Two years ago, Tequila Milagro aimed to reinvent tequila with UNICO, a $300 blend of blanco and aged tequilas that had been filtered back to white — a technique born in the rum world that is exploding in popularity with tequila, too.

1,200 bottles were produced — and sealed in impossibly elaborate decanters — and surely these sold out quickly. Now Milagro is back with UNICO II — unico edicion dos — made using basically the same process: “aged silver tequila with rare barrel-aged reposado and añejo reserves, creating a super-premium joven blend.”

How does the 2014 expression of UNICO fare? We tried it so you don’t have to spend $60 a shot to find out.

Very pale yellow in color, the nose of UNICO II is one of a solid, well-aged reposado or possibly an anejo tequila. Classic vanilla and caramel mixes with a bit of bite of agave, creating a rather enchanting opening statement. The body is sultry — lemon pepper, marshmallow, lightly browned sugar, and a healthy slug of racy agave on the back end. The finish is vegetal and clearly, classically tequila, with just the slightest tempering of sugar syrup.

Overall this is an improvement over the 2012 expression of UNICO, but frankly it remains a simplistic rendition of the spirit, as my limited tasting notes might indicate. By filtering out all the color-bearing solids, I fear Milagro takes with it a lot of the flavor of those “rare reposado and anejo reserves,” leaving behind, basically, water and alcohol. Why not leave this at its natural color?

Anyway. The bigger issue here is, of course, the obvious one: 300 bucks can go an awfully long way toward buying some amazing tequila. Or you can get this pretty crazy bottle. YOU DECIDE.

80 proof. 1,500 bottles produced.

B+ / $300 / milagrotequila.com