Tequila Reposado
Reposado means ‘rested’, and these Tequilas spend between two months and a year in oak. Factor in different cask types and you end up with a broad range of styles: some reposados have just the lightest lick of oak to add a little honey and vanilla creaminess to the punchy agave, while others have a more Bourbon-y toastiness to them. These are the all-rounders of the Tequila universe – great in cocktails but, at their best, worth sipping neat too.
Most aged Tequila is put in regular ex-Bourbon casks, but the Storywood venture from Michael Ballantyne aims to unite his Scottish and Mexican heritage by using casks sourced from the Scotch whisky industry, creating a markedly different flavour profile as a result. This reposado uses punchy lowland agave matured for 10 years and spends seven months in a former Speyside single malt cask.
Serving Suggestions: ‘Live free, sip slow’ is the Storywood motto, but this is more of a mixer than a sipper. There’s enough weight and character here for some powerful stirred-down creations if you can find the right fruit match.
Tasting Notes
The first impression is of soft, rounded aromas of white pepper and creamy oak/vanilla. There’s restrained citrus and lifted mint. Nicely balanced. The palate shows clean, peppery agave and some earthy notes that hint at its lowland origin. There’s an intriguing herbal element (tarragon?) that becomes more vegetal, before a finish of honey, vanilla and curry spice.
