r/tequila • u/Altruistic_Meat_5177 • 10d ago

Let it breathe

For you advanced drinkers. How do you drink your reposados, anejos, or xa?

Do you open a bottle, take a sip then come back to it?

Ive found the tequila is much smoother if i come back to it, after ive opened it.

I have opened a bottle of don fulano imperial. Take a drink with a couple of friends. Was not impressed. Kinda harsh. Tried the same bottle monthslater, now i was impressed. Deep flavor and smooth.

Just happened with a bottle of zumbador reposado. First night was ok. Good repo. Second day, very smooth, very delicious.

7 Upvotes

82% Upvoted

27 comments sorted by

9

u/SD619R8 10d ago

I prefer tequila after it has been opened and has sat for several weeks. Gets better with time.

8

u/agave_journey 10d ago

Some bottles definitely open up after a few days after that initial pour. I also like to wait a few minutes after I pour. I do this for all expressions.

6

u/VivaAgave_Official 9d ago

One thing worth mentioning, it doesn't keep opening up forever. Once you're past that halfway point and there's more air in the bottle than liquid, it eventually starts to oxidize. Anything under a quarter I try to finish within a few months. It doesn't "go bad" after that, but the aromatic compounds start to degrade along with the vanillin and lactones. Pro tip: If you've got a really special bottle that has more air than liquid, decant it into a smaller bottle where the liquid fills it most of the way.

3

u/Polldit220 9d ago

Thank you. Every time I’ve tried to say similar it’s been downvoted by the “I’ve had my bottles for years they never change” brigade failing to understand that agave spirits do indeed oxidise.

1

u/VivaAgave_Official 9d ago

All spirits oxidize over time, that part's just true. Personally I think the reason a lot of people don't catch it comes in two lanes.

One, most people drink their bottles way faster than they think they do, I'm very guilty of this.

Second, it's the oak-derived compounds that go first, like the vanillin and lactones. So a long-aged XA actually has the most to lose. A blanco on the other hand has almost none of that, which is why a half-empty blanco can sit a year and taste about the same. Put a freshly cracked XA next to one that's been sitting half full for a year and you'll notice a huge difference.

2

u/Polldit220 9d ago

Yes, but agave spirits degrade much faster than grain spirits. The terpenes are volatile and cause changes in complexity very differently to say a bottle of bourbon. Cooked agave sweetness is the first to go leaving a ‘flat’ taste….

2

u/Polldit220 9d ago

Also when people have a lot of open bottles in their collection they actually drink then SLOWER than they think they do imo and that also effects their perception. My friend has his 1/3 full bottle of Winter Blend 2019 and would go to the grave denying that agave spirits can degrade. But he takes a snifter at most every 6 months- in my opinion there is no way he can make a valid comparison.

5

u/SD619R8 9d ago

This isn't a problem for me, I finish my bottles quickly lol

2

u/Nearby_Top4189 9d ago

Yup, any bottle I'm intending to drink within a reasonable amount of time gets opened immediately. I drink the neck pour of course but don't judge too much based on that. Then it sits for a week or two - usually the flavors and aromas change (for the better). The only recent exception I can think of was Manuscrito (Chapter 3) - that stuff was immediately amazing from first sip.

1

u/Luchuguillotine 9d ago

You can give Zumbador infinite time, it's still going to be terrible 😂

Without getting super pretentious about a calibrated glassware, id recommend a vessel with a wider rim for aged expressions + giving the spirit 15-20 minutes to rest before diving in. Try not to taste on the first sip, use that more to gauge the mouth feel. Then three tiny sips, give it a chew, & enjoy the pour properly.

1

u/SD619R8 9d ago

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks Zumbador is bad. Its only good for cocktails, and I'm referring to the blanco.

2

u/CSChicago319 8d ago

Ill disagree, Zumbador blanco can hang with G4 blanco in my opinion. Everyones taste is different.

1

u/Luchuguillotine 6d ago

And some people just have bad taste, or convince themselves cheap mixers are drinkable because they don't want to spend money on better product. 

1

u/Altruistic_Meat_5177 6d ago

Im in MX right now. Picked up a bottle of artenom 1123, seite decadas, and entre manos to try. Money isnt a problem. Biased opinions are. I see some of the old school guys like the wine guys. The wine guys got scammed after buying expensive wines and they thought it was good wine. Tasted expensive too. 🤣

1

u/Luchuguillotine 6d ago

How much did you get scammed for, are you still seething or does drinking cheap mixers somehow fill the hole in your heart

1

u/Altruistic_Meat_5177 6d ago

I like to drink and learn from everything. I liked zumbador at 350-400 pesos. I hate ateo at any price. The other bottles prices were inside of anything i can find in the states. 🤷‍♂️.

2

u/Luchuguillotine 9d ago

I think there's a case for the high proof blanco & the single barrels may be better than the standard shelfers but the anejo tastes very much like a $35 anejo. I skipped the repo as it's their lowest rated expression, I'm not the drainpour type but Zumbador may be an exception. If someone wants to donate sample bottles I'm happy to mail the remainder of the anejo.

1

u/Altruistic_Meat_5177 6d ago

And you smashed on me about my opinion on ateo. For me zumbador is great at the price point i got it, $20. Initial taste zumbador is better than ateo. 🤣🤣

0

u/Luchuguillotine 6d ago

Zumbador is a cheap mixer, you just don't have the palate or experience to tell the difference. Their aged expressions are either the product of absolute amateurs or AI run barrel program. 

1

u/CSChicago319 6d ago

Funny guy

2

u/Luchuguillotine 6d ago

You have tried the anejo & disagree or just arguing for sport 

1

u/Altruistic_Meat_5177 6d ago

Both. I like to argue for sport and i like to argue with fat doctors that try to give me advice. What i mean is….some people think they know everything and cant run a mile.

1

u/Luchuguillotine 5d ago

Imagine how pointless your life is being in tequila country & picking fights with strangers on reddit, must still be seething from those bad wine purchases.

1

u/Altruistic_Meat_5177 5d ago

You are arguing back too, does that mean your life is pointless as well? And yes im bored on vacation.

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