Silver tequila can get a bad rap. Certain liquor snobs see this unaged spirit as lesser than its aged counterparts. However, the silver — or blanco — version of the agave liquor can be quite exquisite with its robust profile that’s nearly straight from the still, often possessing peppery, agave-heavy notes. Likewise, its rawness makes it an exceptional choice for margaritas — a cocktail you’d almost never want to throw high-end spirits into. As one of the most iconic tequila brands in the world, Patrón unlocks a new height for the category with its latest expression, El Cielo.
Aiming to redefine silver tequila, the Jalisco-based distillery has now made the market’s very first prestige tequila that’s been distilled four times (double or triple distillation is the norm). Largely seen as a way to make the liquor smoother, extra distilling is often misconceived as removing flavor. However, Patrón has made it clear that, thanks to the genius of Master Distiller David Rodriguez and over 150 tasting sessions, this process used for El Cielo has opened up its flavor and allowed the sweetness to shine through. Made in small batches only from Weber Blue agave, water, and yeast, the flavor profile is said to be sweet, fruity, and citrusy, with notes of cooked agave as well.
We’d be remiss not to mention the beautiful bottle for El Cielo, which features a sleek design reminiscent of Patrón’s El Alto — the brand’s first foray into prestige tequila — with the same porous stone-like topper and the gold accents inspired by the volcanic tahona stone used to crush the agave, which also makes its own contributions to the flavor.
Compared to other silver tequilas, Patrón’s new El Cielo is up there in price and so it’s probably not ideal to make very many margaritas from it. It’s available for $130 from Total Wine.
