El Tesoro Tequila Tasting: 5 Reasons Why We Love the Brand

02/27/23
ElTesoroTasting

Photo by Outsider

Reasons Why We Love El Tesoro

  1. From a great distillery that only makes traditional tequila with no additives
  2. The agave is estate-grown
  3. It is distilled at bottle-proof (not diluted down with water)
  4. Because the brand is owned by Beam Suntory, El Tesoro can be found in bars, restaurants, and stores throughout the US.
  5. Affordably priced. The Blanco is around $40 a bottle (but the Reposado we love is closer to $54)

On the last Friday of each month, the Outsider and On3 offices celebrate our hard work with a tequila tasting. In January, we began #FelipeFriday with G4 Tequila (Felipe Camarena and his brand have made FelipeFriday a trend on Instagram, hence, our tequila tasting’s name of Felipe Friday). It only seemed right for our second tasting to be a creation from Felipe’s brother, Carlos Camarena. This month, we poured El Tesoro.

The Camarena family is legendary in the tequila world. Carlos and Felipe are third-generation master distillers (with the fourth generation working in those distilleries). Carlos Camarena is the master distiller at La Alteña Distillery (NOM 1139), created by Don Felipe Camarena in 1937. He produces El Tesoro, Tapatio, Tequila Ocho, and some Villa Lobos there.

The brand El Tesoro is unique as it is one of the few readily-available traditional tequila brands. It was created and launched for international distribution, beginning in 1990 as a joint venture between Don Felipe and two premium tequila promoters, Marilyn Smitha and Robert Denton.

In 1999, the brand was bought by Fortune Brands, which ended up becoming Beam Inc., and later, Beam Suntory. This leads us to today, where El Tesoro is operated by the Camarena family in Jalisco, with distribution amplified by the Beam Suntory (most known for Jim Beam).

El Tesoro’s reposado, añejo, and extra añejo are all aged in Jim Beam barrels.

As we poured sips to round out the end of February, each person shared what flavor profiles they picked up and which expression was their favorite. In the El Tesoro Blanco, many folks tasted white pepper, vegetal agave, mineral, and pine. The reposado (which was voted the favorite amongst the office) had notes of oak, earthy agave, and light butterscotch or caramel hints. The añejo was the favorite amongst the whiskey drinkers (looking at you, Jim Casey) and took the profile of the reposado to the next level: more oak, caramel, cooked agave, and spicy pine hit the palate.

Plus, the brand was just added to the Sip Tequila portfolio, meaning even if you can’t find it in your local liquor store, you can easily order it online:
Buy the Blanco | Buy the Reposado | Buy the Anejo | Buy the Extra Anejo | Buy the Paradiso Extra Anejo