Chamucos Diablo Still Strength Blanco Tequila: Review

Chamucos is a brand that is relatively unknown outside of the aficionado circles in the U.S. In my opinion, this is such a shame because they are a great tequila for an even greater value.

Chamucos started back in 1992, but the brand didn’t officially launch until 1994. The idea originally came from a partnership among actor Antonio Urrutia, blown glass producer Cesar Hernandez, and importer Mark Howard.

Chamucos has been made in various distilleries, with some of them being the famous 1414 Vivanco family and Tequileña 1146, which happens to be where Don Fulano and Fuenteseca are made today. Today, Chamucos is made at 1586.

If I could give my best description of Chamucos, I would say it is kind of like a Mexican boogeyman. It really is a trickster type of figure that appears in the darkness, and it is a big part of Mexican myths and urban legends. You can see the figure in all of Chamucos’ bottlings.

In terms of production, Chamucos is cooked in brick ovens, milled with a roller mill, fermented with yeast in open-air vats, and distilled twice in stainless steel stills. The one I am trying for you guys today is whatever comes straight from the still with no water added. It is just wonderfully pure tequila at 55% abv and 110 proof. 

Let’s try this.

Chamucos Diablo Still Strength Review

MSRP: This expression is priced around $65. It is an incredible value in my opinion. 

Proof: This blend is straight from the still and bottled at 110 proof. 

Aroma: As I opened the bottle and poured right around one ounce in a glass, the room was overwhelmed by the aroma of agave. Oh my goodness, when I tell you guys it was like opening the ovens at a distillery. Just WOW! I let the tequila sit for a little less than a minute, but I couldn’t wait too much longer before I went in again to smell it another time. That’s when I got a nice vegetal note. It was very green, like basil and bell peppers. I also appreciate the nice briney minerality on the nose that pairs surprisingly well with olive juice. This is possibly one of my favorite noses. Yeah, yeah. I know I say this a lot… I just really enjoy good tequila and there are so many of them! This expression was no exception.

Flavor: I’m being serious when I say this is BOLD, and you guessed it. I love it! I have said this many times, and I truly believe it—tequila is not supposed to be smooth. Tequila is supposed to be bold and complex. And, WOW does this live up to that statement. There’s no denying this is 55% abv! My mouth was flooded with a numbing tingle that is unique to white pepper. The flavor concentrated on the middle of my tongue. As the original peppery flavor mellowed out, I started getting the cinnamon-y and warm notes of cooked agave. After my palette got acclimated to the proof, the next sips were just delicious. I appreciated the sweet basil and cucumber freshness that married oh so well with the nice salinity and minerality. This is truly delicious. 

Lucas’s Rating out of 100: Like some of my most recent ratings, this expression is without a doubt also up there in the 90-91 range. The value here is just absolutely awesome. More people need to know about Chamucos, so I am so glad you’re here to learn about it with me. Salucita!