When creating a new tequila you’ve got a few directions you can take your style: Añejo, Reposado or Blanco/Silver. Both Añejo and Reposado will spend some time aging in oak barrels to build their flavor profiles. While none of the processes are easy, the price is typically reflected in the age with the silver tequilas being the lowest price and the least aged.
Dos Lunas Silver Tequila is bottled immediately after distillation, some silver tequila’s may sit in the barrels for a month or two. Many people target the silver tequila’s as “mixers” (don’t confused with mixto which is a non-100% agave tequila) because they give off strong tastes of tequila while, alone, being fairly one dimensional. I’ve found that silver tequilas require much more respect than simply calling it a cocktail makers tequila, why?
While the complex flavors of barrel aged tequilas drive new dimensions, a blanco is naked and bare for all to see. If you’ve got a moderate tequila it’s defects will be shown in its whitest form in both taste and clearity, so, in essence, it’s harder to impress with a silver than with the añejo and reposado. Dos Lunas Silver is bare for all to see, but how does it hold up?
The nose of Dos Lunas Silver is potent bombardment of bold sweet and sours. Wave your nose over the glass and you’ll pickup sweet tropical fruit, dive your nose in and you’ll get a spicy in-your-face sour punch — how a single scent can reflect both these properties is mind boggling.
Missing from the smells is that raunchy over-the-top sour you’d get from a Gold brand tequila or bottom of the barrel cost-saver at your local liquor store. The taste, however, is a lightening strike to your palate. You’ll discover earthy textures with a smooth consistency and slight tropical notes ending in the radical burn you’re tongue has been waiting to receive. While light on the initial attack, the flavors roam around your senses and fly through your nasal passages firing off all sorts of taste alarms.
You’ll find this silver smooth for its lack of age and thicker than some more watery tequilas; naked compared to its older aged brothers. The finish is long and spicy leaving your tongue prickling and yearning for a cheesy enchilada. You’ll pick out a small selection of flavors, very little citrus or caramel and more natural essences of agave but more than enough for a silver.
Dos Lunas Silver could be used for cocktails or as a neat drink, perhaps also on a bit of ice to spice up the mood. While I’m a fond believer in complexity in my sipping style, I’d not refuse a small glass of their silver selection. Was I as blown away as I was with their Añejo offerings? No. This stands in a class by itself and should only be compared to other Blanco/Silver brands, which it does quite well.
Side-by-side against Patron Silver, I believe Dos Lunas Silver has a more refined clean taste which allows it to bring more sweet character to the table. Patron Silver offers a bit more in terms of alcohol and a bit of “burnt tire” aftertaste, which some may love but I find distracts from the overall quality of the style. You’ll find both tequilas falling into the same price-point, making that a non-factor for most areas that supply both brands. If you like a less alcoholic finish and a more sweet earthy tone, you’ll want to try Dos Lunas Silver at your next tequila tasting.
No Comments