Casamigos Reposado Tequila

Casamigos Reposado is a 40% ABV tequila from Los Altos, the highland region of Jalisco. Highland agave is generally associated with a rounder, sweeter, fruit-leaning profile compared with lowland fields. A reposado spends time resting in oak, which places it between the unaged Blanco and the longer-aged Añejo. The reference material for this bottle points to a seven-month rest in American white oak, and that is the main thing to know about how it drinks. Seven months is a short stay in wood, so expect the cooked-agave sweetness and light citrus-and-pepper edge of a Blanco to stay in the foreground. The barrel adds a pale gold color and a soft layer of vanilla, caramel and a hint of cocoa. Those are the notes described for this expression, and they are typical of American oak at this age. Compared with a Blanco, it is rounder and less peppery. Compared with an Añejo, which sits a year or more in barrel, it is lighter and tastes less of wood. Extra Añejo, aged three years or longer, goes further still toward dried fruit, spice and tannin, and it is a different style from this one. Because the oak is gentle, it works neat. A caballito or a small rocks glass at room temperature shows the caramel and agave best. Chilling it or pouring it over a single large cube softens the alcohol and tones down the sweetness a little. If you want a garnish, an orange slice is a better match for the barrel notes than lime and salt. It also makes cocktails without being lost in them. In a Margarita, the vanilla and caramel round off the lime and give a smoother, slightly warmer drink than a Blanco would. In a Paloma, topped with grapefruit soda over ice with a pinch of salt, the oak notes balance the bitterness. For Ranch Water, with lime, a splash of sparkling water and plenty of ice in a tall glass, it gives a gently sweet base rather than the sharper bite of a Blanco. Its main limit is that the barrel character will be less distinct in cocktails with strong mixers, so if you want agave and citrus at the front, a Blanco is the better pick for those drinks.