Terralta Blanco Tequila
Destileria El Pandillo, S.A. de C.V. (NOM-1579), Jesús María, Mexico
40% ABV
Terralta means "high land" in English, which is what this tequila is all about. Terralta is made with 100% deep well water and is very bold, full of minerals, with lots of sweet, rich agave aroma and taste. Due to the water used, master distiller Felipe Camarena, the man behind G4, Primo 1861, and older bottlings of Pasote, explains there's a different pH level with Terralta, "it's our more neutral tequila, and has less acidity, than our other brands. To me, there's an aroma of fresh rain in the blanco, maybe from the higher alkaline level. Terralta simply tastes different from other tequilas, as well as Felipe's other brands. The red high iron oxide rich soil in Los Altos, acts as a filter, and adds to the flavor profile. As Felipe said "the soil is working like a filter 450 feet deep, and is adding minerals and some characteristics to the flavor, including a little bit of clay." You taste that same presence, along with rich mineral, stone and earthy notes.
Long Island Lou's review:
"This blanco is kickass, and trust me when I say... that's all you really have to know. It's so amazingly clean, pure and tasty. THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE BLANCO!! Everybody else can now slide down, because you can add this to the World's Best Top 5 Blancos.... it's official, ink it in. It is full of pure sweet baked agave, so earthy and full of minerality. Although the water's coming from deep below our feet, there's a presence of rain and delightful mineralogy with every sip. It's an earthly taste with a heavenly aroma. It is fairly smooth to drink (but not overly) and it has aromas and notes of fruit (melon), light spice, some smoke, a pinch of pepper and anise (black licorice) as well as some floral. It has just the perfect amount of sweetness, which mixes and balances perfectly with the minerals. It's a total delight to drink and I can't say it enough.... THIS is amazing juice. I compared it to G4 and Pasote in a blind taste comparison and I picked Terralta for top aromas and taste, not that Pasote and G4 were far behind. I found Terralta to be more similar to Pasote."