Review: Solento Tequila, Blanco and Reposado
Solento is a new brand of organic tequila, made from agave grown at a single estate in Amatitán, Jalisco, in the Lowlands of the region. Packaged in striking rectangular decanters, they’re statement bottles… with statement prices.
We received two of the three expressions, a blanco and a reposado, for review. So let’s dig in. Both are 80 proof.
Solento Tequila Blanco – Unaged. Mild and earthy on the nose, but not vegetal or spicy, which makes for a subdued entry to the experience. The palate proves surprisingly sweet, with notes of nut butter and brown butter in attendance. With only the lightest touch of spice on the finish, the fadeout sees notes of lemon pepper and a lingering grassiness alongside a lingering spread of fresh sugar cane. Inoffensive and versatile, but far from full of flavor, it’s hard to remember another tequila in recent memory that comes across as mild as this one. B+ / $62
Solento Tequila Reposado – Aged 9 months in American oak barrels. The tequila’s DNA pushes through the barrel regimen to provide a nose that’s surprisingly familiar, though sweeter than the blanco, with some maple notes layered atop the core of fresh-turned earth and some notes of mixed greenery. The palate continues the theme, the sweetness here coming as less of a surprise, with notes of sesame oil, more of that brown butter, and a fragrant, gentle cinnamon note offering something of a baked goods character. Those maple notes endure on the more enveloping, slightly chewy finish. While it’s still a quiet tequila, there’s more going on here than in the blanco, this reposado establishing itself as a tequila that reveals itself in small, but pretty, layers. A- / $66
Solento Tequila Reposado
$66
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