Dulce Vida Tequila took home the top award for silver tequila in the San Francisco World Spirits and took top honors at the first annual Texas Tequila Throwdown. But, how does it handle a common man tequila drinker without the sophisticated tequila palate of a professional–the everyday drinker.
It’s time to find out as I’ve cracked open the bottle and poured myself a glass of the Dulce Vida Blanco. The marketing material says this is “100% Organic Coastal Highland Agave,” which I presume to mean it’s following some good regulations for growth. The silver is extremely clear and clean looking and the nose is pretty strong.
It must be mentioned, this is a 100-Proof Blanco Tequila. Yeah, that’s a 50% ABV on this winner which usually causes me to give pause as it requires a lot of work to round out that potency. Oddly enough, the alcohol is the last impression that I get from the nose of Dulce Vida Blanco–I’m getting a nice ripe spicy scent with a nice sugary vanilla, white pepper and agave.
Upon taste I was met with what can only be explained as a huge potent burst of fire followed by roasted pineapple, brown sugar and the lingering aftertaste of earthy agave. The second sip was much more tame as my palate gets used to the intensity; I noticed that this is a very thick Blanco with dominant white pepper and strong burning rage.
The finish is long and inviting, you completely forget about the fire that lite up your insides a few seconds prior to the sip. Even a small sip brings an untouchable wild attack. I shake my head from the intensity and continue to want to try it again. While this is a 100-Proof spirit the triple distillation process cleans the finish nicely, leaving a crisp recollection of the attack without the sour bite that you get from a 100-Proof product.
Dulce Vida is smooth, inviting, earthy, spicy and covered in agave. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a Tequila with a wild side that tells its story on the attack. It’s like being punched in the face by agave and white pepper and you loving each hit; I yearn to get punched again and again!
The suggested retail price is USD $40 for the Dulce Vida Blanco and it’s definitely worth of the price. Very few other tequila’s will bump up the intensity of your tequila-based cocktails like this Blanco. You don’t have to sip it to enjoy it, with the 100-Proof nature, you’ll find this tequila really cuts through and makes itself known in many cocktails while retaining its heritage and flavors.
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