Alto Canto Blanco, Reposado and Still Strength Tequila Review

BOTTLE DETAILS

• DISTILLER: Tequila El Rocio (NOM 1636)
• MASH BILL: Blue Weber Agave 100%
• AGE: 25 days in oak for blanco; no aging for high-proof blanco; 2 months to 364 days for the reposado
• YEAR: 2024
• PROOF: 80-98 (40%-49% ABV)
• MSRP: $80 for blanco, $90 for high-proof blanco, $105 for reposado
• BUY ONLINE: Sip Tequila

STEVE’S NOTES

SHARE WITH: Tequila fans.

WORTH THE PRICE: Not for me … but other experienced palates believe otherwise. See below.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Bar.

OVERALL: It’s not often I receive a full line of tequilas at once, but when I do, it’s a happy occasion. Tasting across blanco, reposado and anejo provides a broad look at the tequila unadorned, aged modestly or for a longer period. Well made and properly aged tequilas taste great and carry a house style through every expression.

In the case of Alto Canto (which translates to “highland song,”) I received one bottle each of blanco (80 proof), high-proof blanco (a.k.a. still strength at 98 proof) and reposado (80 proof). When I first tasted all three, I thought they were tight and some head space in the bottle to loosen up a bit. After many weeks, revisits of sips and a cocktail or two, they rounded off nicely.

What I found across all three expression was a faint and distracting sour/tart note, and not the often pleasant “funk” tied to agave spirits that are fermented with airborne yeast. When I read the Alto Canto product literature in the box and learned that the distillery–situated at 9,000 feet in the Jalisco mountains–creates a cycle of malolactic fermentation, the tart note made sense.

“Malo,” for short in winemaking circles, is a second fermentation that creates three basic results: a more viscous mouthfeel, unique aromas like buttered popcorn (by creating diacetyl), even baked bread (which I noted in a description below); and some acid, which brightens fruit notes, especially in wine.

Long story short, I didn’t like the acidic touch, but knowing my palate is but one, I thought it wise to question my opinion by reading others’ takes on Alto Canto at TequilaMatchmaker.com (TMM). The site’s reviews (written and ranked by the member community’s scores, as well as those from a smaller, collaborative panel) are always reliable. Of the 15 reviews on TMM, several who mentioned the acid notes regarded them pleasantly. One reviewer wrote, “If you like the funk, this is right up your alley!! Strong flavors but not overpowering. Great choice.”

Just one of the 15 reviewers paralleled my take on the slight tartness. That means 93% of those reviewers appreciated Alto Canto’s unusual characteristics. I respect that enough to point it out and be fair to Alto Canto.

Anyone who’s reviewed anything occasionally finds themselves the outlier among other commenters. When that’s happened to me, I sometimes think, “Y’all are crazy,” but in this case, I defer to the TMM folks for what is a sound majority opinion.

At BourbonBanter.com, we encourage others to “drink curious” rather than tell anyone what not to drink … unless it’s vodka. This spirit appears worthy of your own examination.

To my own results:

Blanco: On the nose is a faint malolactic sour note woven through aromas of cooked agave, ripe fruit, cooked green bell pepper, a little sage, light minerality, butterscotch, lemon candy and Hawaiian rolls.

The palate begins with roasted agave, malo-tartness, mild green pepper spice and not a lot else. Mouthfeel is slightly buttery though the finish is clean and short lived.

Reposado: Wet barrel and potting soil lead on the nose before cooked agave overcomes them. Tamarind (likely that malolactic touch), roasted pine nuts, barrel spice and a hint of cinnamon join grilled pineapple.

The palate begins slightly sour followed by flat coca-cola, some barrel spice and a little cooked agave. Not a lot going on here. The finish disappears quickly.

High proof blanco: The nose leads with cooked agave and white pepper, baked bread, Juicy Fruit gum and expressed lemon peel.

On the palate, it’s bright, light and spicy, and abundantly fruity and floral. White pepper is followed by spring flowers and lean minerality. Overall, the spirit lacks body and the finish is too brief. But it’s definitely my preferred spirit of the three, and I look forward to using it in cocktails.

BRAND NOTES

Alto Canto is distilled at the highest altitude of any tequila in Mexico using organic agaves cooked for 72 hours in traditional brick ovens. The agaves are macerated by tahona (a volcanic rock wheel) to prevent stressing the fibers, then transferred to wooden tanks for natural fermentation. A second malolactic fermentation brings flavors to their peak.

Wild malolactic fermentation occurs over 80 hours, with endemic yeasts creating a unique flavor profile. The fermented product is then distilled in copper stills. The high altitude causes the alcohol to evaporate at a lower temperature, resulting in a smoother tequila. Alto Canto ages its tequilas in new American oak barrels inside a building made from local adobe bricks, which breathe the terroir and allow for a slow extraction of flavors and aromas.

This process, called Tequila de Altura, reinvents the tequila tradition in its purest form. High altitude and lower pressures result in better quality. The endemic yeasts, distillation process, and mountain aging create unrivaled spirits.

BLANCO: Notes and hints of vanilla, caramel, butter and moist soil.

HIGH-PROOF BLANCO: Smooth and cooked agave flavor, hints of pepper, citrus, minerals and moist soil.

REPOSADO: Cooked agave flavor notes, and aromas of wood, dried fruits, nuts, vanilla and most soil.

Disclaimer: Bourbon & Banter received a sample of this product from the brand for review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.