There are a lot of new tequilas out there—too many, some might argue, as every month a new brand launches, sometimes with a dubious celebrity backer. But there are also those worth highlighting that come from brands which are highly regarded for both their quality and traditional production processes. Tequila Ocho is one of those, and the brand just launched the new Barrel Proof Reposado, an unusual offering in the larger tequila world.
Tequila Ocho calls itself the world’s first single estate tequila brand. It was founded in 2008 by Carlos Camarena, a legendary figure in the agave spirits world who is behind other brands like El Tesoro and Tapatio, and the late tequila ambassador Tomas Estes. Each batch of tequila that is produced at Tequilera Los Alambiques is made from agave that is harvested from one specific estate, an attempt to showcase terroir in tequila by highlighting the differences that the soil brings to the agave. No diffusers here–the tequila is made by cooking agave in ovens, fermenting in wooden vats, and distilling on copper pot stills, all without the use of additives.
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This new reposado was aged in American whiskey barrels for up to six months—nothing new there, that’s a very common length and style of maturation for tequila (although it’s much longer than the core reposado spends in casks). But this reposado is bottled at barrel proof—101, or 50.5 percent ABV. In the whiskey world, “barrel proof” refers to the proof at which the spirit comes out of the barrel, although per TTB regulations it can be up to two degrees less than that and still be labeled barrel proof. This tequila is a blend of barrels that were bottled at cask strength or barrel proof, according to Ocho, but it seems the TTB regulation would apply to this as well.
Of course, there are other high-proof tequilas out there, often called still strength (or sometimes high proof) to indicate the strength it comes off the still before aging—a blanco, in other words. Some examples of note come from brands like Fortaleza, Tapatio, Cazcanes, Suerte, and Lalo. Ocho Barrel Proof Reposado’s 101 proof is stronger than you’ll find most tequilas being bottled at (the same strength as Wild Turkey), but not as strong as expressions from Tapatio and Santo, which come in at 110 proof.
According to the brand, the agave used for this release was harvested from Las Raíces in 2024. We did not get to try the tequila yet, but official tasting notes describe light wood, rosemary, rose, and lavendar on the nose, followed by notes of agave, baking spices, dark chocolate, peach, caramel, and white pepper on the palate. “The use of over-mature agaves from rancho Las Raices, plus the extra time in barrel and bottling this tequila at a high proof, creates the perfect combination for a very well balanced tequila that should be enjoyed neat in a flute glass,” said Camarena in a statement.
This is a fairly limited release (SRP $84), but you can currently find it for sale at websites like Total Wine, along with the rest of the Tequila Ocho range.
Authors
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Jonah Flicker