Hornitos Black Barrel Tequila Review

Lindsey Wehking -

Every good spirit has a story. Sometimes that story comes from the pioneers who made it; sometimes from the rebels who drank it; and sometimes from the taste, it leaves in your mouth.

HE SHOT HER DEAD IN MEXICO CITY, 1951, BUG POWDER CLOUDY THROUGH HIS VEINS.

This story makes the mouth run dry.

It was a September afternoon. The “Old Bull” William S. Burroughs and his wife Joan shared the pallid space of a friend’s living room with the usual cast of characters. Drunk on tequila and marital resentment, with enough junk in his system to kill an elephant, Bill starts in again about transplanting to South America. “Gonna live off the land,” he said. “Gonna kill and eat wild boars,” he said. His wife was snidely amused.

“Bill, if you were our hunter, we’d starve to death,” Joan taunted. “Now, show the boys what kind of shot old Bill is. Show ‘em your famous William Tell routine.”

Placing a glass on her head, she turned sideways, giggled and said, “I can’t look; you know I can’t stand the sight of blood.”

Before anyone could raise an objection, Bill raised his gun and fired. There was no scream or sound of shattered glass. All that could be heard was the sound of Joan sinking in her chair. He had missed. And the glass lay unbroken on the floor.

Now this, my friends, is the taste Hornito’s Black Barrel Tequila leaves in your mouth: trouble in paradise. And I don’t hate it.

That’s right, I said tequila. This isn’t your saltylimehandlickingmakeherclothesfalloff tequila, though, so read on if you want to know more.

BOTTLE DETAILS

  • AGE: 18 Months
  • YEAR: 2014
  • PROOF: 80 (40% ABV)
  • MSRP: $29.99
  • BUY ONLINE: Binny’s

LINDSEY'S NOTES

NOSE: Trouble – flowers, cyanide, and a dirty oak chair

TASTE: Oaky goodness |  Soot  |  Vanilla  | Pepper

FINISH: This mashup is all bourbon in the front and tequila in the back, but somehow that combination dulls the burn, like life in a heroin haze.

SHARE WITH: Your fun friends. This will be fun to serve up to those friends who don’t have quite the refined palate all you fine folks do. They just might think it’s bourbon! Admit it; you get a tiny surge of joy from feeling superior to the plebian palate. I sure do. So, serve it to them blind, make them guess what it is and report back to me! I’ll tell you now, my friends are idiots. They’ll probably down the glass, no questions asked, and request more of that…vodka.

WORTH THE PRICE: The suggested retail price for this bad boy is $29.99, but I’ve seen it for slightly less. Either way, that’s less than thirty bucks for an Anejo tequila with a bourbon tease, which ain’t no raw deal.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Grab a bottle the next time you’re having your weird friends over. Hornitos Black Barrel has all the fun of tequila with a dash of that bluesy bourbon grit. Live a little. But, keep the glass off your head.

BRAND NOTES

Hornitos® Tequila is redefining the premium tequila experience with the launch of new Hornitos® Black Barrel®, a 100% blue agave tequila, distinctively aged through an innovative process that conveys the classic tasting notes of a whiskey.

Triple aged to create a uniquely complex tequila with whiskey characteristics, the newest premium offering from Hornitos® is aged first for 12 months in American Oak barrels before transitioning into deep charred American Oak barrels for four months. In the final aging process, the liquid is transferred to specially-toasted American Oak barrels for two additional months to further enhance the whiskey-like notes of this one-of-a-kind premium tequila.

The distinctive Hornitos® Black Barrel® aging process creates a spirit unlike anything else in the tequila category. With oaky-vanilla notes and a peppery spiciness, the tequila offers light smoky oak notes and smooth, sweet agave character. The spirit is full-bodied with a clean, mild flavor finish and a slightly lingering tingle sensation.

Disclaimer: A sample of Hornitos Black Barrel Tequila was provided to us by Beam for this review. We appreciate their willingness to allow Bourbon & Banter to review the booze with no strings attached. Thank you.