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LALO BLANCO TEQUILA
About Lalo Blanco Tequila
LALO Blanco Tequila is produced by LALO – a smaller, Mexican-owned brand based in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 2019 by David Carballido and maestro tequilero Lalo González, who is the grandson of Don Julio González Estrada (yes, THAT Don Julio). As a brand, they aim to celebrate modern Mexico with a pure, high quality product that honors the agave plant.
Their Agave is sourced from the highlands of Jalisco, and is hand-picked at between around 6-7 years old. It gets steamed for 20-32 hours in a special brick oven, and then rested for about 18 hours, before having the juices extracted via roller mill. The juice is then fermented with water and Champagne yeast for 3-4 days. It is distilled twice, diluted to the proper ABV, and then filtered with paper filters before bottling.
LALO Blanco Tequila seems to be the brand’s only expression at this time, which is un-aged. It is additive-free, and bottled at 80 proof.
Bottle Specs
❖ ABV: 40%
❖ Distillery: Grupo Tequilero Mexico, S.A. de C.V.
❖ Aging: none
❖ Price Point: lower moderate price
My Tasting notes
I took my first whiff of this tequila, and the alcohol scent was strong, slowly mellowing into a sweetness a bit like brown sugar. As I continued, the aroma got cleaner and cleaner with each sniff, until I couldn’t smell any nose notes at all.
I took a sip, and it had a fair amount of bite. The flavors were clean, subtle, and warm. Once again there was a hint of brown sugar. About halfway through my glass, I also noticed an earthy, fruity flavor that tasted a bit like honeydew melon with its rind. Although there was quite a bit of heat that lingered in the throat, I didn’t find it too harsh.
Cocktail
Mexican Firing Squad
Ingredients
- 2oz tequila
- 3/4oz lime juice
- 3/4oz grenadine
- 5 dashes angostura bitters
- garnish: lime wheel
Instructions
- Add ingredients to a shaker with ice, and shake until chilled.
- Strain the mixture into a small glass with ice.
- Garnish with a lime wheel if desired.
Inside of a cocktail, this tequila was extremely clean, and really let the mixers shine. The alcohol was pretty smooth for an additive-free blanco, but still had noticeable heat. The cocktail recipe itself was absolutely delicious, and I can see this quickly becoming one of my favorite drinks.
Bottom Line
RATING: 4/5
Overall, I really enjoyed this bottle of LALO Blanco Tequila, but found that it fell a little short of my lofty expectations. At the end of the day, it’s a solid, quality choice if you’re looking for a mixing tequila with a clean, neutral flavor. Given the hype, however, I think I just expected something with a little more flavor and specialness.
As far as the price point, I’ve seen others on the internet say that the price has come down in recent months, which may or may not be the case everywhere. I was able to get this bottle for about 23% cheaper than my current favorite blanco, Mijenta, which I think is about fair of a difference. I’m not sure I would pay much more for LALO without a little more of a wow factor. At the new and improved price, I do feel good about using this bottle as a clean, simple, no fuss mixing tequila. The fact that it is additive-free is definitely a plus. If that sounds like what you’re looking for, go ahead and pick up a bottle of LALO Blanco.
As always, drink responsibly.
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