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Tequila Ocho Plata
About Tequila Ocho Plata
Tequila Ocho Plata is produced by Tequila Ocho – an Arandas, Jalisco based brand founded in 2008 by Carlos Camarena and Tomas Estes.
Their tequilas are produced using a slow, handmade process. Each agave plant is grown for 7-10 years before being hand harvested by jimadores, slow cooked in brick ovens, and crushed with a roller mill. The juice is fermented in wooden vats using airborne yeast, before being distilled twice in pot stills at low temperatures. This particular bottle of Plata tequila is unaged.
Bottle Specs
❖ ABV: 40%
❖ Distillery: Cía. Tequilera Los Alambiques, S.A. de C.V.
❖ Aging: none
❖ Price Point: moderate
My Tasting notes
The aroma of this tequila was clean and airy, with slight hints of salt and minerals. There was no heat at all on the nose.
I took my first sip, and it was clean and smooth, with a flavor of fresh water. This was followed by slight fruity notes in the middle and the finish. Over time, there was a bit more heat on the tongue, although it never seemed harsh. This tequila was overall very smooth to sip.
Cocktail
For my cocktail, I really wanted to look ahead to Spring, and drink something vibrant and refreshing. I first saw this recipe for the Fresca Platino in the book Regarding Cocktails, and have been looking for the perfect time to feature it ever since. I thought it would be a great way to put Tequila Ocho Plata to the test.
Fresca Platino
❖ 2oz blanco tequila
❖ 3/4oz lime juice
❖ 3/4oz mineral saline
❖ 3 slices of cucumber
❖ 2 mint sprigs
❖ garnish: cucumber slice
- add the cucumber, mint, lime juice, and saline to the shaker tin, and gently muddle.
- Add the tequila and ice, seal the shaker, and shake until chilled.
- Strain the mixture into a glass with ice.
- Garnish with a cucumber slice if desired.
My cocktail ended up being quite salty. I suppose I should have expected this given the amount of saline in the recipe, however I also suspect that I was led astray a little bit when researching the correct ratios of salt to water. As a result, I didn’t enjoy my cocktail as much as I had hoped, although I do feel that the tequila held its own. It added a nice freshness to the flavor, and it was impressively smooth against a low volume of mixers.
Later, I decided to make margaritas to really give this bottle a fair comparison, and they were delicious. The flavor of the tequila was incredibly clean and fresh, which was a bit of a double-edged sword, because I had run out of my favorite orange liqueurs and was forced to use a triple sec that I had given 1 star.
Bottom Line
RATING: 4/5
At the end of the day, I feel comfortable recommending this bottle of Tequila Ocho Plata, although it didn’t wow me as much as I was hoping based on the hype surrounding it. I’ll admit – my expectations were pretty high.
As a sipping tequila, it was surprisingly great for a blanco, with a smooth flavor and hardly any heat. Personally, I have a bias towards flavorful spirits, and Ocho Plata was incredibly neutral, leaving me wanting a little more. However, the fact that I enjoyed sipping it without even having to wince is a tall order, and should not be taken for granted.
This tequila was also great inside of cocktails, but did not balance the mixers quite as well as similar bottles that I gave 5 stars, especially G4 Blanco which also has a fairly neutral flavor. Still, I think that Tequila Ocho Plata will become one of the go-to choices in my liquor cabinet this Spring, and I recommend picking up a bottle if you get the chance.
As always, drink responsibly.
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