Patrón has always held a privileged spot among U.S. tequilas (it does not sell in Mexico, in case you were wondering), and I vividly remember previous encounters with this añejo as being nice, valuable experiences. Its been over 2 years now that I had not tasted this añejo tequila, until a few days ago, a friend´s visitor showed up with a bottle of Patrón Añejo.
Patrón follows the traditional/artisan tequila look and feel. The bottle in itself, a "hand blown" type of decanter that back in the old days really impressed Mexican-curious-thirsty-Gringos a lot, is still one of his major assets in terms of visual impact, and leads people to believe that in fact this is one of those rare, elusive and select few tequilas that follow the most traditional ways of tequila making right down to the bone. Well, perhaps they did a few years ago, but today, this añejo tastes far from magical. "Industrial" would be a much more appropriate term to describe it.
VISUAL
Hmmm. I had to re-read a previous review of Patrón I wrote 2 years ago to double check the coloring issue. Back in 2000, Patrón añejo has a cleaner, less dark color than the one I tried 1 week ago. The "new" Patrón offers an intense golden maple syrup hue, a lot darker than I remembered. The body is still very dense and voluptuous, such as the ladies they insist on using in their website (and general advertising), but it seems just a little too thick and viscous. Perhaps too much glycerin, perhaps just my imagination. Perhaps it is just "slightly enhanced" as the boobs on some of the playmates in their website (no pun intended to the ladies, its just an analogy, OK?).
I really don't know, but seems to me that Patrón tried too hard to emulate the thick, chocolaty dark "ultra premium" añejos from Cuervo (Reserva de la Familia) and Herradura (Selección Suprema). At least those 2 tequilas have a strong and unique personality, but Patrón does not anymore.
TASTE and SUCH.
How disappointing is to confirm that, what once was a superb añejo, is now a "good" tequila at best. The aroma is loaded with heavy oak notes, smoked agave accents, and interesting musky traces. The upper rim aromas also reveal a faint toffee coat along with weak butterscotch traces. But unfortunately, the alcohol presence is big and obtrusive, too "hot" for the trained noses to keep under acceptable control. In all, Patrón añejo´s bouquet is firm and elegant, but not full of that delicious roasted agave feel that made it a superior tasting experience. Now, an unpleasant rusty sensation can be felt down the nose both at mid and lower rim examination.
The tasting adventure turns almost ugly at the first stages of acquaintance. I recall a very soft and satiny texture to be found on Patrón alomst as a trademark. This time the first contac with lips and tongue is a bit more rispid. The alcohol attack is very strong and leaves a tangy taste, unusual for an añejo. The texture is still very thick and almost chewy, but a lot less pleasing than 2 years ago.
Much of the familiar elements remain inside Patrón: the robust burnt agave presence, the impressive white oak flavor and the mild tannins. The agave feel is as good as most premium añejos, but now it seems a bit rusted, old, not lively enough. The alcohol presence is stronger than it used to be, shaving the more refined elements off. The retronasal passage has to work overtime to pick up the otherwise delicious dark chocolate and butterscotch notes. The finish remains very long and powerful, very aromatic and with nice agave notes, along with a peppery feel on its way out.
In all, seems that Patrón altered the blend, favoring the "extra aged" feel isntead of a well matured, mostly agave sweet añejo. Whatever the reason, this tequila downgraded its former best features, compromising its "ultra premium" status. More agave feel and less "aged" elements are needed here.
Once again, I must point out that Patrón Añejo is still a darn good añejo. Goes perfectly with strong flavored meals as a digestive, specially read meats with herbs.
It is no fresh news that many tequila brands tweaked their quality controls and/or formulas a bit during the crisis years, and for some of those who did so, the results were from bad to disastrous. I hope this is not the case of Patrón añejo, because it used to be a superb añejo, perhaps one of the best ever. Now, I cannot make this same affirmation. It seems to mimic the taste and feel of Cuervo Reserva de la Familia, Herradura Selección Suprema or Rey Sol, but in doing so, it lost quite a bit of his unique flavor and character.
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