Four years ago, the t1 Tequila (aka Tequila Uno) line hit the scene, a Highlands bottling with the standard three expressions on tap. Now t1 is back with a rarer expression: an extra anejo with 3 1/2 years of age on it. As with the other aged t1 tequilas, there’s a twist: Those years are spent not in the usual bourbon barrels but rather in Scotch casks.

Let’s give it a spin, shall we?

The nose kicks off with big agave and bright citrus notes — lemon and grapefruit — with a kind of smoky underpinning, giving it a hint of a mezcal character. On the palate, the tequila bursts with flavor — again, there’s far more agave than most extra anejos offer, with the intense vegetal character you usually only see in a blanco. As this fades, the tequila offers notes of black pepper, grapefruit peel, and barrel char. This lattermost note endures on the finish, giving Sensacional a distinctly whiskeylike character to it, with wood transporting it to another world.

Sensacional is certainly unique, but with that said, I’m not entirely sure that it works as well as it should. The use of Scotch casks really takes this into a different direction than any other XA I’ve encountered to date, with a heavy, almost overpowering barrel influence making itself known. What remains on the tongue when it’s said and done is something like a watery version of an Islay-heavy blend. Nothing exactly wrong with that, but not really what I wanted in my tequila.

84 proof.

B / $140 / t1tequila.com

t1 Tequila Extra Anejo Sensacional

$140

8

Rating

8.0/10