Review: Pocho Fino Tequilas, Complete Lineup

Gabriel “Flully” Iglesias is a widely enjoyed stand-up comedian, often using his Hispanic ancestry as part of his routines. Now the man is a tequila magnate, launching his own brand of blanco and flavored offerings. “Pocho Fino” is a tongue-in-cheek reference perhaps to Iglesias himself. A pocho is slang for a Mexican who grew up in the U.S., presumably losing his Latino heritage along the way, while fino means refined. Essentially: “Fancy Mexican immigrant.”

Let’s try the full lineup.

NOM 1437.

Pocho Fino Blanco Tequila Review

Rustic and a little dirty on the nose, this presents with aromas of mushroom and hemp rope, undercut with solvent. There’s a hint of fruit somewhere underneath all that, but the payoff from spending half an hour nosing this tequila to find it is decidedly minimal. The palate doesn’t offer much beyond all that, though the leathery notes of underbrush are at least sweetened up enough to temper the tequila’s aggressively savory elements. Notes of coconut nectar and almond syrup are evident, but fleeting, as the finish falls back on its industrial qualities. 80 proof. C- / $27

Pocho Fino Mexican Candy Tequila Review

Mexican candy is a broad (and often scary) category, but officially the flavor selection here is described as “candied watermelon meets fresh lime and jalapeño that is infused in the blanco tequila.” (The label does not describe the flavors as either natural or artificial.) As I had suspected, a healthy dose of flavoring does wonders for masking the funk of the blanco tequila, and the fruit pans out better than any actual Mexican candy I’ve ever tasted. Watermelon and lime effectively work as a boozy Jolly Rancher, though jalapeno notes are fleeting at best. Nuanced, no, but quaffable. 70 proof. B / $16

Pocho Fino Grilled Pineapple Tequila Review

More obvious in construction, with (natural) caramelized pineapple the flavoring note. This one’s also tinged slightly yellow in color. The results are very sweet and candylike — and so sugary it’s a little hard to describe. Brown sugar sweetness overwhelms the pineapple character, coming across like a hotel bar happy hour special made out of leftover liqueurs and rail tequila. The herbal tequila flavor does come through a bit more clearly here than on the wholly neutral Mexican Candy expression, but that’s not an overwhelmingly positive thing, as it exhibits the same industrial tendencies of the blanco, only masked by the intense flavoring agents. Definitely something I could handle only in small quantities. 70 proof. C / $16

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