Review: Siempre Is the Best Reposado Tequila We’ve Tried in 2021
What we’re drinking: Siempre Tequila, in plata, reposado and a?ejo expressions
Where it’s from: Siempre is a collaboration between Alex Lacroix, his childhood friend Chris Matte and his life partner Monica Sanita. As noted by its NOM 1438 designation, the tequila is distilled in the actual town of Tequila in Jalisco (at the same distillery that, randomly, produces Tesla Tequila).
Why we’re drinking it: Pre-tequila days, co-founder Lacroix was on felony charges for possession of a firearm (while his daughter was less than a year old) that eventually led to one year of house arrest.
“When we started out, I was embarrrased by that story, but as we went along I realized your story and those rough times make you who you are,” Lacroix tells us.
Eventually, he turned his life turned around and teamed up with Matte and Sanita to create a tequila — an interest stoked by Sanita’s grandmother and great-grandmother, who make mezcal (“They still send me little Coke bottles of what they make,” as Lacroix tells us). Unhappy with his work at an ad agency, Lacroix decided to embrace Sanita’s family’s love of agave spirits and produce one of his own.
Their blanco (plata) tequila launched in 2015, and the reposado and a?ejo expressions arrived over the last year. According to the brand, sales rose 600 percent between Q1 of last year and this year — helped, possibly, by an interesting sales tactic where they’d send liquor stores samples in the kind of card packaging you’d usually see for perfume samples.
Given their new releases, unusual backstory and the surprising volume of consumer demand, we were curious about how Siempre tasted (though we weren’t able to try it before we crafted our 30 best tequilas list earlier this year). Let’s dive in.
How It Tastes
The plata is grassy on the nose and bright and citrus-y on the palate, with a long finish. Not too peppery, it really highlights the best of an unaged agave spirit.
The reposado, aged in new barrels for 2-6 months, is closer to what I usually find in an a?ejo. The caramel, vanilla and wood notes are strong, but thankfully the agave isn’t lost in the aging. The clear (well, not “clear”) standout.
The a?ejo, meanwhile, is actually a bit more subtle with the sweetness. Aged in ex-bourbon barrels, it feels like a sipper you’d pair with flan. Given that the sweetness isn’t overpowering, I could see it as a nice whiskey replacement in a Manhattan.
Fun fact: If you want to see a cocktail made with tequila and raw cow’s milk — it’s called a parejete and it’s apparently a Jalisco tradition — Alex from Siempre tried it. (Note: Do not try at home.)
Where to buy it: Available in around 17 states, you can also order Siempre directly for $40+.
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The article Review: Siempre Is the Best Reposado Tequila We’ve Tried in 2021 by Kirk Miller was originally published on InsideHook.