Review: Milagro Tequila UNICO
Aiming to “redefine” the tequila world, Milagro is releasing a new joven tequila with an outrageous price tag. Just 1,200 bottles of UNICO have been made, starting with a “kitchen-distilled” base of white spirit produced with 13 kilos of agave per liter. This base is blended with aged stock (the details of which aren’t released), rested for 30 days, then filtered and oxygenated back to clear. (This, of course, isn’t a mixto-type joven — the other usage of that term — but rather a clarified mix of young and aged 100% agave tequila.)
Results: Curious. The color is not clear but rather a very, very pale yellow. The nose is intensely vegetal, with cooked mash, fuel, and astringent elements. On the palate, much more intrigue than the nose would indicate: Notes of sweet caramel, cooked vegetables, raw agave, licorice, and charcoal. Unusual to the point of oddity, this tequila is hardly the smooth blanco you might expect for 300 bones, but rather a complex monster of a spirit that is one of the most challenging I’ve encountered recently. Sadly, no matter what you think about the approach, the balance is lacking among these various flavors, and UNICO isn’t so much a cohesive tequila but rather a bit of a muddy encounter.
80 proof.
B / $300 / milagrotequila.com
Milagro Tequila UNICO
$300
The bottle looks like it could be handy if you ever need to club someone who’s trying to convince you that Patron Silver is the best tequila in the world.
I just bought a bottle of this thinking that it has to be good as it is a joven and is $270 right!?! Boy was I wrong! I can’t believe Milagro has the guts to bottle this swill and call it a premium tequila and charge this kind of money. My friends and I bought Casa Dragones, Grand Mayan, and Casamigos anejo all of which slaughtered the Milagro! I tried to console myself with the fact that it is a cool bottle but realized I had another Milagro anejo bottle that was just as cool for only $89 and the tequila actually tasted good! for the other 1,499 people out there, don’t waste your hard earned money!