Review: Maestro Dobel 50 1967 Tequila

Maestro Dobel invented the cristalino category back in 2008, and while it has released standard tequila expressions since that time, the brand’s name has largely been synonymous with cristalino with its “Diamond” bottling.

Now Dobel is back with a new series of upscale releases, a collection of extra anejo bottlings each with a different cask finish. The first of these is Maestro Dobel 50 1967, a recognition of the 50th birthday of the founder, Juan Dobel, born in 1967. This bottling is made from 100% Blue Weber agave tequila which is aged in American and French oak for three years minimum before finishing in sherry casks.

It is not cheap. Let’s see what a near four-figure outlay will get you from the tequila shelf.

I was expecting a sugar and fruit bomb on the nose here, but Dobel 50 1967 is surprisingly tame. Aromas of caramel, cinnamon, and some overripe fruit are all festive — and holiday-centric — but never overpowering, leaving room for gentle slugs of barrel char, clove, and toasted coconut to come into focus as the glass fills with character. It’s a heady and enchanting mix of aromatics that all work together well: not too sweet, not at all too savory.

The palate is really in lockstep with the nose, showing lots of cinnamon, then nutmeg, then ginger — really pushing the Christmas spice theme hard. Brown butter builds as the moderate but silky body fills the mouth, with slight notes of flamed orange peel and some pepper sprinkled into the mix, the agave element finally showing itself but remaining a bit cloaked in shadow. There’s almond nougat and a surprising touch of coffee on the finish, then a punch of golden syrup leaving the drinker with a sweet but never cloying element on the tongue.

What we end up with is a greatest hits of extra anejo tequila — sweetness, fruit, and just a pinch of agave in the background. Could it use more of an agave punch? Probably, but not essential. Whoever blended this really knew what they were doing.

80 proof. NOM 1122.

A / $950 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]

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