El Tesoro Anejo
When I was working through my last full bottle of El Tesoro Anejo (Olive Oil bottling: A-1047), I mostly drank it in comparison with my open bottles of Paridiso C series and El Tesoro 75th Anniversary. The Olive Oil always gave the extra anejos a run for their money, impressing me with fantastic weight on the palate and bold, expressive, tropical profiles. The Olive Oil didn't have as much complexity as the other two, but it was no less enjoyable with it's combo of melon, mint, and caramel. Ever since those tastings, I've wondered how legendary Denton White Label Anejos would stack up against Olive Oils. Recently I got the chance.
El Tesoro Anejo A-1066 (2011) - NOM 1139 - 40%
Nose: LOVE. Bright and crisp. Watermelon. Cinnamon. Pollen. Hardly any oak. Mint. Minerality. Touch of bubblegum.
Flavor: Translates the fundamentals of the nose to a T. Watermelon. Caramel. Fresh florals. Baking spice. Minerality. Mint.
Structure: Full and rolling. Heavy and deep. Long.
Proof Integration: One of the most robust 80 proof pours I’ve had. Outstanding.
Score: 9 (Stash Two) Complex. Expressive. Cohesive. Totally identifiable profile. Shut up and take my money.
El Tesoro Anejo “White Label” - NOM 1139 - Denton Import - 40%
Nose: Complex. Deeper profile. More oak. Earthier and more vegetal. Roasted corn. Fresh peppers. Some melon still pops. Wet earth. Rich caramel runs beneath it. Well water. Topical oils.
Flavor: Oily. Herbal. Sweet corn. Vegetal agave. Walnut. Dries out with oak in the finish.
Structure: Long. Dry. Less vertical action. More wide and expansive.
Proof Integration: A little punchier than the OO, but it's the good kind of bite.
Score: 8 (Stash One) I slightly prefer the melon forward profile and weight of the OO. This is earthier, super interesting, and complex. Worth noting: despite the darker color on the OO, the barrel influence on the lighter Denton was stronger.
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If I were to generalize the profiles above and compare to some killer blancos. The Olive Oil bottle is more fruit forward like Calle 23 Criollo and the Denton White label is an earthier profile like Fuenteseca 2013. The Denton also hit some of those really interesting vegetal/walnut/oak notes that I found in Arette XA. After this tasting, I'm more likely to pick up a bottle of the Arette.
Rating System
10 - Reevaluate The Budget
9 - Stash Two (If Able)
8 - Stash One (At The Right Price)
7 - Highly Recommend It To Strangers
6 - Solid - Above Average
5 - Acceptable For The Situation
4 - Not Vocally Complaining
3 - Anything Else To Drink?
2 - Nothing Nice To Say
1 - Drain Pour