BOTTLE DETAILS

• DISTILLER: Cascahuin, NOM 1123
• MASH BILL: 100 percent Weber Blue Agave
• AGE: 2 months or less
• YEAR: 2023
• PROOF: 96 (48% ABV)
• MSRP: $89.99
• BUY ONLINE: Sip Tequila

STEVE’S NOTES

SHARE WITH: Any tequila fan or non-fan you’re hoping to convert.

WORTH THE PRICE: Yes, especially for such a well-made spirit when low-quality celebrity brands cost much more.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Bottle.

OVERALL: As a quick introduction, Cascahuin (NOM 1123) is one of Mexico’s finest tequila makers. Humble, small and no-tech, the spirits coming from this distillery in El Arenal, Jalisco, Mexico, are truly handmade, and letting you see every step in the process shows their pride in transparency–or the owners’ unwillingness to make an effort to hide anything. If you’re already a tequila fan, you may not know that Arte Nome 1123, Siembre Valles, Terralta, El Negocio, Lagrimas Del Valle and more great tequilas are made there.

Its distinction as plata essentially means “blanco” or “silver,” which can be aged for as long as two months in a barrel. However, other brands distinguished as plata sometimes use the word to imply “something more special than mere blanco,” and this is the case here. In its name, “48” means distilled to 96 proof and bottled that way. (That’s right, whiskey fans, 96 proof off the still. And there are other still-strength tequilas lower than that!)

Still-strength tequila offers complexity on the nose and palate. Aromas never stop floating out of the glass, and the silken mouthfeel delivers a long and rich finish.

The nose on the Plata 48 is full-on petrichor, tropical fruit and cooked agave. Like so many tequila distilleries, fermenters (concrete here) are wide open to influence from airborne yeasts that creates abundant floral and citrus characters. Below the nearly candied aromas are whiffs of butterscotch, white chocolate and herbal notes.

Cascahuin 48 dazzles with mango and pineapple commingled with peppermint, spearmint and lemon. Beneath the rich, coating mouthfeel is a palate left practically humming. The finish, a mix of minerality, dried lime peel, white pepper and peppermint, disappears with a tingle at the top of the throat. The whole is elegant, entertaining and outstanding. Wholly worth the cost of a full bottle.

*Expect more reviews of spirits made at this iconic and historic distillery.

BRAND NOTES

None. The distillery has a website, but it lacks detailed pages.