Review: Hornitos Cristalino Tequila Anejo
The latest expression from Hornitos — it’s been on a tear lately — is Cristalino, an anejo tequila that is filtered back to clear.
Let’s dig into this 100% agave offering.
Whole most tequilas of this style are predominantly anejo-esque in style, Cristalino drinks less like an anejo and more like a “best of both worlds” tequila. The nose is fairly pungent with green, blanco-like agave notes, including some powerful herbal hints of sage and black pepper. On the palate, more anejo-like notes take hold, including caramel-laden sweetness, though this is cut with more of that pepper and spice, both of which begin to dominate as that sweetness quickly fades. The finish is surprisingly biting, a bit punchy with some uncharacteristic raw alcohol notes.
Filtered anejo is becoming an increasingly popular style for tequila, and while Hornitos’ expression is credible enough, you’ll find more interesting bottlings available elsewhere.
80 proof.
B / $30 / hornitostequila.com
Hornitos Cristalino Tequila Anejo
$30
I drink my anejo by sipping it straight. The store clerk talked me into trying Crystalino when they didn’t have the regular anejo. IMHO it is one step above Cuervo gold, and an entire flight of stairs below unfiltered Hornitos anejo. Guess there’s a bottle’s worth of margaritas in my future.