• Higher-end product from one of the most respected and popular producers in Mexico

• Features bright, clean agave and tropical fruit notes with a lingering wood-menthol-pineapple finish

• Great for sipping neat and also works well in umami-influenced cocktails

• Elegant and unique bottle

• May be too “light and sweet” for some añejo fans

• Fruit and floral notes may not appeal to fans of aged brown spirits

• May be considered overpriced for what you get

Tasting Notes

Color: Deep straw gold, which is comparable to many añejos, though lighter than some. Because they spend their rest in a warmer environment than most whiskeys do (in, say, Kentucky or Scotland), aged tequilas generally sit for just one to three years, often in second-, third- and fourth-use bourbon barrels, resulting in a lighter, clearer color than most whiskeys or rums.

Nose: Aged tequila can be a funny beast. Often the grassy agave notes are accentuated, sometimes they’re lost to the wood. In this case, the initial aromatics are floral and sweet fruit, almost like a cognac. Rose, pear, vanilla and brown sugar hit up front, with agave and a rich wet oak note following.

Palate: On the palate, there's a sweetness, though here the agave grassiness is more pronounced. Up front on the lips and gums are tannic spices and vanilla from the oak; mid-palate, it sits with a medium weight and slight chewiness with hints of apricot, agave, vanilla and clove.

Finish: The very long finish is one that some might not find to their liking, but others certainly will. There's a menthol brightness tempered with unctuous grapefruit, agave, wood and white pepper.

Our Review

There really was a Don Julio Gonzáles, who began his tequila making journey in 1942. He and his family produced a popular label in Mexico called Tres Magueyes before releasing the "good stuff": his family’s reserve under the Don Julio label. The family (along with then-head-distiller Enrique de Colsa) released Don Julio 1942 in 2002, commemorating Gonzáles’ 60 years in the industry. In 2015, the label was fully acquired by Diageo. 

THE BOTTOM LINE