his father 'meant well' and was trying to teach him a lesson — but he did not take the advice well. They 'got into an argument and I offered to pay him back if it bothered him so much, and he said I was missing the point,' the man recalled. 'I didn't think it was that absurd to get a to-go box. Was I an a–hole?' 4 A 28-year-old man got into a dispute with his father after asking for a to-go box at a restaurant — dividing diners on Reddit and prompting a larger discussion about etiquette. Suzi Media – Many agreed with the father. 'If someone else is paying, you don't order up big, that's just rude,' one of the commenters said. 'I wouldn't be happy either. Be a little more respectful next time.' '[My] nephew used to do this all the time until I put a stop to it,' another said. 'Not appropriate when someone else is paying.' A third person wrote, 'I have a grandson who does this. He orders a huge amount of food, takes a few bites and leaves the rest… It's rude and wasteful.' 4 'I ordered a main course but also felt like I was in the mood for a side dish, so I ordered it as well,' the Reddit user wrote. 'My eyes were bigger than my stomach, because I was unable to finish my food. I asked for a to-go box.' cherryandbees – Others sided with the original Reddit poster, arguing the father was unnecessarily harsh. 'What sort of dad doesn't want to feed his kid?' one person wrote. 'He sounds awful, and I wouldn't go with him again.' 'It is very easy to over-order if you are hungry or if you don't know the portions this place serves,' another said. 'You apologized and offered to pay. That should be the end of it.' 4 His father told him what he had done was 'rude' and 'that when someone else is paying for your meal, you shouldn't order extra stuff if you won't be able to finish,' the man wrote. ruslanshug – Texas-based etiquette expert Pat Durham told Fox News Digital that both parties handled the situation imperfectly. 'When we are a guest and someone else is paying for our food, we should be considerate of our host and his or her pocketbook,' Durham said. 'In this instance, ordering an additional side was inappropriate.' 4 The Reddit story sparked a divided response, with some comments agreeing with the father, while others took the son's side in the disagreement. Viacheslav Yakobchuk – However, the dad 'didn't handle the situation well, either,' the decorum pro said. 'The offending party missed the whole point,' she added. 'But, children can only know what they learn from their parents and others in positions of teaching and mentoring.'
