Don Fulano Imperial Extra Anejo

Don Fulano Imperial Extra Añejo sits at the top of the aging ladder for tequila. Extra Añejo is the official category for tequila matured in oak for a minimum of three years, which is well beyond Blanco (unaged or rested briefly), Reposado (two months to a year in oak) and Añejo (one to three years). The details supplied for this bottle don't give its exact time in barrel, its ABV or its tasting notes, so what follows describes what expressions in this category typically deliver. The profile here is the style's usual one, not a measured description of this bottle. The agave in a Blanco is bright, peppery and vegetal, with citrus peel and cooked-agave sweetness. Extended barrel time pushes that toward the background. In an Extra Añejo, expect the agave to play a supporting role to oak-derived notes such as vanilla, caramel, toasted nuts, baking spice, dried fruit and a little cocoa or leather. The texture usually turns rounder and slower, and the finish longer and drier than in younger tequilas. Don Fulano is a name known for traditional, estate-minded tequila, but this page won't claim specifics about its distillation or cask regime beyond what the label itself states. This is a sipping tequila, and that is how it makes the most sense. Pour it neat into a caballito, the small straight-sided shot glass used in Jalisco, or into a tulip-shaped tequila glass or a small snifter, which concentrates the aroma. Serve it at room temperature or very lightly cooled. Chilling it hard mutes the oak and sweetness that you're paying for in an aged bottle. If you want it over ice, use one large cube in a rocks glass so it dilutes slowly. Skip salt and lime, since they cover the subtleties of long aging. Cocktails are a poor use of an Extra Añejo, because lime, soda and sweeteners will flatten its layers. A Margarita, Paloma or Ranch Water is better made with a Blanco or a young Reposado, where the fresh agave and citrus-friendly bite carry the drink. If you do want to mix with an aged tequila, an Old Fashioned-style build is the one place it fits: a bar spoon of agave syrup, a few dashes of bitters, an orange peel and a stirred, un-shaken finish over a big cube. For food, dark chocolate, roasted nuts, aged cheeses and dried figs or apricots suit the dessert-leaning side of an Extra Añejo, and a small pour after dinner is the classic way to serve it.